Interface News Reporter | Ge Zhenwei
With the strength of Guangdong's auto parts industry and the rise of local cross-border e-commerce, e-commerce platform eBay is trying to attract more South China auto parts sellers to settle in.
On September 4th, eBay held a conference in Shenzhen focusing on the automotive parts category, with the entire venue filled with many cross-border automotive parts sellers, manufacturers, and service providers.
According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China's auto parts exports have maintained steady growth in recent years, with a growth rate of up to 74.3% in 2023. In the first half of this year, the export value reached 324.6 billion yuan, approaching the 391.76 billion yuan of vehicle (including chassis) exports.
Before the export of auto parts, the traditional offline B2B foreign trade model was mainly used. However, with the development of e-commerce, auto parts have become an important export category for China's cross-border e-commerce.
At present, auto parts products from China cover major cross-border e-commerce platforms around the world, including eBay and Amazon, and have become one of the fastest-growing categories.
Among them, eBay, as the world's major online trading market for automotive and motorcycle parts, has an annual transaction volume of over 10 billion US dollars. According to the statistical data of this platform, over the past decade (2015-2024), the sales of auto parts exported by Chinese auto parts sellers have grown significantly. Among them, the headlight and taillight assembly increased by nearly 20 times year-on-year, the bumper increased by 59 times year-on-year, the steering gear increased by nearly 200 times year-on-year, the air conditioning compressor and clutch increased by nearly 300 times year-on-year, and the three-way catalyst increased by more than 1000 times year-on-year.
Lin Wenkui, General Manager of eBay's International Cross border Trade Division in China, said, "The auto parts category is one of the most advantageous categories on the eBay platform. The track of auto parts going global is long, full of opportunities and challenges. We will continue to support Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises to seize the opportunities in the global auto parts market
Shenzhen Lianke Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Lianke Technology") is a company founded in 2010, mainly engaged in car maintenance products. The founder of the company, Lou Ke, said, "eBay has always been our preferred platform for going global. With flagship products such as OBD car diagnostic devices, we have achieved tens of millions of dollars in sales on the eBay platform for one year, with a continuous growth rate of over 20% for five years
Lianke Technology is a microcosm of cross-border auto parts sellers in Guangdong. Guangdong is a major hub for automobile manufacturing in China, with automobile production ranking first in the country for seven consecutive years. Among them, the manufacturing of new energy vehicles is particularly rapid, with BYD from Shenzhen being a representative car company. Correspondingly, Guangdong's auto parts industry is also strong, especially in high-tech fields such as automotive electronics, air conditioning systems, and in car navigation. Taking Guangzhou as an example, after nearly 30 years of development, Guangzhou currently has 12 vehicle manufacturing enterprises and over 1200 automotive parts and trading enterprises. Chentian in Guangzhou, Jiujiang in Foshan, and Huangjiang in Dongguan are all well-known auto parts cities in China.
In addition to the Pearl River Delta where Guangdong is located, the main gathering places for China's auto parts industry are the Yangtze River Delta, the Beijing Tianjin Hebei Rim, and other regions. Each region has its own unique industrial characteristics and advantages, for example: Changzhou and Wuxi have strong competitiveness in automotive electronics and interior parts; Qingdao, Weifang, and Yantai have strong capabilities in tires, braking systems, shock absorbers, and other aspects.
With a strong industrial foundation, mature foreign trade foundation, and relatively complete cross-border e-commerce service system, Guangdong's cross-border export of auto parts continues to lead the country.
According to data disclosed by eBay platform, in 2023, Guangdong Province's cross-border e-commerce exports of auto parts categories will lead the country, ranking first. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia are the best-selling overseas markets for Guangdong sellers, and the sales of the four major markets have grown in double digits year-on-year.
In terms of specific sub categories of auto parts, the most popular ones include car light assemblies, navigation and reversing cameras, turbocharged and automatic transmission accessories, etc., with sales increasing by over 50% year-on-year.
In addition, relying on the industrial cluster advantages of Guangdong's automotive electronic products and new energy vehicle accessories, in 2023, the sales of OBD in car automatic diagnostic systems and navigation devices sold by sellers in Guangdong Province will increase by more than 40% year-on-year, and the sales of new energy vehicle charging equipment related categories will double.
Cross border e-commerce not only brings sales growth to China's auto parts industry, but also promotes the transformation of Made in China into a Chinese brand. Before the emergence of cross-border e-commerce platforms, Chinese auto parts sellers, whether in the Yangtze River Delta or the Pearl River Delta, found it difficult to have a place in their brands and played more of a role as contract manufacturers. However, today, through nearly 10 years of development, more and more sellers are gradually transforming into brand owners in the process of reaching end consumers, "said Lou Ke.
After 10 years of development, Lin Wenkui has also observed some phenomenon level changes in China's cross-border e-commerce business of auto parts: firstly, the unit price continues to increase, moving from low-end manufacturing to high-quality products, with a clear trend towards customization and personalization; Secondly, in the early days, Chinese auto parts companies focused more on OE parts when going global, and now there are also some domestic brand parts emerging; Thirdly, auto parts companies have begun to actively innovate, with some innovative products already standing at the forefront of market trends and "seeding" through social media; Fourthly, auto parts enterprises have shifted from initial trade to category strategy, moving from a single market to a global market.