The electric vehicle market appears to be the focus for most manufacturers based in China. As the technology continues to evolve, other companies also join the race, which has given the public a wider portfolio of vehicles to choose from, but it has also pushed some famous brands, like Tesla, to the second place with the variety of models. On the other hand, land vehicles are not the only thing the Chinese brands are investing in, and are now competing in another region of the market.
China is leading the industry in many sectors
China has become one of the most powerful nations in the world. With one of the largest economies in 2025, the country is pushing to become one of the most advanced in space exploration, as they plan to land on the moon as soon as 2030. On the other side, NASA is also expecting to land on the moon around that year, but some delays in the Artemis project might delay the second landing on the moon in over 60 years.
With the idea of expanding its presence in the market, Chinese companies have been working at a fast pace, landing top products and making deals with European and South American countries to sell their products. Now, as marine transportation continues to be responsible for more than 85% of deliveries and importations, a China-owned company just landed a deal that may worry BYD.
Marine transportation just got different for this company
A China-owned company just made a big move in the shipping industry. SAIC Motor, through its logistics division Anji Logistics, launched a new vessel called Anji Ansheng, now considered the world’s largest ship for transporting vehicles. On its first trip, it’s already heading to Europe.
From there, the ship will travel around the Cape of Good Hope and head towards countries like the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, according to Anji’s statement. The full trip will cover around 16,000 nautical miles and should take about 40 days at sea. The vessel also comes with a smart system onboard. It can track and collect data from more than 1,300 different points across the ship, helping to monitor everything in real-time.
Over 2,000 more cars than BYD
The Anji Ansheng can carry around 9,500 cars, which beats BYD’s Shenzhen ship that launched back in April and holds a bit more than 7,000. Until now, BYD had the record with its 219-meter-long carrier focused on transporting new energy vehicles (NEVs). According to SAIC, the Anji Ansheng isn’t just bigger – it’s also more energy-efficient and has the strongest loading capacity of any RoRo vessel working today.
With this launch, Anji now controls the biggest self-managed vehicle shipping fleet in China, with 35 vessels already in operation. That includes river, domestic sea, and international ships. They plan to increase the number of deep-sea vessels to 22 by 2026, aiming at markets like Europe, Mexico, Southeast Asia, and more.
The market is dominated by Chinese manufacturers
This comes at a time when Chinese carmakers are growing fast around the world. SAIC says it will release 17 new models overseas in the next three years, including SUVs, sedans, and pickups. In 2024, China exported a record 6.4 million vehicles, staying ahead as the top car exporter. The Port of Shanghai alone moved over 3.6 million cars, up 15% from the year before, making it the busiest car port in the world.
Not only can the country export its own products, but it can also receive many others with the current structures in the port and the accessible navigation area that Asia provides. In a couple of years, this will become vital as a new route is opening in the North Pole, and Russia, alongside other northern countries, will benefit from it.
Our coverage of events affecting companies is purely informative and descriptive. Under no circumstances does it seek to promote an opinion or create a trend, nor can it be taken as investment advice or a recommendation of any kind.
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