China dominates the global electric vehicle (EV) scene, with 11 million EVs sold domestically in 2024 and year-on-year sales jumping up by 36.5% in December. 

As the world’s largest EV market, there are opportunities for global businesses—automakers and adjacent collaborators like battery manufacturers and distributors—to get a slice of the pie. Yet, many global brands lose out because their websites don’t perform well or show up where Chinese consumers, parts manufacturers, battery suppliers and local distributors are looking. Slow load times, glitchy features, and zero visibility on local search engines like Baidu can lead to lost sales to buyers or opportunities with partners who can’t access your specs, contact forms, or collaboration portals.

So, how can your automotive brand stand out and pull Chinese EV buyers and partners to your site?

Let’s break down why this matters and what you can do about it.

TL;DR: China’s EV market boomed with 11 million sales in 2024, but slow, unoptimized websites block global automotive brands from reaching buyers and partners. Boost performance with tools like Chinafy, optimize for Baidu, and localize your site to tap into this massive, trend-setting market.

How big is the China EV market?

Chinese consumers are fueling the EV revolution. Here are some statistics to illustrate that.

In 2024, the country saw sales of 11 million EVs, a nearly 40% surge from the previous year.

One in nearly every two cars sold in China last year was an electric vehicle (EV).

By December 2024 alone, China accounted for 62% of global EV sales, with new energy vehicles (NEVs—including battery EVs and plug-ins) making up nearly half of all car sales domestically.

In 2024, plug-in hybrid (PHEV) registrations grew 79.8% year on year and battery-electric vehicles (BEV) were up by 17.3%.

S&P Global Mobility predicts that in 2025, BEVs will outsell gas-powered cars in China for the first time, hitting almost 30% of the global auto market.

BYD’s global sales grew 41% to 4.27 million vehicles in 2024.

For global businesses in the EV ecosystem, this is a chance to hook high-value customers who prioritize innovation, often buy premium models, and influence trends worldwide.

Why your website is stopping you from reaching Chinese customers

Even with the massive, and growing, demand in EVs, your business might be invisible to both buyers and B2B partners in China—because your website isn’t optimized for the Chinese internet environment. By default, most websites that have not been modified for China load slowly, if at all, and often do not properly function.

Most global sites face performance issues in China due to:

Blocked or slow-performant third-party resources:

Most global websites rely on third-party services to enhance their user experience. Unfortunately, many of these resources are slow or blocked in China. When a user in China tries to access a website that includes these elements, the resources can delay or stop the page from loading, or the resource itself is unusable, impacting the user experience.

Common examples of third-party resources on automotive sites include:

Google Maps or CMS plugins like WP Go Maps to embed interactive maps showing factory or headquarters locations.

Social media plugins to showcase testimonials or product launches.

YouTube or Vimeo embeds for promotional videos.

Live Chat services such as Intercom or Zendesk.

Advertising networks such as DoubleClick or AdRoll.

Global CDN reach:

“Global” Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) that automotive businesses use to ensure quick access for global customers often don’t perform well in China because they lack Points of Presence (PoPs) within the region. Or, even if they have PoPs in China - they are not included in coverage for these sites - as certain prerequisites need to be met to use them.

This leads to higher latency and packet loss even on the simplest of website components (e.g. images) i) because the browser has to retrieve files from servers further located outside of China when a user accesses the website ii) due to China’s unique internet framework- resulting in a poor browsing experience.

These performance issues are not unique to automotive sites but are often overlooked, leading to missed opportunities.

Opportunities for global businesses in China’s EV market

A website that works in China opens doors to significant opportunities:

Battery suppliers: China produces over 60% of the world’s EV batteries. If your site’s accessible, you could land contracts with giants like CATL or BYD, who need high-capacity cells to meet millions of annual sales.

EV parts manufacturers: Chinese EV makers like NIO and Geely are churning out vehicles at breakneck speed. A fast site with downloadable specs could secure you orders for motors, sensors, or interiors.

Charging tech providers: With over 3.2 million public charging stations in 2024, firms supplying fast-charging tech or software could partner with China’s infrastructure builders.

Raw material suppliers: China’s EV boom is reliant on huge supplies of lithium and cobalt. A visible site could connect you to manufacturers desperate for steady supply chains.

Automakers: Sell premium EVs direct to China’s growing buyer base or license tech to local brands.

Automotive businesses can take advantage of direct sales, B2B contracts, and a foothold in a market that’s setting global EV trends. But if your website is broken or slow in China, these opportunities are far harder to secure.

Steps to optimize your website for Chinese customers and partners

Automotive and manufacturing businesses can overcome website performance challenges in most cases and optimize their site in other ways, too, to attract Chinese customers and partners to their offerings.

Test your site’s performance in China:

Start by seeing how your website fares. Tools like Chinafy’s Visual Speed Test give you a side-by-side look at load times in China versus elsewhere.

Use a China-compatible CDN:

Use CDNs with PoPs in* or near China, like Tencent Cloud or Akamai, to cache static content (images, scripts) closer to users. Adding a CDN can reduce latency, but won’t resolve code or file-based issues due to blocked or slow-performing third-party resources on your website. Without addressing those third party resources, your site may still load slowly or fail to load altogether. These hundreds of resources - similar to Google APIs, Vimeo, and more - require separate handling.

*Note: Using a CDN with PoPs inside Mainland China requires meeting specific prerequisites, including obtaining an ICP filing or license and establishing a local entity or partnering with a local provider. Contact us to learn more about this.

Chinafy your site:

Whether your site is hosted offshore or onshore, Chinafy can be bolted onto your existing technical stack to achieve faster loading times, and more functional website experience.

Chinafy tackle both infrastructure and code issues by actions including, but not limited to,-

Generates a version of your website for China visitors without affecting your current site.

Detects and handles blocked or slow-performant resources (e.g., replacing Google Maps for Baidu Maps for the Chinafy version).

Adds a China-friendly CDN without changing your hosting.

Keeps your China-optimized site synced with your global one.

What’s the difference between Chinafy and a CDN?

Boost Baidu visibility:

In China, Baidu reigns as the top search engine, with over 600 million monthly users.

Besides contributing to key indicators for Search Engine Page Rankings (SERP) by improving speed and functionality, Chinafy also auto-pushes URLs to Baidu for improved indexing. Chinafy’s ecosystem of agency partners can then build off that foundation for more SEM/SEO opportunities.

Chinafy aside, to rank well:

Localize content: Translate key pages into Simplified Chinese. Baidu prioritizes this, and guests appreciate it.

Speed matters: Baidu’s Lightning Algorithm favors mobile pages loading in under 2 seconds, impacting the rank of anything over 3. Test your speed with Chinafy’s Global Speed Test.

Use Baidu Webmaster tools: Submit sitemaps and monitor performance to ensure Baidu indexes your site.

Read our Baidu SEO guide for Automotive Businesses

Localize your site for Chinese users:

Simplified Chinese language

Translate the website into Simplified Chinese. Avoid machine translations—hire native speakers to ensure accuracy and cultural nuance.

Mobile-first design

As of 2024, 99.7% of Chinese internet users access the web via mobile phones. Ensure the site is responsive, fast-loading (under 3 seconds), and easy to navigate on mobile.

Integrate Chinese payment options

Add WeChat Pay and Alipay as checkout options. As of 2023, WeChat Pay has 1.1 billion active users. UnionPay cards should also be supported.

You can also include a currency toggle with prices in Chinese Yuan (CNY) alongside local currency to reduce friction.

With the Chinese EV market soaring and shaping global trends, your website can’t afford to lag in China if you’re looking to take advantage of the boom for your business. A fast, accessible site is your edge in a cutthroat market. Ready to rev up? Test your site with Chinafy today.