Chinese automaker Chery has shipped 4,000 commercial vehicle KD kits to Africa from its manufacturing base in Kaifeng, highlighting the company’s accelerating push into overseas commercial vehicle markets and the growing role of China’s inland production hubs in global auto exports.

The shipment departed from the Kaifeng Comprehensive Bonded Zone, where workers packed engines, transmissions, and other key vehicle components for export. The kits will be assembled in African markets after delivery.

The move reflects a broader shift in Chery’s overseas strategy — from exporting fully built vehicles to exporting manufacturing capability, supply chain systems, and technical standards through KD operations.

Chery’s Kaifeng base, established 16 years ago, has grown into a major production center for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and new energy vehicles. Since 2020, the company has expanded investment in the site, including the development of an R&D center focused on intelligent driving and connected vehicle technologies.

The automaker’s growth has also reshaped Kaifeng’s local industrial landscape. When Chery entered the city in 2010, the region had little automotive manufacturing infrastructure or supplier support. Over the past decade, local authorities have built an automotive supply chain around the project, attracting 139 vehicle and auto parts companies.

Official data shows the Kaifeng base produced 274,000 vehicles in 2025, generating output value of 23.3 billion yuan ($3.2 billion). Exports reached around 109,000 vehicles, accounting for roughly one-quarter of total vehicle exports from Henan Province.

Chery has increasingly used the bonded zone platform to expand KD exports and shorten export cycles through automated packaging lines and streamlined customs procedures. In 2025, Kaifeng’s urban-rural integration demonstration zone exported 14.13 billion yuan worth of vehicles and auto parts, including approximately 12,000 KD kits.

Local officials described the latest shipment as a milestone for the region’s export-oriented auto industry.

“The shipment of 4,000 commercial vehicle KD kits to Africa marks a new stage for Chery’s KD export business,” said Zheng Hongying, Executive Deputy Director of the Kaifeng Area of the Henan Pilot Free Trade Zone. She said local authorities will continue supporting the company through preferential policies and faster customs clearance services.

Chen Yongzheng, a representative from Chery Holding’s overseas business division, said Kaifeng is home to Central China’s first automobile KD export project. He added that Chery plans to further optimize its global supply chain network and expand overseas commercial vehicle operations using the Kaifeng bonded zone as a strategic export platform.

As Chinese automakers continue expanding abroad amid rising global demand for affordable vehicles and localized assembly operations, KD exports are becoming an increasingly important part of their international growth strategy. For Chery, the Africa shipment represents not only another export order, but also a deeper push toward building long-term overseas manufacturing partnerships.