The Chinese automotive industry has once again ushered in a historic moment. According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in the first four months of this year, China's automobile production and sales both exceeded 10 million units for the first time in history, with year-on-year growth exceeding 10%. Earlier, on May 6th, Tesla China's statement also drew global attention: over 95% of the parts on every Model 3 and refreshed Model Y are produced in China. These are not only breakthroughs in numbers, but also mark a substantial leap for China's automotive industry from a "follower" to a "leader". What factors have driven the historic leap of China's automotive industry? What kind of impact will it bring? Currently, the automotive industry is in a rapidly changing era, with technological advancements disrupting the traditional industrial landscape. Cars are no longer just a means of transportation, but have become an important platform that integrates technology and lifestyle. From a data perspective, new energy vehicles continue to maintain high-speed growth. In the first four months, the production and sales of new energy vehicles reached 4.429 million and 4.3 million respectively, an increase of 48.3% and 46.2% year-on-year. The sales of new energy vehicles accounted for 42.7% of the total sales of new cars. In terms of exports, new energy vehicles are also the main drivers of growth. In the first four months, automobile exports reached 1.937 million units, a year-on-year increase of 6%. Among them, 642000 new energy vehicles were exported, a year-on-year increase of 52.6%. The Chinese automobile industry has achieved a historic leap of "double ten million", and the performance of new energy vehicles is impressive, driven by two major factors. One is technology. 'Technological equality' is rewriting the game rules of the automotive market. In terms of intelligent driving, by 2024, the penetration rate of L2 level passenger cars in China, which have combined driving assistance functions, will reach 57.3%, and assisted driving will gradually cover models priced at 100000 yuan or less. Since 2025, domestic major car companies have accelerated their embrace of intelligence, hoping to enhance their product competitiveness through this. Charging speed has entered the "minute era", and 800 volt high-voltage silicon carbide platforms are becoming increasingly popular. The rapid application of new technologies in domestic new energy vehicle models greatly promotes the improvement of the overall performance of new energy vehicles and further stimulates market demand. The second is policy. The "two new" policies (large-scale equipment updates and trade in of consumer goods) play a key role in driving consumption in the domestic automobile market. In 2024 alone, the number of scrapped and replaced cars in China will exceed 6.5 million. There are many highlights of the "two new" subsidy policies for automobiles in 2025. For example, the policy of "trade in" has been strengthened and expanded, and the scope of support for scrapping and updating automobiles has been relaxed from the National III emission standard to the National IV. Multiple institutions predict that the "two new" policies are expected to bring greater increases to car consumption this year. It is worth noting that some provinces and cities are taking advantage of the rapid development of the automotive industry to reshape their competitiveness. In 2024, Chongqing, relying on the strong contribution of the automotive industry to industrial growth, successfully achieved the "overtaking" of Guangzhou in terms of economic aggregate and became the fourth largest city in China's economy. Entering 2025, the regional competitive landscape of the automotive industry is accelerating its changes. In the first quarter, Anhui's automobile production surpassed Guangdong's, ranking first in the country with 761700 vehicles. Among them, new energy vehicles have surged by 83%. Not long ago, Yin Tongyue, Chairman of Chery Holding Group, bluntly stated, "Today's Anhui has become an important industrial province, innovation province, import and export province, and automobile province in China." The rapid development of Anhui's automobile industry is a microcosm of China's automobile industry building new competitive advantages and achieving breakthroughs in the century long changes. However, if we look at the overall environment, the breakthrough of "double ten million" in the first four months of 2025 is also quite difficult. On the one hand, the international situation is complex and ever-changing, and the tariff policies of certain countries towards automobiles have brought many uncertainties to the global automotive market. Especially in terms of automobile exports, the increase in tariffs will weaken the cost advantage of Chinese automotive components. On the other hand, the competition among domestic car companies is becoming increasingly fierce, and the government's systematic measures to comprehensively rectify the "internal competition" will help promote the healthy development of the industry and enhance its competitiveness. Looking back at the historic breakthrough, the achievements of China's automotive industry are the result of the resonance of multiple factors such as technological progress and policy support. They not only demonstrate the power of China's independent innovation, but also bring a new paradigm for the development of the global automotive industry. (New Society)