Data recently released by the China Machinery Industry Federation show that China’s machinery industry will be operating well in 2025, showing a stable and progressive development pattern.
The added value of enterprises above designated size increased by 8.2% year-on-year, and high-quality development achieved remarkable results.
The production and sales situation shows a stable and improving trend.
In 2025, with the support of relevant policies, the overall production and sales of the machinery industry will be better than the previous year.
Among the 122 major mechanical products under key monitoring, the output of 85 products increased year-on-year, 13 more than the previous year.
As a key product of the machinery industry, the production and sales of automobiles have reached a record high.
In 2025, automobile production will reach 34.531 million units and sales will be 34.4 million units, a year-on-year increase of 10.4% and 9.4% respectively, ranking first in the world for 17 consecutive years.
The new energy vehicle industry is booming. The production and sales of new energy vehicles in 2025 will reach 16.626 million and 16.49 million respectively, which is more than 12 times that in 2020, with an average annual growth of 65%. The market penetration rate has increased significantly from 5.4% in 2020 to 47.9% in 2025.
Many types of mechanical industrial products performed well.
The output of electrical and electrical products increased significantly. The output of generator sets was 370 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 37.6%; the output of solar cells was 830 million kilowatts, a year-on-year increase of 7.6%.
The production of processing equipment accelerated. The output of metal cutting machine tools was 868,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%; the output of industrial robots was 773,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 28.0%, and the output reached a new high.
Construction machinery sales are improving, with 235,000 excavators sold, a year-on-year increase of 17.0%; loaders sold 128,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 18.4%, and the growth rate accelerated by more than 10 percentage points compared with the previous year.
In the international market, the machinery industry withstood the pressure, foreign trade achieved rapid growth, and the total amount reached a new high.
In 2025, the machinery industry’s total import and export volume of goods trade will be US$1.27 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 8.4%, of which export volume will be US$986.82 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.5%.
The foreign trade pattern was further consolidated, with exports to countries co-building the “Belt and Road”, RCEP member states, the EU and ASEAN increasing by 24.7%, 18.4%, 17.1% and 23.4% respectively year-on-year.
Innovation capabilities have been significantly enhanced.
In 2025, innovative achievements in the basic fields of my country’s machinery industry will continue to emerge.
The world’s largest diameter shaft boring machine “Qiming” was successfully rolled off the production line and put into use in Zhengzhou; breakthroughs were made in core robot technology and the ability to support key parts and components was enhanced.
During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the machinery industry strengthened the construction of the innovation system and formed an industry innovation network covering key areas.
By the end of 2025, the machinery industry will have many innovative companies, and the echelon of innovative entities will be increasingly complete.
The achievement of innovative results is inseparable from the steady growth of R&D investment. In 2024, R&D expenditures in relevant industries will increase by 47.7% compared with 2020, and the intensity of R&D investment will increase.
The green and intelligent two-wheel drive has achieved remarkable results.
During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the machinery industry has made significant progress in green and low-carbon transformation and smart and digital transformation.
Renewable energy accounts for more than 60% of the installed power generation capacity, and the rapid development of clean energy equipment strongly supports the construction of new energy systems.
The construction of smart factories is accelerating, advanced smart equipment continues to make breakthroughs and updates, the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools in the industry exceeds 90%, and enterprises accelerate their transformation to “product + service” integrated solutions.
In 2026, there will be both opportunities and challenges for the development of the machinery industry, but favorable conditions will continue to increase.
A series of favorable measures have been introduced, and the industry environment continues to be optimized; upstream industry demand and major infrastructure construction will drive equipment market demand; triple opportunities have opened up broader space for industry development.
The growth rate of main indicators for the whole year is expected to be around 5.5%, and the machinery industry is expected to continue to maintain a stable operating trend.
