In September 2026, the national-level response was implemented-the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Guidelines for Overseas Competition and Compliance Construction in the Automobile Industry"(hereinafter referred to as the "Guidelines"), with four chapters and twenty articles, the media summarized it in one word: stop the price war in overseas markets.

01 Let's be clear first: What document is this?

The first reaction of many people is to ask if there is a penalty. The answer is clear: this is aguideline, a guiding and reference document, and not an administrative ban with penalties.

Its significance lies in three things:

First, set a ruler.  By drawing clear boundaries on what can and cannot be done, car companies have since had a national-level reference system for overseas pricing and marketing, which has also laid the foundation for subsequent industry self-discipline and regulatory enforcement.

Second, full coverage.  For all China's automobile industry companies that carry out international operations, the full-process overseas business activities of complete vehicle and parts companies are within range-not only the main engine factories, but also those who make supporting facilities, trade, and used cars have not left behind.

Third, set principles.  Overseas operations abide by the three principles of legal compliance, fair competition, and mutual benefit, and at the same time abide by domestic foreign economic and trade regulations and host country institutional requirements.

02 Why now: Three scars, all on price

The Guidelines were not released out of thin air. In the past two years, three price reduction accidents involving China brands overseas have raised the problem from commercial friction to the regulatory level.

Thailand: Price cuts reduce government intervention.  The listing price of ATTO 3 is about 1.19 million baht, which will drop to about 900,000 baht by the end of July 2024. The peak drop in July alone is 340,000 baht. Car buyers felt that they had been stabbed in the back. Thai public institutions launched an investigation and the government personally came to the court to discuss compensation. What is even more dangerous is the chain reaction-local financial institutions begin to reassess the mortgage value of Chinese electric vehicles. Once financing constraints are tightened, the cash flow of the entire channel will be affected.

Russia: Price cuts to reduce after-sales investment.  Li Feng, deputy secretary-general of the China Chamber of Commerce, made a direct observation: China brands in Russia are facing doubts about adapting to the alpine environment-the test of snow melting agents on the corrosion resistance of parts and components and the weakness of after-sales outlets have caused many Russian consumers to regard China cars as a last resort. High-frequency price cuts have further crushed dealers 'profits. Dealers originally wanted to focus on after-sales and parts supply. After a wave of price cuts, they are rethinking whether they should continue to invest.

Europe: Price cuts hurt brand trust.  Some European consumers bluntly said that they lowered prices as soon as they finished buying, and they felt uncomfortable. One price reduction is a promotion, and one after another is a thorn-once trust is overdrawn, the brand premium returns to zero.

The three scars point to the same essence: the disorderly price war overdraws not bicycle profits, but four assets-brand image, residual value of used cars, channel profits, and financing credit.

03 Five pricing red lines, where are they drawn

The "Guidelines" focus the most on regulating competition behavior in overseas markets. If you take them one by one, you will find that they are all pits that have been stepped on in the past two years:

Red line 1: Pricing must have anchors.  Based on cost and guided by international market supply and demand, we must do a good job in compliance management of vehicle and parts prices-which translates to: price reductions can be made, but they must be calculated through the cost account and match market supply and demand, and cannot rely on discounts to grab shares.

Red line 2: The configuration gradient should be clear.  When formulating overseas recommended retail prices, clear price gradients are set according to different vehicle configurations-the same car has its own prices for high, medium and low combinations, rather than a low price for the entire series.

Red line 3: Avoid multiple frequent and substantial price reductions.  The original statement is to avoid multiple frequency and large price fluctuations that affect the interests and brand image of overseas consumers. The Thailand-style reduction of once every two months and 10% at a time is a typical negative example.

Red line 4: Country price differences should be reasonable.  Set price differences based on taxes, logistics, and market environment of various countries to prevent chaos in sales order-the prevention is to use price differences to cross-border cross-border goods and disrupt the price systems of different markets.

Red line 5: Respect channels and control yourself.  Respect the independent pricing rights of overseas dealers and agents, standardize sales incentive agreements; transparent pricing, and eliminate arbitrary discounts outside the price tag, prize-winning sales, financial discounts and other promotional activities, which must comply with local regulations and business customs; brand promotion information is true and complete, and false publicity is strictly prohibited.

Pay attention to the subtleties of the last item: the state requires car companies to respect dealers 'independent pricing rights, which in turn means that actions such asforced resale prices and bundling dealer pricing with rebatesmay be included in the antitrust review framework in the future.

04 More than price: from selling cars to operating a country's market

If you only look at the pricing terms, you will underestimate this document. The "Guidelines" also devote a whole piece of space to the construction of overseas compliance business capabilities, covering seven dimensions:

Pre-sea assessment

: Do not export products that do not match the local environment-the Russian snowmelt agent case has been repeatedly mentioned, which is a lazy way to go directly to sea based on domestic standards;

quality and after-sales

: Build a quality management and after-sales service system suitable for overseas;

Labor compliance

: Comply with local labor regulations and protect the rights and interests of overseas employees;

data security

: Data collection, storage, use, and cross-border transmission of the Internet of Vehicles and autonomous driving services must comply with regulations to protect the personal privacy of overseas users;

intellectual property

: Make a good overseas layout and prevent infringement disputes;

anti-monopoly

: Identify and manage overseas antitrust legal risks;

green and low-carbon

: Benchmark local policies and promote green transformation of supply chains.

The seven articles are strung together in one sentence: going to sea is no longer about transporting cars out, but about doing business locally in compliance.

05 For exporters and used car practitioners: three positives, two self-examinations

This document is written to the main engine factory, but the impact will be transmitted along the industrial chain to everyone who makes cars.

Good one: The logic of residual value of used cars has stabilized.  One of the direct victims of the disorderly price cuts of new cars is the residual value of existing cars-new cars will drop by 10,000 today, and used cars will sell by 10,000 less tomorrow. Only when the price reduction space of the main engine factory is restricted can the overseas used car price system have a chance to stabilize. This is exactly the same as our repeated statement that residual value is the basis of export business.

Good 2: The profit structure of distribution channels is protected.  Respecting dealers 'independent pricing rights + rationalizing country price differences is essentially protecting channel profits. Overseas dealers and exporters, who have been repeatedly harvested by the wave of price cuts at main engine factories in the past, have more stable expectations.

Good three: The regular army accelerates the removal of miscellaneous troops.  Players who only use low prices to open the way and do not have after-sales systems and compliance capabilities will accelerate their exit under the dual tightening of supervision and OEMs-the window for the industry to move from the era of stitching to credit compound interest is once again open.

Self-examination 1: Promotional materials and promotional techniques.  Are battery life, charging, and safety parameters exaggerated? Have overseas advertisements stepped on the red lines of the local Advertising Law? False publicity is explicitly prohibited in this document, and it is recommended to review the entire existing overseas materials.

Self-examination 2: Data link of intelligent networked models.  If the exported vehicle model comes with the Internet of Vehicles function, data collection and cross-border transmission require a host country compliance assessment in advance-this is a new dimension and the reef that is most likely to explode in mines in the future.

Another perspective: lengthening the timeline, this "Guidelines" are a closing link to the main line of supervision-the four departments will tighten the export management of used cars at the end of 2025 (the new policy for the 180-day registration period), and from 2026, pure electric passenger vehicles will be subject to license management, which isthe export end; now the "Guidelines" of the three departments are thebusiness end. The export side controls how to go out, and the business side controls how to live out. The whole game of chess is to push China's cars from barbaric growth to intensive cultivation.

06 Conclusion

The end of the price war has never been the winner, but the collective devaluation of assets-brand, residual value, channels, financing, and no party is spared.

Therefore, the real amount of information in this "Guidelines" is not just the word "stop", but the transfer of asset pricing power: the country is telling all those who go to sea that from exchanging price for quantity to relying on quality and trust, it is not a multiple-choice question, but a must-answer question.

In the second half of the sea, we started by learning not to cut prices.

Sources: Ministry of Commerce press release, Daily Economic News, Observer Network (Comprehensive China Automobile News), Interface News (Public report on September 1-3, 2026)

Source: Xiong Yu, digital automobile export

[Disclaimer] The content of this website (including pictures and texts) originates from the Internet, and the copyright belongs to the original author. Respect the rights and interests of originality, and select content is only used for information sharing. If copyright disputes are involved, please contact us to handle them in a timely manner