Volvo: Made in China, exported to the US

Consulting company IHS Automotive told Xinhua that as a premium brand, Volvo's China assembly is not a critical factor in consumer decisions.

The Chinese company's listed arm Geely Automobile Holdings said in an interim financial statement that the group exported 34,440 vehicles in the first six months of 2014, down 32 percent from the same period last year, with "the most important export destinations in terms of sales volume Russia, Egypt, Belarus, Iran and Ukraine, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, which together accounted for over 93 percent of the group's total exports" for the period.

Other premium carmakers have also shipped China-made cars and components overseas, according to local media. Joint venture Shanghai General Motors exported its Cadillac SLS to the Middle East in 2008. In 2011, the BMW Brilliance Automotive BMW 5 L Series made at its Shenyang plant in Liaoning province was also sold in the Middle East.

In the same year, Beijing Benz Automotive Co shipped its Mercedes-Benz E-Class long wheelbase to South America, and exported engine components back to Germany in 2014.

Data from the General Administration of Customs shows about 900,000 finished vehicles and chassis, as well as 302 billion yuan ($49.4 billion) worth of components, were exported last year.