Xinde Marine News has learned that CMA CGM Group, CEVA Logistics and Chery Auto signed a Memorandum of Understanding on June 10 at Chery’s headquarters in Wuhu, Anhui Province, China.

The three parties aim to establish a long-term strategic collaboration in global automotive logistics. The cooperation is expected to support Chery’s international expansion and further strengthen its global supply chain capabilities.

CMA CGM Group is a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions. CEVA Logistics, a subsidiary of CMA CGM, is one of the world’s leading third-party logistics providers. Chery Auto is China’s largest passenger vehicle exporter.

Under the MoU, CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics will provide integrated end-to-end logistics solutions for Chery Auto, covering finished vehicles, automotive parts and electric vehicle batteries. The services will include domestic distribution, international transportation, multimodal operations and overseas logistics support.

According to the agreement, CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics will support Chery’s operations across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. The cooperation will cover key links across the automotive export supply chain, from domestic distribution and international shipping to complex multimodal transport and overseas delivery.

For Chinese automakers accelerating their global expansion, stable, controllable and localized logistics capabilities have become increasingly important. As vehicle exports continue to grow, supply chains for parts, EV batteries, after-sales support and regional market response are placing higher requirements on logistics networks.

Amélie Humphreys, General Manager of CMA CGM China, said global automotive supply chains are becoming increasingly complex, making strong and reliable transport and logistics partnerships more important than ever.

She said the combination of CMA CGM’s global maritime and logistics network with CEVA Logistics’ end-to-end automotive logistics expertise would help Chery Auto strengthen the resilience, efficiency and sustainability of its international operations.

Eric Dessupoiu, Vice President of Finished Vehicle Logistics at CEVA Logistics, said managing complex automotive supply chains across multiple markets has become a critical differentiator as Chery accelerates its international footprint.

He said CEVA would deploy its end-to-end automotive logistics capabilities across finished vehicles, parts and batteries to support the resilient, efficient and sustainable supply chain required by Chery Auto.

Chen Chunqing, Executive Vice President of Chery International, said the partnership would combine CMA CGM’s global shipping and logistics capabilities with CEVA Logistics’ automotive logistics expertise.

He said the cooperation would help Chery improve local market responsiveness, strengthen supply chain performance and support more resilient international operations. He added that Chery expects the collaboration to better serve local market demand while jointly building robust, localized and future-ready supply chain ecosystems.

From an industry perspective, the cooperation reflects a new stage in the globalization of China’s automotive industry. In the earlier phase, vehicle exports relied heavily on shipping capacity and basic transport arrangements. As Chinese automakers move deeper into overseas markets, logistics demand is shifting from simply moving vehicles abroad to building full supply chain systems.

This shift is creating new requirements for shipping and logistics companies. Automotive logistics now extends far beyond finished vehicle ocean transport. It also involves parts supply, EV battery logistics, regional warehousing, inland distribution, terminal delivery and after-sales replenishment.

As a result, the network coverage, compliance capability and multimodal coordination capacity of global shipping and logistics groups are becoming more valuable in the automotive export chain.

CMA CGM has been strengthening its integrated logistics capabilities in recent years. The group is present in 177 countries and operates a fleet of more than 700 vessels, serving over 420 ports across five continents. Its subsidiary CEVA Logistics has a broad global logistics and warehousing network.

The MoU with Chery also shows CMA CGM’s further participation in the global supply chains of Chinese automakers.

For Chery Auto, continued international expansion requires stronger logistics support. Through cooperation with CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics, Chery is expected to gain more complete logistics solutions across several key overseas regions, while improving the cross-border movement efficiency of vehicles, parts and EV batteries.

China’s automotive industry is moving rapidly into global markets. Competition among automakers is expanding from products, prices and brands to supply chain capability, delivery performance and local service support.

The three-party cooperation shows that global shipping and logistics companies are becoming more deeply involved in the overseas expansion of Chinese automakers. Automotive logistics is also set to become an increasingly important growth area for global shipping and integrated logistics groups.