Over 5,000 electric and gasoline Maxus vehicles are en route to Europe, which marks the largest ever single shipment of light commercial vehicles made in China to the continent where vehicles were invented.

Maxus, a subsidiary of China's SAIC Motor, sold 5,446 vehicles in Europe in the first half of 2021, up 187 percent from the same period last year. Its cumulative deliveries in the continent have reached around 18,000 units.

Many of Maxus' big customers are delivery firms in Europe, including Royal Mail, Irish National Post, DHL and FedEx.

"We recently beat Renault and Mercedes and won an order of 750 units from DPD's British subsidiary. To be frank, we have similar prices and what make us stand out is our products," said the carmaker.

The order from DPD marked the largest single British order for China-made vehicles.

Iceland's oldest shipping company, Eimskip, has placed orders for Maxus' electric vans, which will be the first vehicles of its fleet.

Eimskip, founded in 1914, said Maxus vehicles mark the first step of its electrification and more importantly a momentous step in its eco-friendly drive.

In April, Maxus beat Renault and won an order for 40 electric vans from Belgian Post, Belgium's largest and world's No 5 courier service provider.

Harris Automotive, Maxus' sole agency in the UK, expects the brand's sales would at least triple this year in the country.

Mark Barrett, general manager of Harris Automotive, said "Maxus has become a leader in the UK's electric vehicle sector, and our success in this area will only continue as electric vehicles become more and more popular in the years ahead."

Besides Europe, the Americas as well as Australia and New Zealand are among Maxus' largest overseas markets.

So far, its products are available in 51 countries and regions around the world, with their accumulated sales exceeding 110,000 units.