Chinese car makers have been working up to entering the European and UK markets for many years. In fact, it’s worth clarifying at this point that they’ve already been here for a long time as silent owners or partners for familiar automotive brands. Volvo and Lotus, for instance, are owned by Chinese firm Geely, and MG Motor is owned by SAIC Motor (itself a Chinese state-owned company).
In fact, mainstream European manufacturers (notably Volkswagen Group) already have very strong partnerships with at least one of the Chinese manufacturers; until 2022, it was legally required for foreign companies to partner with a domestic firm if they were to sell cars in China, which is by far the biggest and most profitable new car market in the world.
But the next few years are going to see an influx of new Chinese brands, so are Chinese cars reliable? Well, it’s impossible to comment on reliability for brands that haven’t made it to the UK yet, but MG has a good reputation for reliability and came 9th out of 32 brands included in the 2022 What Car? Used Car Reliability Survey. As is the case with MG, incoming new Chinese brands are also likely to offer long warranties to help entice new buyers to their cars and show confidence in reliability.
Many buyers will also be wondering what the best Chinese brands are. Again, at this point it’s hard to say as most aren’t on sale here yet and many are only just launching. Suffice to say that time will tell, and in the meantime here’s our rundown of the Chinese brands coming to the UK soon. Don't forget to also check out our guide to the best Chinese Cars on sale in the UK right now.
The Chinese Car Brands Coming to the UK
Aiways
Aiways is a Shanghai-based electric car brand that launched in 2017. The name is a merging of the phrase ‘Ai is on the way’, and this is one of a number of new Chinese brands that are targeting a very Tesla-like look and appeal.
Company officials have confirmed that Aiways is planning to enter right-hand drive markets from summer 2023, with the UK expected to be the first. It plans to launch here with its Aiways U5 crossover, which is a fraction smaller than the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Ariya and Tesla Model Y. The sportier Aiways U6 coupe-SUV could follow the U5 to British shores, but that’s still to be confirmed.
The pure electric Aiways U5 is expected to have a range of around 250 miles, but pricing is still unknown. We’d expect it to cost from around £45,000 and up, in line with many of its rivals.
BYD
BYD stands for Build Your Dreams, and it is probably the biggest manufacturer you’ve never heard of. Having started as a battery manufacturer in 1995, it’s been selling passenger cars in China for many years and is one of the biggest Chinese brands, having sold 1.8 million cars in 2022. More than that, BYD makes all of the parts that it needs in-house, from the new ‘Blade’ batteries to the seat upholstery and every other part of the vehicle, which gives it an advantage over rivals that rely heavily on third-party parts manufacturers.
BYD is already making inroads into European markets with its electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars. It’s entering the UK market in spring 2023 with its pure-electric family car, the BYD Atto 3, which is pitched at a similar price to the slightly smaller VW ID.3 and Kia Niro EV, in line with BYD’s intention to position itself as a lower-premium brand.
Company sources have confirmed that there will be a smaller, ‘B-segment’ car to rival the Peugeot e-208 or Renault Zoe coming to the UK in the near future, too. The BYD Tang seven-seat SUV (a rival for the Volvo XC90) and BYD Han saloon (a rival for the Audi A7) are already on sale in some European markets, and it’s possible that they’ll be coming to UK showrooms, albeit not for a couple of years.
Nio
Nio has long been hailed as something of a Chinese Tesla. It was established in 2014, and it only sells electric cars with a strong focus on tech, including an in-car ‘assistant’ robot called Nomi. It even supports a network of battery-swap stations that allows Nio vehicles to pull in and swap a depleted battery for a fully charged battery in around five minutes, and its battery tech can support cell capacity upgrades so that it’s even possible to have a bigger battery inserted into your car for when you’re on a longer journey, and a smaller battery the rest of the time. This is also enabled by the company’s subscription basis, where you pay a single fee per month that covers all the associated insurance, maintenance fees etc.
While it’s uncertain whether we’ll see the Power Swap Stations in the UK, it's very likely the cars will appear here. Nio is already selling cars in Germany, the Netherlands and a few other European markets, and it’s thought that we can expect the Nio ET5 and ET7 saloons (Tesla Model 3 and Model S rivals) and the Nio EL6 and EL7 mid-sized electric SUVs (rivals to the Tesla Model Y) to be sold in the UK. It’s also possible that the company’s seven-seat SUV, the Nio ES8, will come to our shores but that’s not yet confirmed.
Omoda
Omoda is a new brand that has been launched by Chery Automobile Ltd. Chery itself was founded in 1997, and is a very well-established company in China. It sold 1.2m passenger cars in 2022, and has been one of China’s top exporters for many years.
Now, Chery has announced plans to bring its new brand Omoda to Australia, Europe and the UK. Omada is expected to launch over here in 2024 with its mid-sized crossover, the Omoda 5. While Omoda is set to sell PHEVs and petrol cars, it will major on EVs, and the Omoda 5 is expected to arrive first as a pure-electric car with a range of around 280 miles. It’s difficult to estimate prices and where Omada will sit in the market at this point, but the Omoda 5 looks to be a direct rival for cars like the Nissan Ariya, VW ID.3 and Kia Niro EV.
GWM Ora
Ora is a new brand that was launched in 2018 by its parent company, Great Wall Motors. You may not have heard of GWM, nor of the Steed pick-up truck that it did sell in UK dealers for many years, but for some context GWM is actually one of the top five biggest car manufacturers in the world, and produced over a million cars in 2022.
Ora will only offer electric cars, and is aiming to offer a classy interior finish and generous equipment levels, with prices to rival the likes of Peugeot, Kia and more.
Its first car, the Ora Funky Cat, is a very style-focussed family hatchback and is on sale in the UK now. Interestingly, the Funky Cat sits on Ora’s new ‘ME Platform’, which will also underpin BMW’s new Mini hatchback.
Ora has confirmed that another EV will go on sale in the UK before the end of 2023. Currently dubbed the ‘Next Cat’, this will be a longer, sleeker four-door saloon of a similar size to a BMW 5 Series.
XPENG
XPENG is an electric car brand that’s owned by Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology Co Ltd. XPENG is also very Tesla-like in its tech-focus, with aerodynamic styling and long-range models on offer. This Shanghai-based brand already sells cars in Norway, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands (all of which buy more EVs than combustion engined cars), and has said that it intends to come to the UK within the next two years.
It has launched its first models – the XPENG G3 crossover, P7 saloon and G9 SUV - in its European markets, complete with LFP (lithium-iron phosphate) battery technology.
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