Chinese automakers continue their rapid expansion throughout Europe through competitive pricing and technological innovation to compete against established Western brands as electric vehicle adoption speeds up. The aggressive market expansion has created rising trade conflicts between Beijing and Brussels.
BYD has taken the lead position by establishing an EV manufacturing facility in Hungary while expanding its bus and truck production operations in northern Hungary. BYD achieved European EV sales leadership in April when it sold 7,231 units according to JATO Dynamics.
The UK market will receive two SUVs from Chery Automobile as the company launches its namesake brand while its Omoda and Jaecoo models are already available in Spain, Italy and Poland. Changan Automobile started its European business operations in March and plans to enter ten markets throughout this year. The company is currently searching for locations to establish its European manufacturing facility.
The UK will become the first European market for Geely’s flagship brand during the upcoming year despite its existing presence through Volvo and Lotus and Polestar. The EV brands Zeekr and Lynk & Co continue to expand their presence across multiple European countries.
The European market will receive Nio’s budget Firefly brand this fall although CEO William Li stated that service network difficulties have caused slower-than-expected progress.
Chinese brands continue to gain market share but their growth may encounter regulatory obstacles because the EU implements defensive trade measures to address competitive pressures.
