Anecdotal stories from the motor trade is that Omoda and Jaecoo (particularly Jaecoo) are flying out the showrooms and they are struggling to get enough cars.

Certainly seeing a lot of Jaecoos about. Haven't seen many Xpengs.

Appears to be a BYD showroom in our town, not sure what other brands from the same site, no interest to me but i'm hardly their target customer.

The Chinse influx is inevitable i suppose as so many people rent their cars one way or another for a set period meaning resale and longer term reliability/parts are of little interest to that buyer demograph, the Chinese models are far cheaper.

Forgot - NIO and Ora.

I wonder if there will ever be a joint venture between the latter firm and KIA? Presumably any car they produce only comes in orange... ;-)

Our local Kia dealer also sells GWM. That includes the Ora and Haval

‘ That includes the Ora and Haval’ Haval’s a new one on me.

The Haval looks like a Sportage sized SUV.

Why not Google their website and have a look.

Edited by skidpan on 08/09/2025 at 12:23

Could have been a pre-reg to boost the sales figures.

For a buyer on a 2-4 year lease or PCP deal longevity and end of term values are irrelevant.

The UK is just a very small part of most Chinese car sales - BYD (for instance) sold 4.3m cars worldwide in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025 they sold 10,000 in the UK (say 40-50,000 pa - about 0.1% of their output.

The financial risk on UK sales is a limited corporate concern - pursuit of long term EV market share is. Although unclear, it is entirely possible they have underwritten the trade in values upon which the lease and PCP firms base their monthly premia.

But will customer service be any better than MG/SAIC who still seem to have a certain "reputation".

Two questions about the inevitable:

• which current and well established European brands will go to the wall over the next 5 years having failed to adapt to the EV transition.
• which recent Chinese entrants to the UK EV market will fail in the next 5 years leaving customers with little or no spares back up and vehicles worth close to nothing

Some established European brand names may remain for marketing reasons but it is unclear whether this is just a front where design, R&D and manufacturing is mostly offshored.

I'm not sure it has much to do with transitioning to EV. It may be the case that the movement towards EV has helped the Chinese brands by simplifying the product, but the demand for Chinese cars is driven by their lower prices, not a lack of alternatives. Look, for example, at Jaecoo merrily selling ICE cars. As I said before, it's like Japan all over again but there is a much bigger manufacturing base behind it.

As for brands that will die, I think Stellantis have to be up there. They are operating at Chinese quality and European price, which can't be sustainable.. I think VW and BMW will retreat into luxury and sports car markets for now. Mercedes will be at risk, but I think they are likely to strengthen ties with Renault rather than sell the brand to China.

Chinese entrants are probably more robust than you think. Partly, a lot of them are owned by the same parent. For instance, GWM own Great Wall, Ora and Haval. SAIC own MG and Marcus, Chery own Jaecoo and Omoda. Some of the brands will come and go, but the parents will probably stay. Likewise, some of their cost savings probably come from using generic components.

Underestimate Chinese build quality at your peril. They have the ability to deliver exactly what you ask of them. If you want ‘cheap Chinese tat’ then they’re happy to oblige. But have a look in a Polestar, or a Lotus Eletre and tell me that it’s in any way inferior to an equivalent European manufactured car. How many of us have a Chinese manufactured iPhone? How often do they fall apart?

A Lotus Eletre looks worse than pretty much anything else on the planet (and I thought they were still made in Norfolk) but you're right, Chinese build quality can be good if you're willing to pay for it.

I for one don't have an iPhone because that's an insane amount of money to pay for something that I can buy the equivalent of for £100-£200. And that's where I think the Chinese are pitching at the moment - the automotive equivalent of Android. Sure, you can have all the latest bells and whistles, but why not have something that does 90% of the job for 70% of the price?

I suppose my point was that the Europeans are now selling Android cars at iPhone car prices and they will soon only be left with iPhone cars to sell. Then the Chinese will target that market with whatever brands they manage to establish with a 'good' name - Lotus, Polestar, Volvo and whichever of the many new brands actually get established.

I for one don't have an iPhone because that's an insane amount of money to pay for something that I can buy the equivalent of for £100-£200. And that's where I think the Chinese are pitching at the moment - the automotive equivalent of Android. Sure, you can have all the latest bells and whistles, but why not have something that does 90% of the job for 70% of the price?

I suppose my point was that the Europeans are now selling Android cars at iPhone car prices and they will soon only be left with iPhone cars to sell. Then the Chinese will target that market with whatever brands they manage to establish with a 'good' name - Lotus, Polestar, Volvo and whichever of the many new brands actually get established.

Almost all the smartphones in the world are made in China or India. A few made in S Korea, Vietnam etc. Based on a simple google the only smartphone made in the UK is the Nothing Phone (??) of which I had never heard until I searched.

Apple charge premium prices based on brand reputation, a decent product, status, and perceptions of their user base. Like you I have a lower/mid range Android phone which does all I need and 95% of what the Apple could do.

China is entirely capable of producing products, including cars, to the best of European standards at a much lower cost. The only thing allowing BMW, Audi, Mercedes etc to thrive is brand loyalty which ultimately has a price.

I for one don't have an iPhone because that's an insane amount of money to pay for something that I can buy the equivalent of for £100-£200. And that's where I think the Chinese are pitching at the moment - the automotive equivalent of Android. Sure, you can have all the latest bells and whistles, but why not have something that does 90% of the job for 70% of the price?

I suppose my point was that the Europeans are now selling Android cars at iPhone car prices and they will soon only be left with iPhone cars to sell. Then the Chinese will target that market with whatever brands they manage to establish with a 'good' name - Lotus, Polestar, Volvo and whichever of the many new brands actually get established.

Almost all the smartphones in the world are made in China or India. A few made in S Korea, Vietnam etc. Based on a simple google the only smartphone made in the UK is the Nothing Phone (??) of which I had never heard until I searched.

Apple charge premium prices based on brand reputation, a decent product, status, and perceptions of their user base. Like you I have a lower/mid range Android phone which does all I need and 95% of what the Apple could do.

China is entirely capable of producing products, including cars, to the best of European standards at a much lower cost. The only thing allowing BMW, Audi, Mercedes etc to thrive is brand loyalty which ultimately has a price.

The Nothing phone is not built in the UK - the company is based here although the owner (Carl Pei) is Chinese having previously run the OnePlus brand.