One in 10 cars sold in Britain are Chinese

Telegraph

2 days ago

Nearly one in 10 cars sold in Britain are now Chinese-made as drivers turn away from Tesla and embrace newer manufacturers such as BYD.
Chinese-owned brands had a 9.4pc share of Britain's new car market last month, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), up from 7.7pc in April.
The surge saw BYD's sales alone quintuple to 3,025 cars – about 1,000 more than US rival Tesla sold.
BYD recently launched its Dolphin Surf car in the UK with a starting price of £16,000, compared to an average of about £49,000 for new EVs.
Some analysts have speculated that Chinese brands could still cut prices further, with the Dolphin Surf – known as the Seagull in Asia – selling for just 56,800 yuan (£5,800) in its home market.
Other Chinese carmakers saw similarly strong growth. Geely-owned Polestar increased sales by more than 270pc to 1,174 vehicles, while Chery's Omoda and Jaecoo brands sold a combined 3,000 cars, having not been in the market a year ago.
SAIC Motor-owned MG remained the biggest-selling Chinese brand, shifting 6,625 cars in May, but its sales were down 8.3pc compared to the same month in 2024.
Chinese brands have made major inroads in recent years, particularly in the electric segment where they have launched some of the cheapest models available.
Manufacturers have undercut Western rivals including Tesla, which has struggled to stem a steep sales decline in Europe partly driven by a political backlash linked to Elon Musk's support of Donald Trump.
Tesla sales in the UK fell by 36pc in May compared to a year earlier.
It came as the overall market returned to growth, with sales rising 1.6pc to 150,070 in May, SMMT said. Sales of EVs surged 25.8pc to 32,738 in May, with electric vehicles (EV) taking a 21.8pc market share overall.
However, the SMMT warned that the EV market was gripped by 'unsustainable' discounting as manufacturers scramble to hit the Government's ZEV mandate sales targets.
Under the mandate, 28pc of cars sold must be electric this year, a target that rises steadily to 80pc by 2030, although the real requirement is lower in reality because of 'flexibilities' afforded to companies under the scheme.
Sales of petrol and diesel cars tumbled 12.5pc and 15.5pc respectively last month.
Carmakers are calling on the Government to boost demand for EVs through tax breaks or grants for drivers.
Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the SMMT, said: 'A return to growth for new car registrations in May is welcome but manufacturer discounting on new products continues to underpin the market, notably for electric vehicles.
'This cannot be sustained indefinitely as it undermines the ability of companies to invest in new product development – investments which are integral to the decarbonisation of all road transport.
'Next week's spending review is the opportunity for Government to double-down on its commitments to net zero by driving demand through fiscal measures that boost the market and shore up our competitiveness.'