German media: The interest of the British in Chinese cars has significantly increased.

Reference News Network, July 1st. According to the website of Germany's "Welt", Chery Automobile is considering building a factory in the UK to implement its "localization strategy". Chery entered the British market last year, selling sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with electric, internal combustion engine, and hybrid power options.

Zhang Weike, head of Chery Automobile in the UK, said that interest in Chinese cars in the UK market has significantly increased. Since Chery started selling in the UK in September last year, it has sold more than 10,000 cars in half a year.

Unlike the EU, the UK does not impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The UK imposes a 10% tariff on cars, which is also the tariff Chinese cars must pay in principle. The EU began imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in autumn 2024, with varying rates depending on the car manufacturer. BYD will be subject to a 17% countervailing duty, Geely 18.8%, and SAIC 35.3%. This is an additional tax on top of the 10% import tariff imposed by the EU on cars. Currently, tariffs in North America are higher, with the US and Canada charging 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

For Chinese car manufacturers, the UK, as the second-largest car market in Europe after Germany, has become a very attractive export destination. Zhang Weike said: "The UK market is quite open. 40% of consumers say they are willing to consider Chinese brands."

Last year, SAIC Maxus became the first Chinese brand to enter the top ten best-selling brands in the UK market, with a market share of about 4.2%. To be precise, Maxus is a traditional British brand, but has been owned by China's SAIC Group since 2007. BYD had the largest increase in sales in the UK market. This Shenzhen-based automaker is currently the world's top-selling electric vehicle brand, selling 8,788 new cars in the UK last year, more than seven times that of the previous year.

So far, Chinese cars are still rarely seen on German roads. However, Maxus performs better than other Chinese car brands in the German market. Last year, this subsidiary of SAIC Group sold more than 20,000 cars in the German market. Great Wall Motor and BYD followed closely, each selling about 3,000 cars in Germany last year. However, in the foreseeable future, Chinese manufacturers may also build factories in Germany. Early this year, there were reports that Chinese automakers showed interest in the factories of Volkswagen Group in Osnabrück and Dresden. Due to declining production, Volkswagen Group may close those factories.

Many Chinese automakers have announced plans to enter the UK market within the next 12 months. Brands such as AION, Exeed, Deep Blue, NIO, Star途, Firefly, AiKa, LeDao, and Zeekr, which are unknown in the UK automotive industry, also plan to launch in the UK market in the coming months for sale. (Translated by Wang Qing)

On April 17th, people visited the BYD booth at the Family Energy and Electric Vehicle Exhibition held at the London Excel Convention Centre to view electric vehicles. (Xinhua News Agency)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7521932739512418852/

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