Is 2026 the time people start to actually care about Chinese cars? That sounds a bit odd when we’re looking back on a year where BYD registered more cars than MINI, Tesla or Mazda, Jaecoo jumped ahead of Honda and SEAT, and Omoda shifted more metal than Suzuki. But how much do those buyers actually care about the badge on the front of the car?
At the moment too many Chinese brands are basically interchangeable anonymous SUVs loaded with tech and priced very attractively. Stop someone in a supermarket car park and ask them which is an Omoda and which is a Leapmotor, and they’ll struggle in a way they wouldn’t if it was Nissan and Ford, let alone Audi and BMW. There’s no emotion to choosing any of them, it’s a purely rational decision.
At some point a Chinese brand will have to find a way of making a mark with people that care about the car they drive. It’s been an impressive entrance into the UK, but can any of them make that crucial next emotive step?
As much as people that care about cars don’t like to admit it, some drivers are no more emotionally attached to the type of car they drive than they are to their choice of dishwasher or fridge. And I suspect these are the people buying into the new brands so far, and it’s not too much of a stretch to think some may not even know they’re Chinese. Either that or it’s impressive how little we care about wider geopolitical issues when it comes to choosing where our cars come from.
Or maybe this new influx of brands – not only BYD, Jaecoo and Omoda, but also Chery, Leapmotor, Xpeng, Geely, GWM, Chagan, Skywell, Aion and probably another couple we don’t even know about yet – will mean the end of brand loyalty. Consumers will just pick the one they like the look of, untroubled by such things as nameplate or reputation. Like picking a fridge based on how deep the salad draw is.
But one way or another, it feels like this will be a seismic year for the Chinese invasion. Either things will plateau a little after a spectacular rise, as the number of willing adopters of unfamiliar brands tapers off and longer-standing manufacturers begin to fight back, or these agile and clever new entrants will pivot slightly and work out how to appeal on a deeper emotional level than the rational one they’ve so successfully exploited so far.
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