If you’re a regular Autocar reader, you’ve probably clocked the growing parade of new car brands eyeing up the UK.
Two big forces are behind this surge: the meteoric rise of China’s car industry and a shift in what buyers care about.
In 2024 alone, China sold 23.5 million new cars - making it the largest car market on the planet. It was only a matter of time before Chinese car manufacturers set their sights on the UK.
Some of Europe’s legacy brands are still gearing up for the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, but China has been deep into the electric car game for years. And the results are starting to speak for themselves. Some of the new Chinese EVs now rival the best Europe can offer, something that would’ve been unthinkable a decade ago.
Just look at Tesla. It proved that a strong EV game can take a brand from startup to global heavyweight. Case in point: the Tesla Model Y was the UK’s best-selling EV in 2024.
What’s coming next? Keep scrolling - the next wave of cars is coming fast.
Denza
Nationality: Chinese
Parent company: BYD
Denza has been around since 2010 and today finds itself marketed as a premium sibling brand of global giant BYD.
It was originally a joint venture with the parent company of Mercedes-Benz but is now entirely BYD-controlled.
Its first car bound for Europe, the Z9 GT (pictured), is a shooting brake that comes as a 925bhp EV or an 858bhp PHEV.
This will be followed by a seven-seat MPV called the D9 shortly after.
An official timeline is yet to be set, but Denza will likely come to the UK at the end of this year or in early 2026.
Firefly
Nationality: Chinese
Parent company: Nio
Firefly is Chinese EV specialist Nio’s new budget offering.
Its first car for the UK will be a Renault 5 rival that's priced from as little as £16,000 in China.
The supermini will almost definitely cost more here but could still be one of the cheapest electric cars on the market.
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Gosh, look at the size of your Yangwang!
Why?, why do we need more choice?, what's gone wrong with our own homegrown car choices?,and, with way the World is just now economically,how long will new brands last?, will they be any good?, NCAP, will they have to pass that?
Why not? Complaining about more choice seems stupid. If they're no good no one will buy them. If they are good they drive competition which means the buyer gets better products and/or cheaper prices.
No manufacturer HAS to have their cars tested by NCAP, its generally seen as a marketing benefit to do so, and I beleive the chinese manufacturers generally have had their cars tested so far. Again, it would be the buyers choice to buy one without an NCAP score.
That's not necessarily true. Every brand must invest in development to bring a car to the market. These costs are included in the car's price. It would be more efficient and deliver cheaper cars, theoretically, to have one type of car, with the development costs spread over 20,000,000 sales/year, compared to 1,000 models with the costs spread over 20,000 sales/year.
More choice is always better for the consumer, it drives down prices. The opposite, monopolies, are always bad for the consumer. Why inovate or reduce costs when you are the only seller?