Until a few years ago, cars of Chinese origin were seen by European consumers as a distant reality, an alternative that would not be consolidated in our market due to the fact that neither by design, nor by technology, nor by quality nor by safety could they compete against the products of traditional manufacturers.
Despite the unsuccessful attempts by brands such as landwind either Qoros After entering the old continent ten years ago, it was not until this decade that Chinese groups began their large-scale offensive, taking advantage of the country’s early commitment to electric cars, which has given them the same competitive advantage they had in past Western companies after a century of dominance in the development of the internal combustion engine.
Gone are the days when products of Chinese origin were considered of low quality. The Asian giant manufactures a lot and very well, as demonstrated by the fact that reputable firms such as BMW or Volvo import some of their models from there. The best example of this evolution can be found in the multinational BYD.
Build Your Dreams launched its first electric car for the European market, the e6 minivanin the distant 2010. Now, the Chinese firm is back with a much more ambitious expansion plan in the hands of an advanced electric range that has little to do with that first proposal, which failed miserably.
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In just a few years, BYD has established itself as the leading plug-in car manufacturer (BEV+PHEV) on the planet, as well as the second largest producer of pure electric cars (BEV) and batteries after Tesla and CATL. As has happened with other groups such as Geely or SAIC, the leap forward experienced by their vehicles has been impressive.
According to a survey carried out by Carwow, this has not gone unnoticed by the European public, as cars of Chinese origin are increasingly popular with consumers. “The fact that more than one in three drivers do not close on buying a Chinese car shows how quickly perceptions change”Explain Philipp Sayler von AmendeCEO of Carwow Germany.
The majority of respondents still give importance to the country of origin of their car: for 19% of Germans and 27% of Britons it is a very important factor, while for 40% and 39% it is still partially decisive. However, 41% of the Germans and 34% of the English do not care about the country of origin of their vehicle.
Although 20% of Germans and 30% of Britons associate Chinese models with competitive prices, 41 and 37% would avoid these brands for political reasons. They are also concerned about the lack of technical and after-sales service. “We expect up to ten more Chinese brands in Germany in the next 12 months. This will boost competition, especially for electric models. Because Chinese brands are concentrating on electric vehicles.
In China, they have the capacity to process and produce batteries and can make high-quality, long-range electric vehicles much cheaper than European ones. This should bring prices down and increasing market options – good news for German drivers considering switching to an electric vehicle.”
Source | ecomento
