Chinese car sales in Europe by country and brand in 2022
- Chinese carmakers (excluding Volvo, the European subsidiary of China's Geely Group) sold 202,000 light vehicles (passenger cars and light utility vehicles) in Europe (29 countries) in 2022, up from 82,500 vehicles in 2021, a 145% year-on-year increase. As a reminder, Volvo sold 247,000 cars in Europe in 2022.
- The MG brand (111,000 cars) accounts for more than half of Chinese carmakers' sales. This brand currently markets seven models (HS, EHS, ZS, MG3, MG4, MG5, MARVEL), of which 55,000 are marketed as fully electric versions (BEV), 17,000 as plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and 39,000 as internal combustion (ICE). The three other Chinese brands that sold more than 20,000 vehicles in Europe in 2022 are Polestar (Geely subsidiary), with 32,000 cars sold (PHEVs) in Europe, Lynk & Co (Geely subsidiary) with 26,000 vehicles (BEVs) and DR (Chery subsidiary) with 21,000 vehicles. About ten other brands are present in the European market, but their penetration remains limited for now. It is likely that some of these brands will increase their penetration in Europe in the coming months and years, such as BYD or Ora (a subsidiary of Great Wall).
- By country, the UK is the first European market for Chinese cars (62,500 vehicles in 2022), especially due to the strong presence of MG, which was a British brand before 2005. Germany is the second largest European market (29,000 vehicles), followed by Italy (24,500 vehicles), Norway (17,000 vehicles), Sweden (16,500 vehicles) and France (16,000 vehicles). These six countries account for 82% of Chinese car sales in Europe.
- It should be noted that the countries in Eastern Europe hardly buy Chinese cars, perhaps because they are mainly electric cars and plug-in hybrids, a category of cars that is not yet very popular in these countries.