Great Wall Wey shines at the international auto show held in Germany
Chinese automakers have long wanted to enter the European market. Now, their passenger cars are finally driving on German roads, and in large numbers. So, which Chinese brands and models are already sold in Germany? Which will pour in? In short, 8 Chinese manufacturers have entered the German market and sold a lot of money. Especially in electric vehicles, China is quite strong.
For the first time since the beginning of 2022, the German Federal Motor Vehicle Administration (KBA) has included Chinese manufacturers in its public statistics. This may be the focus of few car enthusiasts, but it may be the beginning of a revolutionary evolution. After the entire automotive industry has been worried about the "wolf coming" in China for many years, they suddenly appeared in the European market, and happened to be the most vulnerable European local competitors in a period of transformation.
MG Roewe surpassed Lexus , and was on par with Honda
In the first seven months of 2022, nearly 7,000 cars from Chinese manufacturers were listed in Germany. At first glance, this doesn't seem to be anything. But they already account for 0.5% of the weak auto market. MG Roewe alone holds a 0.3% market share, as much as the well-known brand Honda, and more than traditional manufacturers such as Subaru , Alfa Romeo or Lexus.
According to statistics from the consulting agency Inovev, in the first half of 2022, there were about 75,000 newly registered passenger cars in China in Europe, with an estimated 150,000 vehicles for the whole year.
MG ZS and Aiways U5 performed well in ADAC test
Mid-sized electric SUV Aiways U5 achieved good results in ADAC car test
Although in the European market, the electric SUV MG ZS EV is the most popular Chinese car (scored 2.5 in ADAC car test, in the second level "good". If readers are interested in the detailed test report, please leave a message), but in Germany, MG EHS SUV is more popular. It is a plug-in hybrid car in the Volkswagen Tiguan league, which is much cheaper than Volkswagen's best-selling cars at a price of less than 35,000 euros, but the driving force of both is comparable. In the first half of 2022, 2,575 MG EHS SUVs have been registered in Germany, which is similar to the number of new car registrations for Seat Tarraco models.
In addition to MG Roewe and Volvo sister company (Lynk & Co.), which has entered the official German KBA statistics, other Chinese manufacturers are also on the way to enter the rankings. For example, Aiways (Aiways) from Shanghai has been listed in Europe since 2019 and is sold in Germany through the electronics chain Euronics. About 2,000 cars were produced in July this year, more than in the entire first half of the year, with about one-third of them being sold to Europe. At the latest in 2023, Aiways hopes to make efforts: In addition to the electric SUV Aiways U5 (scoring 2.5 in the ADAC car test, it is "good" in the second level. If readers are interested in the detailed test report, please leave a message), its coupe branch U6 will also be launched.
Chinese brand cars sold in Germany
BYD entered the German market in 2022
BYD Seal competes with Tesla Model 3 as a medium-sized electric car
The real Chinese giant has just arrived: in October 2022, BYD ("Build your Dreams"), the world's largest electric car manufacturer, announced its entry into the German market. The leader is the recently released BYD Seal, which is benchmarked against the Tesla Model 3 with a range of 500 kilometers. The private enterprise sold about 640,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles worldwide in the first half of this year. In addition, its battery technology is also in the world's leading position.
Generally speaking, the era of mainly relying on cheap copying of products in China has passed. In the current innovation rankings released by the Automotive Management Center (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, MG parent company SAIC Group and BYD ranked 4th and 5th respectively, behind Volkswagen, Tesla and Mercedes-Benz , but before BMW , General Motors and Hyundai Auto .In this annual ranking, CAM analyzed and evaluated innovations from 80 auto brands across 28 auto groups. The Chinese scored particularly high in electric vehicles.
Chinese cars are usually cheaper
Another advantage of Chinese cars is that they are relatively low. The compact electric SUV MG ZS EV costs about €34,000, which is lower than the small electric car Renault Zoe, which has been a top-seller in China for many years. According to WLTP standards, the Aiways U5 has an electric range of 400 kilometers (290 kilometers tested by ADAC), and its configuration is almost perfect, with a price of 45,000 euros. The electric station wagon MG5 is even cheaper, at only 35,500 euros.
Great Wall launches Ora and Wei brand
The leader of Great Wall is Ora Cat
Great Wall also plans to launch its Wey and Ora brands through its distribution partner Emil Frey by the end of 2022. The company's , Swiss car dealer group has nearly 100 outlets in Germany, selling cars of various brands. For example, it is the official importer of Mitsubishi in Germany. The leader of the Great Wall is the Ora Funky Cat, a 4.24-meter-long compact electric vehicle with a striking round-eye design and its range should be around 300 kilometers.
Wey Coffee 01: The second model of plug-in hybrid car with ultra-long electric range is the Coffee 01 SUV of WEY, a high-end brand under Great Wall Group , with a relatively traditional appearance. The plug-in hybrid has been exhibited at the 2021 IAA exhibition in Munich, benchmarking the Audi Q5 . What's special is the electric range of up to 150 kilometers (150 kilometers is already a long one for plug-in hybrids). The price of both models is unclear, but is likely to be lower than those of direct competitors. In addition to its own brand models, the Great Wall Motor will also appear on the European roads as a development and production partner of the BMW subsidiary Mini. This means, like the BMW iX3, the new electric Mini will come from China.
NIO wants to rely on battery replacement stations to be unique
Large sedan Nio E7 looks good
Coincidentally, NIO also announced that it will enter the German market by the end of 2022. The brand has been in the Norwegian market for a while, but the ES6 and ES8 models sold there will not enter Germany. The first model sold in Germany will be the ET7, followed by the SUV ES7 and the compact sedan ET5. The idea of building a network of battery-switched stations is particularly interesting. In this way, long charging times will no longer be a problem; at the service station, the exhausted battery will be replaced by the fully charged battery within minutes.
Western big brands give up small cars, and Chinese brands just fill in
Wuling mini electric car: low price, small size, suitable for cities to use
"Pursuing profit instead of quantity" is the current strategy of Western manufacturers, and they have increasingly withdrawn from the price-sensitive low-end car field. There are almost no sub-small cars now, and the small car segment is shrinking. For example, Audi does not want to launch successors to A1 and Q2. Mercedes-Benz has announced a new luxury strategy, with at least the current compact models A-Class and B-Class going to be victims. Even Ford, which is not known for its luxury cars, wants to focus on the high-priced models Mustang and Bronck in the future.
This is a gap that Chinese people can fill. Take Wuling Mini Electric Vehicle as an example. This small van, less than 3 meters long, is jointly produced by SAIC Group and General Motors. It basically did not attract attention when Lithuanian celebrated its entry into the EU market, but the starting price of 10,000 euros may sweep Europe. In China, the small electric car has been the best-selling passenger car for years, with 214,000 sold in the first half of this year alone. Globally, it accounts for 37% of the micro electric vehicle market.
test data source
Comparative & Objective Thesting in Europe for Safety & Thrust e.V. (COTEST) Collects Tests to Seek the Truth (COTEST) / European Quality and Safety Testing Association (COTEST) cluster test, in order to find out...
