The Auto Shanghai 2025 show comes at a pivotal time for the automotive industry, writes Philipp Sayler von Amende, chief commercial officer, Get Your Car at Carwow.
Trump tariffs dominate the news as uncertainty reigns over their impact. Meanwhile, the UK has overtaken Germany to become Europe’s biggest electric vehicle (EV) market amid the changing goalposts of the ZEV mandate.
Hot topics surrounding this year’s show include whether Xiaomi and Huawei will become international brands, the introduction of Nio’s new Firefly sub-brand which will be sold through a traditional dealer network, Changan’s entry into Europe and BYD’s plans for further expansion.
In the US, tariffs on Chinese cars have been at 100% since the Biden era, but the latest increase by President Trump will likely lead to Chinese OEMs putting a greater focus on Europe.
This could be positive news for the UK, because consumers within European markets are more willing to consider switching to Chinese EVs, and we’ve already seen MG announce its plan to open a new manufacturing facility in Europe as a result.
Lasting footprint
Back in 2023 following the show, I predicted that Chinese carmakers would soon be making a lasting footprint on the UK car market, and we’re seeing this starting to happen in the first half of 2025.
At Carwow, we’ve been monitoring consumer sentiment towards Chinese car brands, and our latest data indicates growing levels of interest.
In early 2023, only 24% of respondents said they would consider a Chinese brand for their next car, whereas during the first few months of 2025, that figure has been tracking at 39%, showing a huge rise in consumer consideration.
This increased consideration for Chinese models is reflected in the viewing figures of reviews on Carwow.
Chinese OEMs appeared eight times in our top 10 most viewed car reviews in March 2025, of which nine were battery electric vehicles (BEVs). BYD appeared four times in the list, and the volume of enquiries passed to BYD retailers by Carwow climbed by 33% within the first quarter of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 836%.
These stats reinforce BYD’s status as the fastest-growing car brand in the UK and how our online content is helping to drive sales enquiries.
Brand presence
At Auto Shanghai two years ago, it was clear that Chinese OEMs had the products and resources to succeed in the UK but needed to work on brand presence and reputation to help win over the hearts of British consumers.
BYD’s success in the first quarter of the year is proof that this is possible and that consumer perceptions are shifting.
This rise in consumer consideration for Chinese OEMs is also echoed in the enquiry figures we’ve seen for other brands.
In the first quarter of 2025, enquiries for Omoda models on Carwow increased by 41% quarter on quarter, while Jaecoo enquiries in March exceeded the previous month by 531%.
The Jaecoo 7 is also the third most configured car on Carwow so far this year, behind only the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage and ahead of big-hitters such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, MG4, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Kodiaq.
It is anticipated that consumers will have the choice of more than 60 automotive brands in the UK by the end of 2025, and it remains to be seen whether this increased choice drives prices, and brand loyalty down, meaning legacy brands will have to work harder to retain market share.
Philipp Sayler von Amende is chief commercial officer, Get Your Car at Carwow