The Chinese are coming(ETA unknown)

[Hairy-Joe]

I can't remember but wasn't something similar said about Tata with the CityRover and the Ssangong motors have really taken off.......

Then again look at the way Japanese motors took over, the Koreans have made decent inroads and Skoda/Dacia are no longer Eastern Europe skips.

[kadman]

Chinese were always here anyway, sure most of your car electronics are chinese now aren't they

[Hairy-Joe]

Yes the Chinese want to be the leader in EVERYTHING.....

[silverbirch]

There’s a bunch of these Chinese EV companies targeting Norway at the moment as a testbed for the European market. They’re mostly EV startups rather than car companies that also make EVs. Unlike European manufacturers they can focus on EVs and aren’t encumbered by the legacy of the IC market. They can really steal a march on their European competitors who will continue to focus on the IC market for another decade. They’re not short of funds either. BYD, the one featured in the OP, are backed by Warren Buffet and are planning to build a large battery plant in Europe.

I think the opportunity for China is to target the low end of the market and to work from there. It worked for the Japanese in the 70’s and for the Koreans later. I think companies like NIO selling ‘premium’ models will struggle in Europe. EVs are already expensive and Europeans just won’t pay a premium for a Chinese car at the moment. NIO want to make their cars more affordable by introducing battery leasing/swapping but I think that’s the wrong ownership model for the segment.