More than seven in 10 motorists would “consider” buying a car made by one of the new Chinese manufacturers entering the UK market. This verdict comes from Startline’s June Used Car Tracker, which adds that BYD has achieved 28% recognition among these potential customers, followed by Maxus (19%) and Chery (14%). Aiways, Denza and Jaecoo are all on 11%; Omoda and Xpeng on 10%; and Nio, Skywell and GWM Ora on 9%. The rest are Leapmotor (8%), Lynk & Co (7%), HiPhi (3%) and Zeekr (2%).
The survey wasn’t unanimously good news for Chinese car-makers. 18% of respondents to the Startline Used Car Tracker say they’d rather stay with car brands that have a track record in the UK. 11% are worried about quality and 7% would rather support British car manufacturers. Also, 4% are concerned about parts availability, 4% about security and 2% about dealer support.
Paul Burgess, CEO at Startline Motor Finance, said: “Chinese manufacturers are making a concerted assault on the UK market – almost 12,000 BYDs were sold here in the first four months of the year – and our research shows that consumers are receptive to the idea of buying a car from them.”
Commenting on the negative feedback, which was confined to quite low numbers, Burgess added: “This shows that there is some trepidation among a minority of car buyers but really, concrete concerns that you might expect about the kind of quality and support that can be expected from the Chinese new entrants, are very low.”
