Right now, depending on whose figures you believe, BYD hovers just outside the top 10 of global car makers, but that has to be taken in the context of the fact that BYD made its first car in 2005. Most of the car makers ahead of it in the charts have been at this since at least the 1920s. <\/p>\n
In Ireland, BYD has actually broken into the top 10 list this year, muscling Renault<\/a> and Dacia<\/a> aside to take ninth place overall. In fact, BYD is only a few hundred car sales short of overhauling Ford<\/a> in the Irish charts \u2013 something that would have been unthinkable just a decade ago. BYD clearly sees more potential in the Irish market, as it\u2019s splitting from its independent importer Motor Distributors Limited and is taking its Irish operations in-house<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Ireland, BYD\u2019s bestseller is the big Seal-U plug-in hybrid<\/a>, but the company is better known for fully electric models such as the Seal<\/a>, the Sealion 7<\/a> and the Dolphin. Fears that BYD would undermine the efforts of European car makers by selling its small electric city car for as little as \u20ac10,000 were allayed when that car \u2013 called the Seagull in China, but named Dolphin Surf<\/a> here \u2013 arrived with a price tag closer to \u20ac20,000 thanks to the need for expensive re-engineering to meet European safety standards. <\/p>\n Nonetheless, when European and Japanese car makers worry about Chinese competition, it\u2019s BYD that\u2019s at the forefront of their minds. Next up are high-end models under BYD\u2019s Denza brand, including a plug-in Land Rover Defender rival, the Bao 5<\/a>, and a sleek 1,100hp Z9 GT \u2013 and no, that horsepower is not a typo. The latter will be a competitor for the Porsche Panamera and Taycan. <\/p>\n There\u2019s also the big seven-seat Ti7 SUV, the new Atto 8 seven-seat family crossover, which is a rival to Skoda\u2019s new Peaq, and even a pickup truck, the Shark. At the more compact end, there\u2019s the new the Shark hatchback. <\/p>\n The company even makes its own batteries, a rarity in the car world, and it has helped popularise the more rugged lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry. Next up? Ultra-fast charging at up to 1,500kW from BYD\u2019s own-design \u2018Flash\u2019 fast chargers. In theory, these can top up your battery from flat to 97 per cent in as little as nine minutes. At that speed, charging stops will see their coffee sales plummet, with not enough time to order a flat white …<\/p>\n Indeed, BYD has set itself the ambitious target of \u2018cooling the planet by 1 degree Celsius\u2019 thanks to its electric vehicle sales, zero-emissions public transport buses and vehicles, and investments in low-carbon manufacturing and battery recycling. It sounds grandiose, but who would bet against BYD now?<\/p>\n [\u00a0BYD aims to outsell Toyota by 2031 to become world\u2019s biggest car makerOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n MG. Status: First Chinese brand on the scene<\/p>\n MG is the OG of Chinese brands in Europe. Resurrected by Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC) from the ashes of MG Rover \u2013 the last surviving remnants of the disastrous British Leyland empire \u2013 MG\u2019s return to European and Irish markets wasn\u2019t initially all that promising, with cheap-feeling cars such as the ZS and HS. While some MGs still feel cheap inside \u2013 step forward the current ZS hybrid and the MG 3 hatchback \u2013 as is so often the case with Chinese brands, it has taken big steps forward, and the likes of the MG S5 and S6 look and feel as smart inside as any European or Japanese competitor. <\/p>\n MG was the biggest-selling Chinese brand in Ireland until this year \u2013 possibly helped by the brand recognition factor of its classic badge. But BYD has since accelerated past it. Don\u2019t feel too sorry though \u2013 MG\u2019s Irish sales are up 77 per cent so far this year, and its line-up runs the gamut from the small and cheap MG 3 hybrid hatchback to the large and relatively luxurious HS plug-in hybrid SUV. <\/p>\n The S6 electric SUV is arguably its best all-round model \u2013 classy looks inside and out, and good range \u2013 but only the smaller MG 4 EV hatchback<\/a> and the gorgeous Cyberster convertible<\/a> demonstrate much of the old-school MG driving brio. <\/p>\n Hopefully the new MG 2 electric hatch \u2013 already seen in a very Mini-esque concept form \u2013 will have that trait in spades, as will the slick-looking MG Cyber large electric SUV, which looks more than a little like a bargain-priced Ferrari Purosangue. However, MG has a record of not bringing all its models to Ireland \u2013 we still don\u2019t get the seven-seat S9 plug-in hybrid SUV, nor the more premium IM5 saloon and IM6 SUV. <\/p>\n Leapmotor. Status: Just arrived and expanding fast<\/p>\n Leapmotor only really launched in Ireland last year, and while it\u2019s definitely a Chinese brand, it does have some European connections. Stellantis Group<\/a> (Peugeot, Citro\u00ebn, Opel, Fiat, etc) owns a minority stake in Leapmotor in China and a majority stake in its global sales operation, which is why Irish sales are handled by Gowan Auto, home to all Stellantis brands. <\/p>\n Leapmotor<\/a> first landed in Ireland with the tiny T03 electric city car<\/a> (surprisingly good, considering it\u2019s specifically designed to be cheap) and the chunky C10 SUV, which comes in fully electric or extended-range plug-in hybrid forms. That C10 has impressive quality inside, but it looks \u2013 and drives \u2013 rather like a Moomin (those cute cartoon hippos). In general, none of Leapmotor\u2019s cars \u2013 the electric pair of B05 hatchback<\/a> and B10 SUV \u2013 have much in the way of driver appeal, but they do tend to have good usable electric ranges on one charge, and a long six-year warranty. <\/p>\n Leapmotor seems to be working closely with Opel on its next generation of cars, so hopefully some of Opel\u2019s sharper chassis engineering will rub off on the Chinese. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Leapmotor: China\u2019s no-frills EV maker aiming to become the next BYDOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Xpeng. Status: Out for premium brand scalps<\/p>\n Xpeng<\/a> is perhaps one of the most interesting of all the Chinese brands, but you\u2019d hardly know it from the single G6 model that it sells in Ireland. There\u2019s nothing wrong \u2013 and quite a lot right \u2013 with the G6<\/a>, but while it\u2019s roomy, long-legged, and incredibly fast charging (up to 450kW on DC chargers), it\u2019s also not especially exciting to drive, and looks like a very generic egg-shaped EV SUV on the outside. For a company that yearns to be taken seriously in the European premium car market, that\u2019s not a good look. <\/p>\n More \u2013 much more \u2013 is coming, though. First up, with the soon-arriving X9, Xpeng will attempt to restart the MPV market with a car that boasts seats for seven, long EV range, and a classy cabin. It will also launch the L03 SUV, and while the current G6 may look a bit like a Tesla Model Y, it\u2019s the sleek and rather more stylish L03 that\u2019s aimed right at the Tesla\u2019s heart, with a potential 600km range. There\u2019s also the big G9L luxury SUV which wants to be an electric Range Rover for much less cash, and the one we\u2019re really waiting for \u2013 the P7 saloon which looks as if a 1960s Buick Riviera never left production, but just evolved into something far more high-tech. That car has the potential to be a true game changer in how we perceive Chinese cars and their relationship to high-end European brands. <\/p>\n Oh, and Xpeng is also making its own \u2018flying car\u2019 air taxi with a six-wheeled \u2018Aircraft Carrier\u2019 truck launcher. Don\u2019t expect to see those in Ireland, but it gives you a sense of the ambition. <\/p>\n Chery Group. Status: Arrives soon, with big expectations<\/p>\n Chery has been building up quite a head of steam, especially in the UK market where, with its three brands \u2013 Chery, Jaecoo, and Omoda \u2013 it has already broken into the top of the sales charts. <\/p>\n Indeed, at various points over the past couple of years, the Jaecoo 7 (known as the \u2018Temu Range Rover\u2019 or \u2018the Evoque I ordered from Shein\u2019) has been the bestselling car in the UK. Given its Range Rover-y looks and low price tag, it\u2019s not hard to see why it\u2019s been doing well. Clearly, Chery is doing something right. <\/p>\n Will it be as successful here? Well, selling a mid-size SUV with hybrid power and a low-figure sticker on the windscreen is a quick way to Irish buyers\u2019 hearts too. But once you get up close to either a Jaecoo or an Omoda, you really start to see how awkward they look (the grilles and overhangs are totally out of proportion with the rest of the body), and while the cabins look and feel nice, there have been worrying rumblings from the UK when it comes to longer-term reliability. Big things are expected, then, but Irish buyers are notoriously hard to drag away from their favourite brands, so Chery Group might have a bigger fight on its hands here than in the UK. <\/p>\n Geely. Status: Technically, it\u2019s already here<\/p>\n Geely<\/a> has taken a different route to the rest of the Chinese car industry, bar SAIC and its purchase of MG. Geely has snapped up brands that are already familiar \u2013 Volvo and Lotus, for instance. <\/p>\n When it has created a new brand, Polestar, it\u2019s been diligent in giving that a distinctly European, indeed Swedish, flavour (whatever US lawmakers might think \u2026). Not only is Geely already in-country here with Volvo and Polestar (and to a much lesser extent with Lotus), it also owns the Farizon commercial vehicles brand. <\/p>\n Next up will be Geely\u2019s own-brand cars, which will range from the oddly named Starray-iM plug-in hybrid SUV (a rival to the likes of the Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Qashqai) and its all-electric cousin, the E5, to the smaller Geely E2 hatchback, which will go up against the likes of the Renault 5 and the Volkswagen ID. Polo. <\/p>\n There is also its other premium player, Zeekr, which will enter the mix with its Polestar and Volvo brands. <\/p>\n Geely is also playing it smart with its European efforts by making sure to move production to this side of the world, and so it\u2019s going to start making cars with Ford in Valencia, Spain. <\/p>\n Ford will rent Geely the factory space, and the two brands will share some platforms for new models, which could include the brand\u2019s Toyota Land Cruiser rival, the Galaxy Cruiser 700. <\/p>\n Changan. Status: Up north, and under Mazdas<\/p>\n Changan is another Chinese company that\u2019s sorta-kinda already here, because it provides the platforms and batteries around which Mazda builds the new 6e saloon and CX-6e SUV. And very impressive they are too.<\/p>\n Changan has already started selling its own-brand Deepal models in Northern Ireland \u2013 the S05 and S07 SUVs, both electric but with the S05 also offering a plug-in hybrid version \u2013 so they\u2019re likely to work their way south of the border before too long. As Changans, though, they\u2019re a bit faceless and bland in their styling, so you might be better off sticking with the Mazdas, to be honest. Actually, the Changan name comes from the fact that the company was once the Chongqing Changan Arsenal \u2013 not a football team, but literally an armaments maker. It was the first Chinese car brand, though, launching the Changjiang Type 46 in 1959. <\/p>\n The rest …<\/p>\n China has an oversupply of car makers right now, and the somewhat Darwinian process of winnowing all of the start-ups and hopefuls down to a profitable few is well under way. <\/p>\n For instance, the Hi-Phi brand \u2013 which wanted to sell futuristic-looking saloons with gullwing doors \u2013 fell quickly by the wayside. Others are seriously worrying \u2018western\u2019 car makers, such as Xiaomi<\/a>, which built its reputation making mobile phones but which now makes the incredibly high-performance SU7 saloon, which has been vying with Porsche for racetrack lap records. It\u2019s also been embroiled in some worrying safety scandals in China, so it may take some time to get to Ireland, if ever. <\/p>\n Nio<\/a> is more likely to arrive here soon, and its compact Firefly hatchback has been garnering rave reviews, but sadly its battery-swapping tech seems to have been superseded by faster DC charging.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Chinese car exports topping one million deepens anxiety in Europe\u2019s automobile industryOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Li Auto is planning a European debut, but actual sales here could yet be affected by European tariffs on Chinese electric cars \u2013 something that has driven BYD, MG, Geely and Chery to set up factories within the EU and Turkey. <\/p>\n The Maxus brand is, of course, already operating in Ireland, but largely in the commercial vehicles sphere, as its MPV models \u2013 the Mifa 7 and Mifa 9 \u2013 haven\u2019t garnered much attention here yet. <\/p>\n GAC, or Guangzho Automotive Group, is already in the UK market with its all-electric Aion brand, but there are no plans to come to Ireland yet, while Great Wall Motors was, of course, present here for a time with the cutesy Ora brand<\/a>, but has retreated for the moment to lick its sales wounds. Don\u2019t expect it to stay away forever. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BYD. Status: Here and selling big BYD is the 200lb gorilla of the Chinese car brands. It has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":661035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7628,114,2885,8856,61,60,14835,43,185890,2215],"class_list":["post-661034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-byd","tag-china","tag-climate-change","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-motors","tag-news","tag-stellantis","tag-xiaomi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=661034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/661034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/661035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=661034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=661034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=661034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/24IAAHJVUBENLAA45PTM57E57U.jpg\")
The Denza Bao 5 SUV Hybrid. Photograph: Ludovic Marin\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"BYD](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4VAHXJ4USEXL4Z44VMCG6YMYJY.jpg\")
BYD executive vice-president Stella Li at the reveal for the Atto at the Paris Motor Show. Photograph: Ludovic Marin\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/EIHJTWSTMNCS3EBSSUCSFQ5ACI.jpg\")
New MG 2 in a very Mini-esque concept form <\/p>\n![\"Some](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5CFQV7ANINH47AKJC43CNS6YEU.jpg\")
Some of the Leapmotor model range on sale in Ireland <\/p>\n![\"Xpeng](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5UXCNNI37ZD4DAJL6APFKZB52M.jpg\")
Xpeng G9, a seven-seater MPV <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5F6PMUEO7NDZHBX7FQ53Z5IOFA.jpg\")
A selection of Jaecoo models <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/X4TCORP4FRBTTBYA5TTFWIIBQQ.jpg\")
The Geely stand, featuring the Starray (right) at the Paris Motor Show in October. Photograph: Riccardo Milani\/Hans Lucas\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"Changan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CKLHYBC5I5BUZOW4M6TWV35KYY.jpg\")
Changan Avatar 06T <\/p>\n