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China's smartphone king takes on Elon Musk in Europe with premium EVs
China's smartphone king takes on Elon Musk in Europe with premium EVs Published 26 Apr 2026
The new wave of Chinese EV brands heading for Britain
The article below is an excerpt from Steve Fowler’s DriveSmart newsletter. To get the email delivered straight to your inbox every Monday, simply enter your email address in the box above.There was a time when a trip to a motor show meant catching up with familiar names, a few concept cars that would never see the light of day and perhaps the odd surprise from a challenger brand trying to break into Europe. Not anymore.Heading to this week’s China Auto motor show – held this year in Beijing (it alternates with Shanghai) – feels less like a diary date and more like stepping into a parallel automotive universe. It’s one where the rules have changed, the pace is relentless and the number of new car brands seems to multiply by the month.So the question I’m asking myself as I pack my bags is a simple one: how many new car brands will I bring back with me?Make no mistake, China isn’t just producing cars at scale – it’s producing car companies. And not in the way we’ve traditionally understood them either. These aren’t slow-burn start-ups inching their way towards credibility. Many arrive fully formed, with slick design, impressive technology, competitive pricing and, crucially, the backing of vast industrial ecosystems that can move far faster than most legacy manufacturers.Walk the halls in Beijing as I did two years ago and you’ll see names you’ve never heard of sitting alongside ones that are starting to become more familiar in the UK and Europe. Brands like BYD, Xpeng, Geely and Leapmotor are already making waves, while Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo have started building a presence here. But it’s the next wave that’s really going to test our ability to keep up. Names like Zeekr, the Geely-owned premium EV brand, and Denza, the increasingly ambitious offshoot of BYD, are edging closer to Europe. Then there’s Yangwang – another BYD sub-brand, but this time aimed squarely at the high-performance, high-luxury end of the market with technology that borders on the absurd. One of the Chinese brands that has impressed me most, Nio, will eventually come here with its Firefly and Onvo offshoots.And it doesn’t stop there. Xiaomi – better known for smartphones – is now building cars and doing so at a scale and pace that should make the rest of the industry sit up and take notice. Huawei-backed brands such as Aito are blending consumer electronics with automotive in ways that feel genuinely different, while Chery’s expanding empire includes sub-brands like Freelander, Exeed an...
At Beijing car show, Chinese automakers take aim at Europe's premium brands
China's automakers have a message for premium German brands Porsche, Mercedes and BMW: We're coming for your customers.
At Beijing car show, Chinese automakers take aim at Europe's premium ...
Beijing Auto Show kicks off on Friday Chinese brands launch premium EVs with advanced features at lower prices than German rivals German automakers face declining sales in China, rising ...
