The ABCs of Chinese cars: everything you need to know

BarcelonaFor some years now, Chinese brands have been landing in Europe. Unlike traditional manufacturers from the Old Continent and the United States, Chinese brands are relatively unknown in the West, so the large industrial conglomerates of the Asian giant have chosen to acquire names from traditional European manufacturers to revive them and revive the former splendor of their name, as in the case of the brand. On other occasions, however, Chinese brands propose new names with local reminiscences, as in the case of Ebro, or directly imported from China, as in the case of Omoda or BYD.

Aiways

Aiways is a fairly unknown brand with little visibility in our country, and it does not have a very significant sales volume either in China or in any other market. It sells two electric models, called U5 and U6. The Aiways U5 is a family-style sedan, while the Aiways U6 is a family-style sedan. The U6 is a sporty SUV, and have sales prices of between 45,000 and 50,000 euros, with promotional discounts and government aid aside. Aiways offers a 5-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty for its two electric models.

BYD

Despite being a relatively unknown manufacturer in our country, BYD is a true automotive giant on a global scale: it is the second largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in the world, only behind Tesla and closing the gap with Elon Musk's brand week by week. BYD is the acronym for Build Your Dreams.

At the moment, BYD sells seven different vehicles in our market, most of them electric, like the BYD Atto 3, the brand's best-selling model in the whole of Spain, with a price of around 30,000 euros, promotional discounts and government aid aside. BYD offers a guarantee for its cars of 6 years or 150,000 kilometres, being a growing brand that should not present problems with supplies or technical service in Catalonia.

DFSK

DFSK is a Chinese manufacturer specialising in industrial vehicles, with a wide range of hybrid and electric mobility solutions for vans, pickup trucks and light trucks, among others. As for its range of conventional passenger cars, it has a range of SUVs with petrol engines (DFSK 500, DFSK 580, DFSK 600 and DFSK F5) with prices between 15,000 and 25,000 euros, as well as a plug-in hybrid model, the 0.

This Asian brand offers guarantees of between 6 and 7 years or 150,000 kilometres for its products, and already has a consolidated network of official dealers and workshops.

Dongfeng

Despite being a great unknown in our country, Dongfeng is a Chinese manufacturer with more than 50 years of history that has made the leap to Europe with an urban electric vehicle, the Box, priced at 25,000 euros and with a 5-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty.

Ebro

Many people may question the Catalan origin of Ebro, a historic brand that manufactured tractors and industrial vehicles in Spain from 1953 until the mid-1980s. However, its return is accompanied by the Chinese parent company Chery, which provides all the mechanical and technological elements for models that are similar to the plant in the Zona Franca in Barcelona.

Ebro currently sells two SUVs with combustion engines, the S700 and S800, with prices around 25,000 euros and a 7-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty. Many Catalan buyers may feel that this brand is the closest to them, as it has managed to recover a historic name that evokes memories for a significant part of its potential customers.

EVO

Certainly, few buyers know about EVO, the trademark of the parent company GWM (Great Wall Motors) which already sells six models in our market, all of them with all-terrain bodies and petrol or LPG engines, with a price range of between 17,000 and 25,000 euros.

Unlike the vast majority of Chinese manufacturers, EVO does not have a mileage-limited warranty, but temporarily limits it to just three years from the date of purchase.

Jaecoo

If there is a Chinese brand with a great potential for growth in Catalonia, it is Jaecoo. It is a subsidiary of Chery, like Ebro, and targets a segment of the working salaried classes with quality products at a reasonable price, like Ebro. In fact, the roadmap for the Zona Franca plant is to look like Jaecoo models in the future, sharing the platform, engines and technology with Ebro and the other brands of the Chery group.

Jaecoo sells a single model, the Jaecoo 7, an all-wheel drive SUV with plug-in hybrid powertrain with a seven-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty and a price of between 35,000 and 40,000 euros. In the not-too-distant future, Jaecoo plans to market two other models, the 5 and 8.

Leapmotor

Leapmotor is a rare elderly among Chinese car manufacturers, since it is the only Chinese manufacturer with a European stake. Just over a year ago, the Stellantis group acquired 20% of this Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer and its roadmap includes the idea of manufacturing cars in Europe, in one of the Stellantis group's plants in Italy or France. Its range currently includes two electric models, a large SUV, the C10, and a a utility vehicle called T03Both cars come with a 5-year or 100,000-kilometre warranty and are priced between 18,000 and 35,000 euros.

Livan

Relatively unknown outside China, Livan is a brand from the Geely group, specialising in economical cars with petrol combustion engines. In fact, in our market it only sells one model, a Livan X3 Pro SUV, priced at 16,990 euros and with a 4-year or 100,000-kilometre warranty.

Lynk&Co

Thanks to being part of the Geely group and sharing a platform, engines and technologies with Volvo, Lotus and Polestar, Lynk&Co is a well-known brand in our market, with an aspirational feel and a consolidated image. It currently sells a plug-in hybrid car priced at 40,000 euros and a fully electric one, the Lynk&Co 02, priced at 35,000 euros. Both cars offer a 4-year or 120,000-kilometre warranty.

MG

The great paradigm of China's strategy to conquer Europe: MG is a historic brand founded in England in 1924 and very well-known in the United Kingdom, where it originated, but which in 2007 was bought by the Chinese automobile giant SAIC.

Thanks to the fact that it is a well-known brand with affordable prices, MG is already one of the most impactful generalist brands, and achieved a great milestone by taking theMG ZS in the ranking of the best-selling carsIts offer includes cars with gasoline engines and affordable prices of just over 15,000 euros, but also plug-in hybrids and electric like the MG4, which with a base price of just over 25,000 euros became the third best-selling electric car in 2024. MG offers a 7-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty and has eight vehicles in its commercial range.

Omoda

Although it was relatively unknown until recently, Omoda's marketing campaign, associated with the fact that it shares its parent company – the Chery group – and therefore models, mechanics and technologies with Ebro, has made Omoda one of the best-known Chinese brands in our country. It currently markets the Omoda 5 and in a few weeks it will expand its range with the Omoda 7.

The Omoda 5 is an aspirational SUV with a gasoline engine and a base price of just over 26,000 euros, although there is also a zero-emissions version whose price ranges between 36,500 and 40,000 euros. All models for sale in our market have a seven-year or 150,000-kilometre warranty.

SWM

The Chinese industrial group Shineray decided to land in Europe by purchasing SWM, a small Italian motorcycle manufacturer. Under this brand, the Chinese market a gasoline-powered SUV with the option of using LPG called the G01, priced at 28,000 euros and with a 5-year or 200,000-kilometer warranty.

Xpeng

Xpeng is the commercial name of the Xiaopeng Motors group, a Chinese industrial giant specialising in electric cars and related to Alibaba and Foxconn. It currently offers three electric cars - G6, G9 and P7 - at a price of between 46,000 and 60,000 euros and with a 5-year or 120,000-kilometre warranty.