Two and a bit years ago, the only Chinese firm that mattered to UK buyers was MG. It was selling around 6,000 cars a month here and, at the same time, newcomers BYD, GWM and Maxus were well-nigh irrelevant as each struggled to sell just one car per day. And, er, that was about it.
A complacent industry ‘expert’ working for a leading European manufacturer advised me not to get too excited about the ability of the Chinese to appeal to what he described as the “sophisticated tastes” of western buyers. The consensus at his slightly snobby firm seemed to be that the majority of cars from most of China’s brands were unknown, undesirable and unsaleable – at least to demanding, badge-obsessed, image-conscious UK buyers.
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