Record 20 Chinese brands head to Paris Motor Show
Words: Richard Edwards
A record 20 Chinese car brands are exhibiting at this year’s Paris Motor Show, Reuters reports. That is twice as many as at the last show in 2024, and about a third of the carmakers taking part.
The Mondial de l’Auto opens to media on 12 October, with public days from 13 to 18 October at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. Organisers list more than 100 exhibitors, including more than 60 vehicle manufacturers.
Chinese names in the show’s exhibitor directory include BYD, Denza, Chery, Omoda, Geely, Lynk & Co, Leapmotor, Li Auto, Changan, GAC, Maxus, Forthing and Aito. BYD and Chery are returning exhibitors, while Aito and Avatr are making their Paris debuts.
Market share doubling
Chinese brands took 10.7 per cent of the European market in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.7 per cent a year earlier, according to Schmidt Automotive Research figures cited by Reuters. That puts them ahead of the Japanese brands.
In Western Europe’s plug-in hybrid market, Chinese brands held more than 26 per cent in the second quarter, up from 2.2 per cent two years earlier. The EU has applied tariffs to Chinese-built battery electric cars for two years, and Chinese makers have expanded into plug-in hybrids and petrol models in response.
“The Chinese are saying ‘we’ve got to try and dominate Europe because we can’t do anything in the US’,” Grant Thornton Stax partner Brad Kunz told Reuters.
Aito, the premium brand of Chongqing-based Seres Group, plans to show four electric SUVs for Europe. Overseas sales make up less than 1 per cent of its volume, and it wants that to reach 20 per cent within three years.
European response
European carmakers are using the show to launch their own affordable models, led by the revived Citroën 2CV. BMW and Mini are not exhibiting.
Europe’s industry is pushing for tariffs on Chinese plug-in hybrids, and the EU is drafting “Made in Europe” rules that would require minimum local content for EVs to qualify for subsidies and government contracts.
Francois Roudier, secretary-general of the International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), told Reuters that Chinese brands had helped revive interest in motor shows as some established makers cut back.
“For years people were buying cars, now manufacturers have to sell them,” he says. “It’s no show, no sell in a way.”
Closer to home
Several of the brands in Paris are already sold in New Zealand, including BYD, Denza, Chery, Omoda and Maxus, and seven of China’s ten best-selling cars are already in New Zealand showrooms. Paris newcomer Avatr is likely to come here, though no timeline has been set.
