Chinese car brands ahead of Audi and Renault in Europe for the first time

Chinese automotive brands have overtaken Audi and Renault in terms of sales in the European market for the first time, according to JATO Dynamics. The research company announced on Tuesday that Chinese manufacturers sold more than 43,500 vehicles in August, up 121% from the same month in 2024.

For comparison: Audi sold 41,300 cars and Renault sold 37,800.

The share of Chinese brands in the European market reached a record 5.5%. About 84% of the total sales of Chinese cars in Europe are accounted for by five manufacturers: MG, BYD, Jaecoo, Omoda and Leapmotor.

Some Chinese companies are already outpacing well-known competitors: the MG brand has sold more new cars than Tesla and Fiat, and BYD has sold more than Suzuki and Jeep.

"European consumers are responding positively to the increasingly broad and competitive lineup of Chinese automotive brands. It appears that these brands have managed to overcome the recognition and perception issues they previously faced," the release said.

The most popular model in August was the Volkswagen T-Roc, with 14,700 vehicles sold.

Tesla Model Y, despite a 38% drop in registrations in August, remains the most popular electric car.

• In Ukraine, sales of Chinese cars are also growing at a record pace. In August 2025 Ukrainians purchased 2424 passenger cars imported from China the total number of cars imported from China was 42% higher than in the same period last year. The vast majority of cars from China that have entered the Ukrainian market are electric vehicles. The most popular of them is BYD Song Plus.