China has imported cars worth almost £2.6bn into the UK since January. It's market share now exceeds that of Spain, Italy, France, and South KoreaChina's share of the UK car market has soared 10-fold within two years, MailOnline can disclose.
As well as Chinese companies like BYD dramatically scaling up production, factories across the nation are also churning out major Western brands.The Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation owns British heritage brand MG and also works alongside major European manufacturers, including Volkswagen and Audi.
During the first eight months of 2024, Germany exported £11.6bn of cars to the UK, according to figures collected by the Office for National Statistics.Before Covid, the value of Chinese car imports into the UK was below £400m annually.Separate data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders shows the extent of China's aggressive electric vehicle strategy.
READ MORE: How Chinese spies could remotely control Britain's electric cars: Warning EVs could be remotely stopped by Beijing to bring roads to a standstill and steal drivers' data - as experts warn vehicles 'could be a Trojan horse' Advertisement GWM Ora saw their sales increase from 668 to 1,076 over the same period.Between January and June 2024, Tesla remained the top selling electric car manufacturer in the UK with a 13.
Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry, warned MPs in August 2023 'connected vehicles flooding the country could be the most effective Trojan Horse that the Chinese establishment has'. Ex-MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove urged the Government earlier this year to consider banning Chinese vehicles fitted with advanced technology which could beam vital data back to China.