A serious market shake-up has shaken the British car sector, where the Chinese invasion is no longer just a forecast, but a hard reality. Sales figures reveal unprecedented growth for East Asian manufacturers, with ambitious brands Omoda and Jaecoo recording a historic breakthrough. Led by an aggressive trade policy, the two brands managed to overtake established names on the local scene such as Ford, Hyundai and Nissan.
The volume of transactions on the whole Island in July reached pre-pandemic levels with 156,571 new cars registered, representing a nearly 12% increase year-on-year. While traditional European, American and Asian brands recorded a moderate average growth of 11%, Chinese manufacturers reported a phenomenal jump of 180%. This dynamic has pushed the combined share of Eastern brands to almost 17% of the entire British market, reporting an annual growth of 145%.
The main driver behind this phenomenon is the joint performance of Omoda and Jaecoo. Over the past month, the two brands have sold a total of 8,905 vehicles, capturing 5.7% of the market in the United Kingdom. Such an achievement officially elevated them to the third largest automotive group in the country.
The success is mainly due to the demand for two key models in the SUV segment, which are also sold in our country. The Jaecoo 7 crossover recorded 2,709 sales, ranking fourth among the most purchased cars in the country for the month. Its smaller sibling, the Jaecoo 5, also entered the prestigious top ten, occupying seventh position with 2,481 units delivered. With these results, the Chinese tandem showed that the attitudes of British drivers are changing very quickly.