We assess how each brand entered the European market, including the initial launch countries, the timeline of entry, and the expansion patterns across the region. This section highlights whether the brand adopted a selective rollout, focusing on specific strategic markets, or pursued a pan-European approach from the outset.

To define a market entry, we have considered the moment when a brand began registering a relevant volume of units in a given country, indicating the start of meaningful commercial operations. All analyses begin from 2019, which serves as the baseline year for this study. Market entries that occurred prior to this date are included in the 2019 column, to ensure consistency and comparability across brands.

We explore each brand’s identity and messaging in Europe by analysing official communications, public statements, and interviews released by brand representatives. This qualitative approach allows us to understand not only how each brand presents itself to the European market, but also the strategic intent behind its positioning. Through this approach, we examine the brand’s core values, such as innovation, sustainability, affordability, or user-centricity, and how these are reflected in its product offering, marketing language, and customer engagement strategies.

Distribution models adopted by Chinese automotive brands in Europe vary significantly, reflecting different strategic priorities, levels of investment, and degrees of control over the customer experience. In this section, we examine how each brand is building its commercial footprint and adapting to the structural and regulatory norms of the European retail landscape.

The analysis considers the type of distribution model implemented, ranging from direct ownership of dealerships to agency models, traditional dealer networks, and importer-based structures. These models differ not only in terms of operational complexity and cost, but also in how they shape the relationship between the OEM and the end customer.

Some brands, following the example of Tesla, have opted for a vertically integrated approach by establishing OEM-owned dealerships, allowing them to retain full control over pricing, customer interaction, and dealer margins. Others have adopted the agency model, where the OEM retains ownership of the vehicle until sale and the dealer acts as an intermediary, earning a fixed commission while the OEM manages inventory and pricing centrally.

More traditional players continue to rely on the dealer model, selling vehicles to independent dealers who assume ownership and bear all associated sales costs. Finally, several Chinese entrants have chosen the importer model, delegating full responsibility for market operations to a local partner who manages distribution, retail, and after-sales services.

These strategic choices reflect the brand’s maturity and investment capacity, as well as its ambition to establish a long-term presence in Europe. The selected model influences everything from brand perception to customer experience, which plays a critical role in shaping the success of each market entry.

While assessing the level of commitment to the European market, we have examined the establishment of local structures and operations across the region. This includes the creation of headquarters and legal entities, the development of research and design centres, and the announcement or activation of manufacturing facilities. These elements provide a clear indication of how seriously each brand is approaching its European strategy – not merely as an export opportunity, but as a long-term investment.

The main sources are the official release from the OEM, their company profiles and online articles on the topic.

Using JATO registration data, we track annual and half-year volumes as well as country-level performance. This allows us to assess the commercial success and scalability of each brand’s strategy.

The countries considered in the scope are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

For all brands that have already reached meaningful volumes in one of the five major European markets (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain), we have identified their most successful model and its leading market. This selection allows us to assess the product’s positioning in the most recent available months using the JATO Product Navigator.

The positioning analysis is based on two key dimensions:

• Product index: to evaluate the richness of each model’s standard equipment compared to the segment average and its competitors.
• Price index: to compare the model’s list price to the segment benchmark and other models within the segment to determine its competitiveness.

To be noted:

• All the averages are weighted for volumes.
• Only standard equipment has been considered.
• The equipment valuation follows the JATO value table methodology.

As a second step, we have developed a spider graph to visualise the model’s strengths and weaknesses across different equipment categories, highlighting where it performs above or below the segment average.

This approach provides a clear view of each model’s positioning relative to its competitors, its value-for-money ratio, and the specific areas where it excels or falls short in terms of content offering.