Currently reading: Borgward to launch Jaguar F-Pace rival in Europe in spring 2018

The Chinese brand's premium SUV, the BX7 TS, will be the first model from the brand to come to Europe, priced at €44,000

Borgward's launch into Europe will commence in spring 2018 with the Borgward BX7 TS, a €44,000 SUV revealed at the Guangzhou motor show.

The TS is a more premium version of the BX7 already on sale in China, the largest of two SUVs made by Borgward alongside the BX5.

Guangzhou motor show 2017 report

Over the next few years, the company plans to launch more SUVs, including a smaller BX3 model due to be revealed at the Beijing motor show in April next year.

Beyond that, saloon and coupé models are planned, some of them electric, alongside electric versions of some of the firm's SUV models.

The old German marque is Chinese-owned and funded, with design and development split between Germany and China. Its Stuttgart-based design team is some 30 strong.

It launched first in China to build a track record of building cars and a brand, before its assault on Europe. Its design boss, ex-Mini design chief Anders Warming, said that building a strong brand for Borgward was of crucial importance if it was to be a success.

"Borgward is not just one car," said Warming. "There are many different vehicle concepts that can look very different.

"We must make them instantly recognisable as Borgward, so people know the brand. That will be key to our success."

European sales will start first in Germany and the German-speaking markets of Austria and Switzerland. Borgward's market research suggests some 50% of Germans are aware of the Borgward brand from the past, but not many are aware of any models or what it stands for.

The cars will be sold online only at first, with Borgward also set to partner with a company that can handle servicing - the customer's car will be picked up from their home and delivered back to them. 

The BX7 is already homologated for sale in Europe, with the BX5 set to follow by the end of the year. The BX7 is left-hand drive at present, while the BX5 has been engineered for right-hand drive, although UK sales are a more distant goal for Borgward and an Australian launch is more likely to happen first, according to marketing chief Tom Anliker.

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Borgward Isabella unveiled 

Borgward BX7 SUV unveiled 

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Mark Tisshaw

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Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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