If you're a regular Autocar reader, you will have noticed a steady stream of updates about new car brands entering the UK market.
This wave of fresh manufacturers can largely be traced back to two main factors: the rapid rise of the Chinese car industry and shifting consumer behaviour.
China is now the world’s largest market for new cars, with some 23.5 million sold there in 2024 alone. It’s no surprise, then, that many Chinese car makers are turning their attention to Europe - including the UK.
While European car makers are still ramping up their electric car offerings ahead of the UK’s 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars, China has long been focused on EVs, and some of the cars coming out of the country are as good as what Europe has to offer. Ten years ago, that was just not the case.
Research suggests that EV buyers are becoming increasingly brand-agnostic, too. Upstarts such as Tesla have demonstrated that a strong EV focus can catapult a young brand to the top of the charts. Indeed, the Tesla Model Y was crowned as the UK’s best-selling EV in 2024.
Keep scrolling to discover the new brands coming to the UK, what models are coming and when you can expect to see them on the roads.
Denza
Nationality Chinese
Parent company BYD
Denza has been around since 2010 and today finds itself marketed as a premium sibling brand of global giant BYD.
It was originally a joint venture with the parent company of Mercedes-Benz but is now entirely BYD-controlled.
Its first car bound for Europe, the Z9 GT (pictured), is a shooting brake that comes as a 925bhp EV or an 858bhp PHEV.
This will be followed by a seven-seat MPV called the D9 shortly after.
An official timeline is yet to be set, but Denza will likely come to the UK at the end of this year or in early 2026.
Firefly
Nationality Chinese
Parent company Nio
Firefly is Chinese EV specialist Nio’s new budget offering.
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Why?, why do we need more choice?, what's gone wrong with our own homegrown car choices?,and, with way the World is just now economically,how long will new brands last?, will they be any good?, NCAP, will they have to pass that?
Why not? Complaining about more choice seems stupid. If they're no good no one will buy them. If they are good they drive competition which means the buyer gets better products and/or cheaper prices.
No manufacturer HAS to have their cars tested by NCAP, its generally seen as a marketing benefit to do so, and I beleive the chinese manufacturers generally have had their cars tested so far. Again, it would be the buyers choice to buy one without an NCAP score.
That's not necessarily true. Every brand must invest in development to bring a car to the market. These costs are included in the car's price. It would be more efficient and deliver cheaper cars, theoretically, to have one type of car, with the development costs spread over 20,000,000 sales/year, compared to 1,000 models with the costs spread over 20,000 sales/year.
More choice is always better for the consumer, it drives down prices. The opposite, monopolies, are always bad for the consumer. Why inovate or reduce costs when you are the only seller?