Chinese Chery SUV becomes Britain’s bestselling car, fuelling Europe’s China dilemma

The EU’s China dilemma: how to counter Beijing without alienating friends

A budget SUV from China’s Chery Automobile became the latest flashpoint in Europe’s debate over how to respond to the country’s growing presence in the car market.

In September, the Jaecoo 7 shifted more than 10,000 units and became Britain’s bestselling car.

The result gave a high-profile boost to a Chinese vehicle that competes on price in a crowded market.

Online, the model was christened the “Temu Range Rover”, a reference to the cheap goods available on the Chinese online marketplace and the luxury 4X4 made by Jaguar Land Rover that it resembles.

Its success also showed British drivers’ new-found taste for cut-price Chinese cars.

Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed that Chinese models accounted for 23 per cent of new cars bought in Britain last month.

Several electric and hybrid models were among those ranking highly, indicating that Chinese manufacturers are gaining visibility across more than one segment.

But days later, the booming Chinese car market became part of a wider European trade dispute.

That dispute has sharpened a broader policy question for Europe: how to protect its industry from China without adopting the same approach as the US.

Europe is grappling with whether such protective efforts mirror US policies that it had previously criticised.

The car market’s rapid rise therefore matters beyond sales figures.

It has become a test of how Europe balances industrial protection with its relationships and earlier objections to US trade policies.

Source: South China Morning Post