News
What's happening in China's car industry, and what it means for UK buyers: launches heading our way, sales, factories and trade, batteries and who owns whom.
Market and sales
XPeng prices the L03 from £32,990 and the G9L from £64,990 in the UK
XPeng UK has put prices for two new SUVs on its website. The L03 coupe SUV starts at £32,990, £7,000 under XPeng's own G6, and the seven-seat G9L starts at £64,990, with a range-extender version at the same price.
12 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Heading to the UK
JLR takes BYD to a Dutch court over claims the Ti 7 copies the Defender
Jaguar Land Rover is pursuing BYD through the Dutch courts, alleging the Ti 7 seven-seater borrows from the Land Rover Defender. No court has ruled, and UK deliveries of the Ti 7 are due to start in January.
12 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Explainers
China's new car rules: buttons back, hidden door handles out, blue lights banned
China is rewriting the rules on how cars are designed: physical controls for essential functions, door handles that always open, and no more blue 'assisted driving' lights. Here's what's changing and what it means for the Chinese cars sold in Britain.
8 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Market and sales
Yangwang Altior: BYD's 5.6-metre luxury saloon takes aim at the Maybach S-Class
BYD's top brand has shown the Altior, a four-seat electrified saloon with rear coach doors, in Abu Dhabi. Pre-orders have opened in China at about £223,000, and there are no plans for the UK yet.
11 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Market and sales
China's car sales fall again in October as exports climb and EV share hits a record
Passenger car sales in China fell by more than a quarter in October, but plug-in cars took a record two-thirds of the market and exports of electric and plug-in models more than doubled. A growing share of China's output is now heading abroad.
10 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Batteries and charging
Chinese battery makers now supply 56% of EV batteries fitted outside China
New SNE Research figures for January to September 2026 show Chinese cell makers widening their lead over Korean rivals outside China, with Europe accounting for much of CATL's and BYD's growth.
9 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Batteries and charging
Yangwang U9 Xtreme hits 503km/h, the first production car past 500
BYD's electric hypercar reached 503.17km/h on a closed desert motorway in Abu Dhabi, beating its own record. Only 30 will be built, and none is coming to the UK.
8 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Explainers
Are Chinese cars safe? How Euro NCAP rates them, and how to read the stars
Most Chinese cars tested by Euro NCAP recently have earned five stars, but a star rating is a summary, not the whole story. Here is how the new 2026 tests work and what to look for behind the headline.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Batteries and charging
Battery swapping: China's networks and the UK outlook
China now has thousands of stations that change an EV's battery in minutes. In the UK the first swapping plan is for lorries, not cars, and it is not due until 2027.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Batteries and charging
CATL starts trial battery cell production at its Hungarian plant in Debrecen
The world's largest EV battery maker has begun trial runs on the first two cell lines at a plant planned for 100 GWh a year, after safety and permit problems delayed the start.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Heading to the UK
Chery confirms iCaur as its fifth UK brand, with V27 SUV due in early 2027
Chery will bring its off-road-styled iCaur brand to the UK in early 2027, starting with the boxy V27 SUV. UK prices and specification have not yet been announced.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Explainers
DM-i, REEV, SHS: what Chinese makers' hybrid names actually mean
Chinese brands sell plug-in hybrids, range extenders and self-charging hybrids under their own labels. The badges differ, but most work in a similar way: the electric motor does most of the driving and the petrol engine mostly makes electricity.
7 Nov 2026 · 4 min read
Market and sales
Jaecoo 7 tops UK sales again in October as electric share reaches 32%
The Jaecoo 7 was the UK's most-registered new car for a second month running, according to SMMT figures for October 2026. Five Chinese-brand models appear in the month's top-ten tables.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Factories and trade
Leapmotor B10 production starts at Stellantis plant in Zaragoza, Spain
The B10 electric SUV is now being built in Spain, making it the first Leapmotor model in production in Europe since the T03 project in Poland ended. Neither company has said where UK cars will come from.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Heading to the UK
Lepas L6 EV: 65kWh, 279-mile range, on sale in the UK late 2026
Chery's Lepas brand has confirmed the UK specification of the L6 EV, its first electric car here, with a 65kWh battery and up to 279 miles of range. It goes on sale in late 2026, but prices have not been announced.
7 Nov 2026 · 2 min read
Factories and trade
UK weighs tariffs on Chinese electric cars as EU and China press opposing cases
Ministers are reported to be considering tariffs on Chinese-built electric cars, under pressure from Brussels and with Beijing warning of countermeasures. No decision has been announced.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read
Who owns whom
Who owns Leapmotor? Stellantis, FAW and the joint venture behind UK sales
Leapmotor is a Hangzhou company listed in Hong Kong, but the cars UK buyers see are sold by a joint venture controlled by Stellantis. With state-owned FAW now a shareholder and B10 production under way in Spain, here is how the pieces fit.
7 Nov 2026 · 3 min read