What Was Unthinkable in Spain a Decade Ago Is Now Reality: 25+ Chinese car brands

The fact that more and more Chinese brands are seen on the road is not a coincidence. The situation is that a few years ago Europe imposed hardly any restrictions on Chinese manufacturers — something it did impose on European manufacturers — and today China is using our market as an outlet for everything it cannot sell there.

Today, in Spain there are more than 25 brands of Chinese origin, manufacturing, or investment, but there are also traditional European brands that are under Chinese control. Something unthinkable a decade ago.

BYD and MG, the major groups that dominate the Spanish market

China has managed to land aggressively in Europe with a clear strategy: brutal production capacity — they manufacture more than they can sell and at a cost Europe could not even dream of —, absolute control of the supply chain, and the creation of their own networks through large consortia.

That is why ten years ago what is happening now would have been unthinkable: because in 2016 Chinese manufacturers did not have efficient engines nor did they pass Euro NCAP crash tests. Today they dominate the battery industry and consistently score the highest marks from the safety organization, offering electric cars packed with technology and gadgets at highly competitive prices.

To give an idea, last year Chinese-origin brands surpassed for the first time the psychological 10% barrier of sales of the total passenger cars registered in Spain, with more than 120,000 units. And it is rising: during the first quarter of 2026, Chinese brands reached 12.86% of the total share, equivalent to almost 1 in 8 new cars sold in the country.

In this landscape we find two giants: 

BYD (Build Your Dreams)

It has managed to displace Tesla as a manufacturer and seller of electric cars worldwide, and in 2025 it surpassed the milestone of 30,000 units sold in Spain since its arrival, thanks to its plug-in hybrid engines. The BYD Seal U has been its flagship, followed by the Dolphin Surf and the Atto 2 and 3.

Denza (BYD)

Also from BYD, though once owned, 50%, by Mercedes-Benz. This brand targets a premium segment, as is the case with the Denza Z9GT, the brand’s flagship model: a Shooting Brake / Grand Tourer sports car over 5 meters long conceived to compete with high-performance sport sedans.

MG (SAIC Motor) 

The MG brand (Morris Garages), under the control of the Chinese automotive group SAIC Motor, officially began operations in Spain on April 1, 2021. Its success was based on betting on gasoline and hybrid models, affordable like the best-selling ZS or the pure electric MG4.

It also markets in Spain the Maxus brand, focusing on light commercial vehicles (vans), the camperization segment, and pickups, combining diesel engines with a wide range of 100% electric options.

The new players under the umbrella of large European consortia

The Chery Group with Omoda, Jaecoo, EBRO, and Lepas

The Chinese automotive group Chery Group made its official landing in Spain in 2024. Spain was chosen by the company as the strategic entry door for its expansion into the European market and that same year it launched Omoda and Jaecoo and signed a historic alliance with the Spanish EV Motors (EBRO) to reactivate the old Nissan plant in the Zona Franca of Barcelona, becoming the first Chinese manufacturer to agree to local car production in Spain.

Lepas, which is also part of the Chery Group, targets a more premium segment with models such as the L8 or the L6.

Leapmotor, by Stellantis

Leapmotor is another tough competitor to Tesla: since its foundation in 2017 it has built more than a million cars. Tesla took 12 years to reach that figure and BYD, 13 years. Its main shareholder is Stellantis, and in Spain it already markets models such as the urban 100% electric T03, the C10 SUV, and the B10 crossover.

Premium, specialized, and niche brands

Lynk & Co (Geely)

Sibling of Volvo and owned by the Geely giant, its best-selling model in Spain has been the hybrid SUV Lynk & Co 01. In fact, historic brands like Volvo or Polestar and Italian firms such as DR Automobiles are marketed in Spain under the badges EVO or ICH-X, cars of Chinese origin adapted for the European market.

Zeekr (Geely)

Geely also markets Zeekr, a premium brand that offers in Spain four 100% electric models: Zeekr X, 7X, 7GT and 001.

XPeng, Voyah 

Just like Zeekr, XPeng and Voyah focus on cutting-edge technology, advanced driving assistants, and mid-to-high-end electric mobility. For the Chinese electric vehicle brand XPeng, its models are sold in Spain (G6, G9 and P7) through the distributor group Salvador Caetano Auto, as is Voyah. It is the luxury and high-end division of the state-owned automotive giant Dongfeng, with models such as the Courage, the Free, or the Dream.

GWM (Great Wall Motor)

The brands ORA and WEY belong to the Chinese automotive giant Great Wall Motor (GWM). In the European and Spanish market, the vehicles are marketed under GWM’s official network, combining its offering between the ORA line (focused on urban design, electric mobility, and affordable formats) and the WEY line (centered on premium plug-in hybrid SUVs with long range).

Less-known brands but beginning to take off 

DFSK

Less known, these Chinese brands have a presence in commercial vehicles, electric passenger cars, or urban SUVs. While DFSK offers in its DFSK SUV range affordable gasoline, LPG, and hybrids, with SERES it focuses on premium 100% electric SUVs.

Changan

Changan is one of the latest large Chinese automotive corporations to formally start its commercial operations in Europe. It has begun its rollout in Spain under the tech/electric-oriented sub-brand Deepal, with models such as the S05 or the S07.

Invicta Electric, Yudo, Zhidou 

Focused on microcars and low-cost urban mobility. Invicta is a Spanish brand/distributor specializing in 100% electric micro-urban mobility vehicles (from lightweight quad bikes to urban cars and delivery vans), while Yudo entered the Spanish market through the importer group Kngloo, covering from an urban electric SUV to a pure off-roader.

Zhidou for its part is a Chinese manufacturer pioneering in urban microcars, such as the Zhidou D2 / D2S.

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