Sales of Chinese cars in the Netherlands will almost double in 2023

Figures from Bovag, RAI Association and RDC recently showed that 369,791 new passenger cars will have been registered in the Netherlands throughout 2023. An increasing share of registrations is accounted for by relatively young Chinese car brands. Analysis of the figures by AutoWeek shows that in 2023, more than 14,000 new passenger cars of a new Chinese brand will be registered in the Netherlands. 14,319 pieces, to be precise.

For comparison: there were still 7,624 in 2022. In 2023, 1.9 times as many cars from new Chinese brands were registered in the Netherlands as in 2022. A look further into the past: in 2021, 4,392 cars from Chinese entrants to the Dutch car market were registered and in 2020 only 2,634 units. . In three years, the number of cars of young Chinese brands registered annually in the Netherlands has more than fivefold. We are talking about a growth factor of 5.4. We must make a few important comments here.

What is and is not a Chinese car?

We are specifically talking about brands that are relatively new to the Dutch car market. Some people now consider Volvo a Chinese brand, as do Polestar and Lotus. Although these brands are operated under the wing of the Chinese parent company Geely, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus have their origins in Europe. We do classify MG among the relatively young Chinese brands, because the current MG has very little to do with the original car brand with that name. In addition, the MG brand name returned to the Netherlands in 2019 after years of absence. Since we’re talking about brands, we’re also ignoring Chinese-made cars from other non-Chinese brands. We include cars such as the Dacia Spring, DS 9, Honda ZR-V, the new – and not yet delivered – new Mini Cooper, the Tesla Model 3 and cars such as the Volvo EX30 (until 2025), Citroën C5 so not included. What do we do with Smart? We – like Lotus and Volvo – currently include this among non-Chinese brands. Although it is half owned by Geely, it is also owned by Mercedes-Benz.

A car built in China, but not a car from a new Chinese brand.

Almost 4 percent market share

Which brands should we take with us? Aiways, BYD, Hongqi, JAC, Lynk & Co, MG, Nio, Xpeng and Zeekr. These brands – which, with the exception of MG and Lynk & Co, only sell electric cars – accounted for 14,319 registrations in 2023. This gave these Chinese brands a market share of 3.87 percent in the Netherlands. That seems negligible. In 2022, the market share of Chinese entrants in the Netherlands was still 2.44 percent. Still quite a difference. Another important note: due to delivery problems in 2022, many cars that were ordered in 2022 were delivered in 2023. That distorts things somewhat. The car market has now stabilized again and that means that 2024 will be the year in which we can see even better how the Chinese invasion of the Dutch car market is progressing.

About seven percent of new EVs are from a Chinese brand

The MG 4 is by far the most popular Chinese electric car in the Netherlands. Of the cars of Chinese brands registered in the Netherlands in 2023, more than 6,000 will be plug-in hybrid Lynk & Co. If we eliminate this together with the plug-in hybrid MG EHS, that leaves 7,920 cars with an electric drivetrain. By 2023, a total of almost 114,000 electric cars will be registered in the Netherlands. Just under seven percent of all new electric cars registered in the Netherlands last year were from a Chinese entrant.

Resistance

Not everyone is cheering on the arrival of Chinese car manufacturers. Some people think it is not a good thing for geopolitical reasons, others fear the way in which Chinese manufacturers may handle user data and others may find them downright ugly. The European Commission is currently conducting an investigation into electric cars from China. This not only concerns EVs from Chinese brands, but also electric cars from ‘Western manufacturers’ that are built there. According to the European Commission, the prices of Chinese electric cars are being kept artificially low by Chinese subsidies and it is not happy about that. China believes that the EU investigation violates international rules and calls it an example of pure protectionism.

The MG 4 – depicted as X-Power – is the most popular electric Chinese car.

2024

A fleet of new Chinese models will also come to the Netherlands in 2024. Wey has been saying for a long time that he has great European ambitions, as has Ora. Nio and European market. In addition, MG is also launching a series of electric and non-electric newcomers. And then we only had the already known models. Western manufacturers seem to feel the threat from China.

More and more traditional manufacturers have announced the arrival of more affordable electric cars. Citroën comes with the ë-C3, Fiat with a new electric Panda, Renault with the electric 5 and Volkswagen, Skoda, Cupra, Opel and Alfa Romeo, among others, have relatively affordable new electric cars in the pipeline.

Registrations of Chinese cars in the Netherlands – 2023