CFP
Chinese car brands, especially electric vehicle (EV) brands, are increasingly entering the UK and British consumers welcome it, a leader in the UK’s car industry told Xinhua.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said the entry of Chinese brands would be beneficial for both UK consumers and the industry, as long as trade was free and fair. He explained that the entry of these brands into the UK market will stimulate competition and, in turn, encourage innovation.
The British market has always been very open and competitive, Hawes told Xinhua. “That’s why there are so many new brands coming to the UK now,” he said.
Hawes emphasized that China is a manufacturer and exporter of automobiles, as well as one of the world’s largest automobile markets. The country is rapidly moving towards producing and selling EVs and has economies of scale that help it compete internationally.
According to data from the China Automobile Manufacturers Association, China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) exports, including pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, increased by 77.6% in 2023 to more than 1.2 million units.
Mr Hawes said UK-China cooperation in the car industry was a way to share the cost of investment to meet the world’s industry’s biggest challenges, such as electrification and self-driving cars.
Collaboration also helps identify solutions and innovations from other parts of the world. “The relationship between industry and academia is very close in the UK, and a significant number of Chinese brands have already set up R&D centers in the UK,” Hawes added.
Mr Hawes acknowledged that the UK has been a difficult place to invest in the past five to six years due to political and economic uncertainty, but highlighted that the UK car industry had made significant investment in the last year. .
According to SMMT, 23.7 billion British pounds (US$29 billion) of investment poured into the industry in 2023, more than the previous seven years combined.
Hawes said this “massive vote of confidence” meant the country was ready to move from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.
However, he said the relatively high price of EVs was discouraging UK private consumers. SMMT aims to work with the government to reduce taxes for individual consumers.
Mr Hawes also called for more public charging points to be installed across the country, including on streets, in car parks and shopping centres.
According to the government, as of January 1 this year, there were 53,677 public EV charging points in the UK.