An electric vehicle from the Chinese brand BYD in the workshop of a BYD showroom in Paris, June 14, 2024. BLOOMBERG / BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
Valentin, a young taxi driver in rural southern France; Lindsay, a doctor in her 30s working in Alpes-Maritimes; and Romaric, an interior architect in Reims (northeastern France). In short promotional videos, these self-employed professionals display, with apparent satisfaction, their recent car purchase: an Xpeng, either the G6 or G9 model. In other words, a 100% electric, 100% Chinese car.
These testimonies, highlighted by the new automaker founded in Guangzhou in 2014 and introduced to the French market in May 2024, remain exceptions in the French professional automotive world. In the first half of 2025, about a dozen Chinese brands were available in France, but they accounted for only 2.3% of all new passenger car registrations between January and June.
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BYD Vice President Stella Li says Chinese automaker is in Europe for the 'long term'
