Visitors look at vehicles displayed by Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD at the Busan International Mobility Show 2026 at BEXCO in Haeundae District, Busan, Sunday. Yonhap
When Choi, a 35-year-old office worker living in Korea, started looking for her next car, she did not expect BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand, to make her shortlist.
“I've wanted an electric vehicle, but domestic models are just too expensive,” Choi said, adding that rising fuel prices first sparked her interest in EVs.
Her attention later turned to Chinese brands after reading about China's rapid adoption of EVs and how it helped cushion the country from recent oil-price shocks linked to the conflict in the Middle East.
“I still have some biases against Chinese products, but with so many people driving them in China, I figured they can't just be cheap junk,” she said. “They’ve probably spent years developing the technology and gone through plenty of trial and error.”
