A few years ago, seeing a Chinese car in Portugal was like finding a needle in a haystack, but the strong push by manufacturers from the world's second-largest economy into European and domestic markets has changed this scenario. By the end of last year, there were already around 24,000 passenger cars of Chinese brands circulating on Portuguese roads. And by the end of April this year, another 7,300 had been delivered, bringing the Chinese contingent to over 30,000 vehicles.

Among the manufacturers from the Asian giant present in Portugal, MG and BYD clearly stand out. The former, which was revived by the Chinese state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) in 2007, had 11,877 cars registered in Portugal at the end of last year. BYD, which only arrived in Portugal in May 2023, has shown exponential growth year after year and had sold 10,100 units by 31 December 2025. Rounding out the top three, but at a considerable distance, is Xpeng, with 914 cars.

In total, 15 Chinese passenger car brands were present in the national market at the end of last year. This year, they have been joined by Ebro — a Spanish brand that partnered with the Chinese company Chery to revive its presence — and Zeekr, a premium brand from the Geely group.

(Source: Essential Business, on 14 May)