In Q1 2025, more than 150,000 Chinese-made cars were registered in Europe--mostly hybrids or combustion engines. In Luxembourg, on the other hand, the majority of Chinese models sold are 100% electric. Photo: Shutterstock

In Q1 2025, more than 150,000 Chinese-made cars were registered in Europe--mostly hybrids or combustion engines. In Luxembourg, on the other hand, the majority of Chinese models sold are 100% electric. Photo: Shutterstock

In the first quarter of 2025, Chinese manufacturers made their mark in Europe: 150,000 vehicles delivered to the market, the majority of them hybrids or equipped with combustion engines. In Luxembourg, just under 200 Chinese-made cars were registered, but the trend is the other way round: most of them are electric.

The first quarter of 2025 saw a record figure for Chinese-made car registrations in Europe, with more than 150,000 vehicles. Nevertheless, this growth is based more on the sale of hybrids and vehicles equipped with conventional combustion engines rather than fully electric models.

March, in particular, saw the highest monthly total ever recorded. Despite this unprecedented overall volume, the share of fully electric vehicles among these registrations was only 30%. According to research firm Dataforce, this is the lowest proportion seen since the early 2020s.

In the past, China massively supplied the European automotive market with electric vehicles. This strategy was partly a response to the ambitious climate targets set by the European Union, but was also intended to position China as a world leader in the electric vehicle sector. However, this focus has now changed. The change follows the European Union’s introduction of higher import duties on these Chinese cars last year.

Overall, all manufacturers combined, new car registrations in the EU fell by 1.9% compared to the first quarter of 2024, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (Acea) points out. This was due to the uncertain global economic environment. Electric vehicles have achieved a market share of just 15.2%, whilst hybrid models remain preferred by buyers.

In Luxembourg, the trend is a little different. . For the first quarter of 2025, 274 vehicles from the best-known Chinese brands (DFSK, MG, BYD, BAIC, Xpeng, Forthing, Livan, Leapmotor and SWM) were registered between January and the end of March, .

In the first quarter in Luxembourg, electrified vehicles (100% electric + hybrids + plug-in hybrids) accounted for 64.7% of registrations, compared with 48% in Q1 2024. However, Luxembourg buyers who turn to Chinese manufacturers tend to prefer fully electric powertrains, unlike the rest of Europe. Of the Chinese cars registered in Luxembourg since the start of the year, 147 were electric. Also of note is the breakthrough by Korea’s Kia with its EV3.

This article was originally published in .

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