I've just read that so far this year at least 2 of the 3 strongest-selling EVs in the UK are from China.
The UK top 3 are the Tesla Model Y, the MG4, and the Polestar 2. I say that at least 2 of them are Chinese, but IIRC some of the EU / UK Teslas come from Tesla's Shanghai factory, so maybe all 3 of the UK top sellers are Chinese-made. The 3rd place Polestar 2 is about the same size as the Tesla Y, has a larger (69kwh) battery, a range 85km greater, acceleration slower, at a price about the same as the Y. To me the more interesting EV on the list is the second place MG4. MG hasn't been an English brand since 2005, when MG Rover crashed and the Chinese automaker SAIC bought the wreckage. Their UK factory is long since shut down. You might call the MG4 a crossover, but it looks to me more like a traditional wagon or estate, or just a stretched hatchback. This is not a bad thing. The MG's battery is slightly larger than the base Tesla Y's (64kwh vs Tesla's 60kwh), and the range is nearly identical. A 77kwh battery is optional. The MG is smaller and lighter, a plus for Europe's narrow streets and small garages. Acceleration is more modest but still adequate (0- 100km/h in 7.9 sec). The main MG sales driver is probably the low price. In the UK the Tesla Y costs half again as much! It'll be interesting to see whether MG's sales continue to grow. I've also just read that the EU's most affordable EV, the diminutive Dacia Spring - made in China for Renault - will NOT be dropped in 2024 as I'd expected. Rather it will be revised and upgraded. I drove a Spring for a while recently, and found it to be quite acceptable basic EV transportation. Chinese automakers are pushing quickly into Europe, and the traditional European automakers and autoworkers' unions are deeply concerned about it. I can see a near future in which some of the EU automakers drop their smaller, lower cost EVs in favor of high-profit larger ones, leaving the low end of the market to the Chinese. That depends however on China's behavior as a world citizen. Following through on their recent aggressive military saber-rattling could change things significantly. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Give a CEO a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach him to fish, and he'll trash the environment. -- Anonymous = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
