Chinese Q1 market share surpassed Koreans for the second consecutive quarter

New passenger car registrations from Chinese manufacturers across Western Europe continued to account for an ever-growing share of the market, although the first signs of a partial slowdown in market-share growth appeared during the most recent quarter.

Q1 2026 saw a record 273,051 new units enter the market, with volumes surpassing Korean models (223,300) for the second consecutive quarter. The share of Chinese brand models, irrespective of whether they were manufactured in China or elswhere, rose by a further 0.6ppts sequentially to 8.7%, or by an increase of 3.9ppts year-on-year, although that was against a low baseline given that Q1 2025 was the first full quarter since the EU’s impelmentation of the anti-subsidy tariffs placed on Chinese-made BEVs, which came into force in November 2024 and resulted in a front-loaded market in the earlier part of 2024 and the consequential hangover following implementation. Current trajectory suggests .... units will arrive this year.

I. Executive Summary...