Just two years after the issues Volvo Cars suffered with the EX90 and the SPA2 architecture rollout, which also accommodates the Polestar 3, and repeatedly promising this time with the SPA3 architecture, which has been designed from the ground up to accommodate BEVs only such as the EX60, things are running to plan and will be different this time around; only a trickle of EX60s has entered the European market so far.

Volvo Cars snatches Klaus Zellmer from under the noses of Volkswagen Group at a crucial time for both Volvo Cars as well as the Germans

According to Schmidt Automotive Research data, Chinese manufacturers accounted for more than 10% of the Western European new passenger car market cumulatively, with 820,000 units registered in the first two-thirds of 2026.

The outlook is likely to become increasingly shaped by localisation. With European production expected to begin in Q4, initially focused on BEVs, Chinese OEMs should be better positioned to sustain BEV volumes while reducing tariff exposure.

Chinese manufacturers continued to expand their presence across Western Europe in Q2 2026, with their combined share of new passenger car registrations reaching 10.7%, matching the collective market share of Japanese OEMs for the first time.

According to Schmidt Automotive Research data, China's BYD saw its share of the Western European BEV market contract to 4.4% in June, following 40 months of sequential growth.