Embracing the New Wave: Chinese EV Brands are transforming the UK market.

A few years ago, Everything Electric at Farnborough was a mixed bag of outdoor car exhibits and a somewhat disjointed indoor experience.

This year, attending on the 11th of October, I was struck by just how far it’s come. It’s truly matured into a proper motor show, with a strong line-up of both traditional and new players in the EV arena.

What really caught my eye, though, was the quality of presentation from Chinese brands such as Geely Auto UK with their EX5, BYD UK showcasing the Dolphin Surf and Atto 2, CHERY UK with a full Tiggo range, JAECOO UK with the new 5, and OMODA UK with the 9, as well as other emerging names like Changan.UK.

Alongside them, familiar faces like Volvo Car UK and Tesla were there, but it’s these new entrants that really signalled a market shifting gears.

The sheer volume of new, high-quality product on display made one thing clear: brand clarity and positioning are becoming absolutely essential.

With so many new names arriving and building out retail networks at pace, the question isn’t just "how do we sell these cars?" but "what does our brand stand for?"

It was fascinating to hear teams describe their brands and how they contrasted themselves with competitors - insightful and revealing in equal measure (not always in a good way).

When your teams don’t have the answer, or worse, fill in the blanks themselves, you risk brand inconsistency. That shows up in how the brand is presented, how staff talk about it, and ultimately how customers perceive it.

For emerging brands entering a mature and competitive market like the UK, that’s a big risk. Especially when consumer trust, local relevance, and clear differentiation are make-or-break.

I’ve seen time and again that the brands who win locally are the ones who land and communicate with clarity. Not just a logo and a strapline, but a clear brand framework that aligns HQ strategy with local delivery.

They empower their teams and local partners with the tools, knowledge, and creative flexibility to activate consistently, while still resonating within the community.

Because that’s what drives cut-through. And that’s what builds brand equity at the front line.

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