The UK car market is witnessing a seismic shift as Chinese brands aggressively gobble up market share, jumping from 5% in 2024 to a formidable 8% in 2025. This rapid expansion recalls the 1970s, when Japanese imports surged into Britain, roiling domestic manufacturers and prompting cries of “dumping” and calls for trade restrictions.
Back then, with British Leyland struggling and imports hitting record highs, Lord Donald Stokes famously labeled the country “a goose being plucked,” urging bans on not just cars but televisions and washing machines to protect local industry. Today, similar anxieties have resurfaced amid fears that China’s expanding automotive footprint threatens the UK’s nascent domestic electric vehicle investments and established European brands.
Chinese labels like BYD, MG, Jaecoo, and Omoda dominate this new wave, leveraging sharp pricing, cutting-edge EV tech, and aggressive marketing to appeal to UK buyers. BYD alone has seen sales soar by over 600%, showing how far the Chinese have come since their earliest forays into foreign markets. The influx is so pronounced that some British voices are calling for tariffs or other curtailments similar to those imposed on Japanese brands decades ago.
History has a way of repeating itself, and the lessons from the past could shape how Britain navigates this new auto import era. Will the UK European carmakers rise to the challenge or fold under the relentless pressure from China’s efficient, cost-savvy car exporters? The motorsport world might cheer new competition, but for Britain’s industrial strategists, this is the fight for the future of their automotive identity. The next few years will prove whether Britain embraces this influx as progress or battles to protect what was once its pride.