“Every summer, more than 200,000 car fans make the pilgrimage to Britain’s Goodwood Festival of Speed near the south coast to see fast cars rev their engines amid clouds of smoke. This year, the crowds were met with a new sight: an array of shiny, new Chinese electric vehicles. Chinese carmakers have flocked to the show in a bid to broaden their appeal to European consumers. BYD Co., China’s biggest carmaker, displayed nine models, drawing the biggest crowd compared with its domestic rivals. Last year, Nio Inc. was the only homegrown Chinese automaker to attend the event. ‘It doesn’t only mean we want to sell the car to them — it means we are coming, we are here in the U.K. now, with a good product and good brand,’ said Chery’s UK head Victor Zhang in an interview. Onlookers were keen to check out BYD’s new Yangwang U9 electric supercar, which performed a dance to music by raising and dropping the suspension on its wheels.”
“Its main trick is going from 0 to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in 2.36 seconds. Goodwood is among the most quintessential events on Britain’s social summer calendar, a jamboree for Ferrari NV and Lamborghini SpA fans held on a country estate that’s more than four centuries old. Visitors can watch a hill climb and other off-road challenges alongside a broad display of classic cars. The rise in Chinese carmakers at the festival comes as their push for market share in Europe’s EV market slows, after quick initial advances led by SAIC Motor Corp. which in 2007 bought the defunct British MG brand. BYD’s offering includes models like the £37,695 ($48,742) Atto 3 crossover. A representative at BYD’s Goodwood stand said people were starting to recognize the brand from its advertisements at the Euro 24 football championship, where England’s team has reached the final. BYD also made a small pitch to allow children at the festival to kick a ball around.”
“The rise in EV shipments from China triggered the European Union to investigate unfair subsidies to the sector, and the bloc last week moved ahead with additional tariffs on China-made EVs of as much as 38%. The decision came after the U.S. slapped a 100% duty on EV imports from China, while Canada is considering additional tariffs. The UK’s new Labour government has yet to detail its stance on potential tariffs. Chery’s Zhang said he hoped the U.K. won’t fall in line with the EU. ‘It’s not good for business,’ he said. ‘It only hurts the customers because eventually the customer needs to pay.’ Tensions around trade are likely to be far from visitors’ minds at Goodwood, where Formula One champion Max Verstappen is due to appear at the four-day show thanks to a break in the racing schedule, as are other F1 stars such as Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Chery’s Zhang said he expects buying a Chinese brand will become as normal as purchasing a Kia or Hyundai.”
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1wWas extremely pleased to be part of this and as always, the service from everyone at Porsche was second to none!