China's share of the UK car market increases 10-fold in two years amid fears that Beijing-made electric vehicles could be “weaponised” to spy on Britons

ChinaMailOnline can reveal that the company's share of the UK car market has increased 10-fold in two years.

Nearly 10.3 percent of imported cars are now made in Chinese factories – up from just north of 1 percent in 2022, government data suggests.

Only Germany currently exports more to the UK than to China.

They include thousands of people targeted by BYD, which is flooding driveways with ultra-cheap electric motors as part of a massive push to retire vehicles. petrol and diesel engines.

Other Chinese brands MG and Great Wall Motors they have also tapped into demand for environmentally friendly cars, fueled by Beijing's desire to dominate the multi-billion dollar market.

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A surge in sales from China has raised fears the UK could become reliant on a malicious state, with senior MPs raising concerns that electric vehicles being delivered will be “weaponised” to gather intelligence.

In addition to Chinese companies like BYD dramatically increasing production, factories across the country are also producing major Western brands.

Tesla's “Gigafactory” in Shanghai can produce over a million vehicles a year.

Shanghai Automotive Industrial Corporation (SAIC) owns the British MG brand and also works with major European manufacturers including Volkswagen and Audi.

The roadster also features exotic scissors-style doors, first found on the Gandini-designed Lamborghini Countach

Mercedes-Benz has an agreement with Geely Holding Group to produce electric cars under the Smart brand.

In the first eight months of 2024, Germany exported cars worth £11.6 billion to the UK, according to data collected by the Office for National Statistics.

China came in second, ahead of rivals Spain, France, Belgium and South Korea.

Before Covid, Chinese car imports to the UK were worth less than £400m a year.

This year, ONS figures show the value of Chinese imports between January and August was £2.7 billion.

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Separate data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) shows the scope of China's aggressive electric vehicle strategy.

According to SMMT, from January to September 2023, BYD sold 445 cars compared to 5,260 in the first nine months of 2024, an increase of 1,082%.

The company, best known for its battery technology, only began producing cars in 2003. It currently boasts “first place in the world” in the electric vehicle market.

During the same period, GWM Ora sales increased from 668 to 1,076.

Between January and June 2024, Tesla remained the UK's best-selling electric car manufacturer with a 13.8% market share, followed by BMW (11.3%), Audi (7%), Mercedes-Benz (6.5%), followed by MG (6.2%).

Last year, Japan overtook China to become the world's largest car exporter.

Part of its huge growth was buying older brands like MG. The historic brand, founded by William Morris in 1924, was acquired by SAIC in 2007.

In their annual report, they admit that they will “treat the 100th anniversary of the MG brand as an opportunity to introduce new products.”

This will include plans to “accelerate the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence foundation models in vehicles.”

MG's Cyberster, the world's first electric convertible, is expected to sell for between £50,000 and £60,000 when it hits UK showrooms in the new year.

The increase comes amid fears that Beijing could hijack clean engines to spy on Britons.

Security experts fear highly advanced Chinese cars could be used to spy on the UK, collect information as they drive around the country and relay real-time intelligence back to Beijing

Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of Automotive Industry, warned MPs in August 2023 that “connected vehicles flooding the country may be the most effective Trojan horse the Chinese establishment has.”

IMI is working with the National Protective Safety Authority (NPSA) – part of MI5 – on the threat posed by modern cars.

– Professor Saker said, hackers could disable the engine of a “connected car”, i.e. one that has a permanent connection to the Internet in order to update software and provide location data, or remotely unlock the vehicle and facilitate theft.

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He said: “Hackers can disrupt car features such as the horn, wipers, turn signals and even headlights, which can lead to security issues.”

Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove earlier this year urged the government to consider banning Chinese vehicles equipped with advanced technology that could transmit vital data back to China.

Sir Richard claimed that the issue of Chinese cars could be “next”. Huaweia', following a decision to prevent the telecoms giant from providing infrastructure for the UK's 5G mobile network over fears that spies could intercept communications.

US President Joe Biden's administration has proposed a ban on “Chinese connected car technology” for security reasons.

The White House is also concerned about subsidies received by Chinese automakers, which they believe undercut U.S. manufacturers.

This infuriated Beijing, imposing a 100 percent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.

MG has chartered the Wisdom Ace car vessel to transport 4,694 electric vehicles from Shanghai to Bristol – the largest ever delivery of cars to the port in April 2024.

EU officials also expressed concern about the amount of subsidies offered to Chinese producers by the government in Beijing.

European Commission voted to impose tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles – despite opposition from Germany and Hungary.

New fees could be introduced by the end of the month if Beijing and Brussels fail to reach a new trade agreement. Tariffsif implemented, they will have no impact on British consumers due to Brexit.

China called them “unfair”.

The fees will apply to all cars made in China, even those of European or American brands such as Polestar, Volvo, VW, BMW and Tesla.