While more and more Chinese manufacturers are turning to the European market, as shown by their presence at the latest Brussels Motor Show, only a few manage to stand out. In Luxembourg, figures reveal that they still struggle to attract customers.
Linktour, BAIC, BAW, Forthing, Livan, ICHX, BYD, EVO, Sportéquipe, DR, Firefly, Nio, Leapmotor, XPeng, Zeekr… Most of these brands remain unknown to the European public, yet all were present at the 2026 edition of the Brussels Motor Show, with some unveiling exclusive models during the show.
Overview of Chinese Players
After a full year in Europe, Leapmotor, a partner of the Stellantis group, aims to accelerate in 2026. “Europe is at the heart of our global expansion and represents the most important overseas region,” said Tianshu Xin, CEO of Leapmotor International, in Brussels. “In just 12 months, we launched three models, opened more than 800 sales points, and registered over 35,000 vehicles in Europe.” In Luxembourg, Leapmotor is established in Leudelange, Junglinster, and Roost. According to Tianshu Xin, “this year will be all about acceleration.” After presenting the B10, a compact SUV, at the end of 2025, the brand showcased the B05 at the show and unveiled the European premiere of the B03X. “With the B03X, Leapmotor opens a new chapter in the compact segment,” he said, describing the model as “agile and city-friendly.” Its launch is scheduled for this summer.
Brussels was also the stage for the European debut of Xpeng’s P7+. This model, “defined by AI” according to the manufacturer, was designed around artificial intelligence. It features a Turing AI chip for advanced intelligent driving functions, personalized comfort modes (Sleep, Meditation), multi-zone voice control, all aimed at delivering a safe and refined driving experience. Xpeng also promises ultra-fast charging thanks to an 800 V architecture: the vehicle can be charged from 10% to 80% in 12 minutes, and there’s enough space for 33 carry-on suitcases once the rear seats are folded down.
During the presentation, Jacky Gu, Vice President of E-powertrain, stated the company’s ambition to “go beyond cars.” The manufacturer is investing in projects related to “physical AI,” including flying cars, humanoid robots, and robotaxis. In automotive terms, Xpeng remains a small player with only 22,787 vehicles delivered in Europe in 2025, where it operates in 26 countries, including Luxembourg (72 registrations in 2025). The brand is distributed by Hedin Mobility in Belgium and Luxembourg.
Also dibstributed by Hedin, Nio has recently entered Luxembourg and will take part in its first Autofestival. Its electric range, from sedans to SUVs, impresses with its design. Driving impressions remain to be established. “For most countries, and it’s the same in Luxembourg, this is a B2B market. But private leasing is also very developed here,” explains Philip Eeckels, Director of Hedin Automotive Import Nio Firefly. “We will start with our dealership in Luxembourg City and see how things evolve.”
Alongside the ET5, EL6, and EL8 models, Nio offers Firefly, a city car with Asian styling, priced around €29,000 with over 300 km of range (WLTP). “We wanted to improve the perception of small cars and avoid compromises in this segment,” says Peter Seitz, European Product Manager for Firefly, promising unmatched equipment levels.
Zeekr, part of the Geely Group, is also arriving in Belgium and eyeing Luxembourg. Present discreetly in Europe since 2023, it now positions itself as a direct competitor to Tesla. At the show, the brand unveiled the Zeekr 7GT: a luxurious electric station wagon capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and charging from 10% to 80% in just 13 minutes. Starting price: around €45,000. Designed in Sweden to appeal to Europeans, Zeekr is now present in 12 countries and aims to “cover 90% of Europe by the end of 2026,” according to interim CEO Lothar Schupet.
MG presented the MG S6 EV in Brussels, a spacious and modern 100% electric family SUV, successor to the Marvel R and rival to models like the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross and Skoda Enyaq. Its range? Up to 530 km WLTP. “This model is very well positioned for the Luxembourg market,” says Matthijs Keersmaekers, Marketing Director for Western Europe at Astara. MG remains the best-selling Chinese brand in Luxembourg with 326 registrations in 2025, though that is a decline compared to 2023 and 2024 (635 and 664 units, respectively).
Finally, BYD, arguably the most well-known Chinese brand, surprised by focusing on hybrids rather than full electrics. The Atto 2 DM-i, a compact PHEV SUV offering 90 km of electric range, and the Seal U DM-i were showcased. BYD recorded about 2% of registrations in 2025 (235 units), the same as in 2024, but hopes to grow thanks to its new dealership in Diekirch, says Dirk Steyvers, PR Manager at BYD Belux.
A Tough Market for Chinese Brands in Luxembourg
Despite new launches, Leapmotor, Zeekr, and Xpeng have yet to make a major breakthrough in Luxembourg. In 2024, they totaled around 1,400 registrations (out of 46,635 units). Taken together, MG (326), BYD (235), and Xpeng (73) did not exceed 1,000 registrations in 2025. However, the DFSK vehicles (94) and BAIC vehicles (53) registered last year should also be added to this figure. Early in 2025, Manuel Ruggiu, Operations Director at SNCA, noted: “There are just over 2,000 Chinese cars in Luxembourg’s fleet, or 0.4%.” Even with an additional thousand vehicles in 2025, the market, dominated by German brands, remains almost impenetrable.
“I made a small analysis in the mid-year, and we were around 1.5%, 2% for Chinese manufacturers,” Manuel Ruggiu said Monday during a press conference announcing the 2026 edition of the Autofestival. “But a lot of Chinese manufacturers, it’s not known they’re coming from China. For example, Polestar, most people think it comes from Sweden. No: it comes from the Geely Group, though it may be now that it’s manufactured in Europe. They are slowly coming, but we see that they are coming, and people are also interested; we see that in the registration numbers.”
For Polestar, the situation, however, is similar as for other Chinese carmakers: there were 320 registrations in 2025, compared to 319 in 2024.
While Chinese penetration is still relatively low in Luxembourg, Chinese registrations accounted for just over 5% in Europe in 2025. This figure is still low, but it has almost doubled in one year. In neighbouring countries such as France (3.5%) and Germany (2%), Chinese models are slowly but surely gaining ground.
