Ten vehicles from European and US manufacturers you won’t know are made in China

A recent poll of UK drivers found that more Britons are coming around to the prospect of buying and driving a Chinese car.

Some 32 per cent recently surveyed by Carwow said they would be open to owning a vehicle that’s made in China – up from 27 per cent when it ran the straw poll 12 months earlier.

‘This upward trajectory signals important implications for retailers and legacy brands alike,’ the online car marketplace said in its latest insight report.

Despite a growing acceptance of Chinese cars, more than two thirds of UK motorists are unwilling to even consider one.

But what if they are already driving one and they just didn’t know it? 

There are plenty of examples of mainstream models from European and US brands that are produced in China.

Here’s 10 cars you probably didn’t realise are assembled there…

Carwow said its study – based on feedback from thousands of UK motorists – suggest a ‘gradual erosion of traditional barriers to Chinese brand adoption’, which include build quality worries and unwarranted surveillance concerns. 

More than a quarter (28 per cent) of drivers on the panel said they believe Chinese cars now offer better value for money than established legacy car brands, especially within the EV market where companies such as MG Motor, BYD and – most recently – Omoda are increasing their stronghold.

However, there are still significant hurdles for Britons when it comes to buying Chinese cars.

This include political considerations (36 per cent), unfamiliarity with brands (25 per cent) and concerns about a lack of after-sales support (25 per cent).

But while these barriers remain for many drivers, some might already be driving Chinese cars without even knowing it.

That’s because many mainstream traditional car manufacturers are producing vehicles in the country – they just don’t make too much noise about it.

While buyers might think they’re driving a car made in Europe by an established French, German or Swedish marque, the truth is they’ve been assembled in a Chinese factory.

Here’s 10 examples. 

The big question is, do you have one and didn’t know where it was built?

1. Mini Cooper E and SE

Now in its fourth generation under BMW’s ownership, the all-new Mini is on sale with the choice of petrol or electric drivetrains. 

But while the combustion engine model is produced at Plant Oxford in Cowley, the battery variants are not.

Instead, they are produced in China at the Spotlight Automotive facility in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu as part of a deal with Great Wall Motor – one of the biggest Chinese car makers.

Production is set to return to Mini’s spiritual home in Oxford from 2026.

2. BMW iX3

Arriving to the UK market in summer 2021, the BMW iX3 is the German outfit’s first electric SUV. 

But that isn’t the only first for BMW.

That’s because iX3 is its debut model built for export at BMW’s Shenyang factory in China operated by the joint venture BMW Brilliance Automotive.

3. Volvo EX30

Since 2010, Volvo Cars has been owned by the automotive company Geely Holding Group, which is based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

As such, many of the Swedish motors are produced in China.

The first passenger car produced there was the S90. Assembly had originally taken place in Torslanda in Volvo’s home nation, but in 2017 manufacturing shifted to a site in Daqing, Heilongjiang province.

And a number of new electric Volvos are made in China too, including EX30, which is currently built in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province – though is due to be moved to Ghent, Belgium.

4. Lotus Eletre

Lotus, a car brand that will eternally be connected to Hethel in Norfolk, is now officially Chinese.

Lotus Cars has been majority owned (51 per cent) by Chinese firm Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since 2017, with Malaysia’s Etika Automotive taking the remaining 49 per cent share of the company. 

And the whereabouts of production of its new electric – and soon hybrid – models is somewhat controversial.

The car maker’s subsidiary business, Lotus Technology, has its headquarters and production facility in Wuhan. Yes, the Covid-originating Wuhan.

The new £900million EV base in the city was completed in 2024 (the factory in 2022) – and the Eletre SUV is being built there. The Emeya saloon with be produced at the same factory.

Despite Eletre’s assembly in China, bosses are still eager to flag the brand’s originating roots.

They say the Eletre has been ‘Born British, Raised Globally’, claiming it has been designed at its creative centre in Warwickshire, developed by its dedicated department at Hethel – the home of Lotus since 1966 – and supported by collaborative work with teams in China, Sweden and Germany.

5. Tesla Model 3

Tesla doesn’t build electric cars solely in the US anymore. 

Elon Musk’s car brand has ventured further afield and now has Gigafactories in Berlin and – notably for this feature – Shanghai.

The American giant relies on these non-US facilities to supply Europe with its popular electric cars. 

While the Model Y delivered to the UK is produced at the German factory, the latest Model 3s arrive from its Chinese plant.

6. Citroen C5 X

Drawing on Citroen’s rich heritage of large luxury cars that waft the driver and passenger along on ‘magic carpet ride’ suspension, the C5 X takes inspiration from the legendary DS and the subsequent CX, XM and most recent C6. 

But unlike those iconic models, it won’t be produced in France. Not even Europe.

The C5 X is instead produced at Citroen and parent company Stellantis’ Chengdu factory in China via a joint venture with China’s Dongfeng.

This is because the market for this sector of large car is three times that of Europe, Citroen’s chief executive Vincent Cobée told us back in 2021.

7. Dacia Spring

Dacia’s new budget-friendly Spring EV has grabbed headlines in 2024. 

With a starting price of £14,995, it is by far Britain’s least expensive electric car and proves that affordable EVs can be a reality.

But while sister Dacia models are made at factories in the company’s home nation of Romania, the Spring is not.

Instead, the low-cost EV is assembled at the eGT New Energy Automotive plant in Shiyan, Hubei province. This is part of a joint venture between Dongfeng, Renault and Nissan.

8. Smart #1

Smart has shifted away from its focus on dinky compact city cars and has branched into the competitive world of electric SUVs.

And all of them are produced in China.

The Smart #1 and #3 for the global market are built at the Xi’an factory in Shaanxi province.

9. Mini Aceman

The new Mini Aceman is coming to a road near you very soon to fill the crossover-size EV hole in the BMW-owned brand’s range between the Cooper supermini and the Countryman SUV. 

And like its smaller Cooper E and SE siblings, the electric Aceman will be produced in China as part of the same deal with Great Wall Motor to utilise its vehicle plant in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province.

Mini bosses confirm that from 2026 it will move Aceman assembly to its Plant Oxford site, which BMW is injecting £600million into to upgrade for EV production, safeguarding 4,000 jobs.

10. Cupra Tavascan

The Cupra Tavascan is the sporty SUV from the Seat spin-off brand.

But the EV won’t be made in a factory in Spain. 

Instead, production is taking place at the Volkswagen Group’s dedicated plant at Hefei in Anhui province.