Cars, Chinese MG takes off as Tesla collapses and Byd makes waves

The internal balance in the car market, in Italy and Europe, will not change from one moment to the next, but what is certain is that there are many newcomers, new brands in the automotive sector that are making headlines and beginning to consolidate market shares. Among all of them Tesla, first for its ascent to markets halfway around the world, then for its industrial plans in Europe, to arrive at the disastrous results of the last few months, driven perhaps by the political overexposure of founder Elon Musk. But also the Chinese Byd, which will open two production plants in Europe in the coming months, in Hungary and Turkey, and which has chosen Alfredo Altavilla, the historic manager of the sector, for years at the side of Sergio Marchionne at the helm of FCA, as its number one in the European market.

Recording the most interesting numbers, however, so far has been the Saic Motors group with the MG brand, a brand with its roots in the history of the UK-made car industry and which is accelerating, thanks to the growth in registrations in recent months. The Chinese manufacturer is the first among the emerging ones in Italy and Europe, with very interesting market shares, which place it among the emblazoned brands, both in Italy and in Europe. The Italian market then became the second in Europe after the UK.

On the Italian market, MG ended the first quarter of the year with more than 15,438 units sold and an increase of more than 54% compared to the same period in 2023, placing it in the middle of the car manufacturer ranking between Ford and the Daimler Group, with Mercedes. In Europe, Saic Motor is also the top Chinese carmaker with a market share of almost 2% and a volume growth of almost 40% since the beginning of the year.

'We started in Italy in 2021 with two models, an electric B-suv, the ZS, and our first plug-in C-suv family, the EHS, which has since released three more versions,' says Andrea Bartolomeo, Saic Motor Italy country manager. The real leap, however, came with the petrol-powered ZS, alongside full hybrid engines with a 1.8 kW/h battery, and plug-in versions. Today between 80 and 85 per cent of sales in Italy are of models other than pure electric. 'The imposition of European duties has been important, but we are absorbing it,' Bartolomeo adds.

What is certain is that at some point it may be necessary to review a business model based only on sales, without on-site production. MG has not - as yet - announced any intention to open factories in Europe, despite being the first to sell in Italy and having the most attractive market shares. Tariffs in Europe have slowed down this decision, and the fact that Italy voted in favour of introducing this measure does not make the country one of the favourites for a possible production location. The decision is still under consideration, but postponed.