BYD surpassed MG in Spain. In Norway, Chinese brands hold 22.5% of the market.
The October data from Spain, Italy, and Norway paint a consistent picture, as Chinese brands are growing faster than the overall market in each of these countries. In Spain, BYD was the fifth most popular brand of the month and surpassed MG after ten months. In Italy, cars from Chinese factories accounted for 17.6% of the market, while in Norway, one in five new cars (22.5%) was from a Chinese brand, the highest rate in the country’s historical statistics.
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Spain: Plug-in cars exceed 31% for the first time
Spaniards registered 98,487 new passenger cars in October, 1.8% more than the previous year. According to the manufacturers’ association ANFAC, this was the best October since 2007 and the fifth consecutive month of growth. Since January, the market has expanded by 6.2% to 1.01 million cars, and Félix García of ANFAC expects the entire year 2026 to end with figures above 1.2 million.
Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles together attracted 31,044 buyers (a 43.1% year-on-year increase), accounting for 31.5% of the market. Such a high share has not been seen in Spain in a single month before, and after ten months, BEVs and PHEVs hold 24.6% of the market, meaning roughly one in four new cars is electric. José López-Tafall, CEO of ANFAC, emphasizes that without consistent government policy, the country will not reach the European average.
BYD sold 5,306 vehicles in October (19.6% more than in September), of which 1,911 were Atto 2 models. As of now, it has 39,690 registrations, compared to MG’s 37,453. MG sold 3,055 vehicles in October and dropped to 14th place. Chery’s Omoda (2,152) and Jaecoo (1,203) saw a decline after their peak in September. Leapmotor, sold through the Stellantis network, maintains a monthly sales volume of around 1,700 vehicles. Geely, with 1,777 units sold, rose from 26th to 20th place. Further down the list are Changan with Deepal (929), Lynk & Co (291), and XPeng (234).
Chinese automakers are also establishing facilities in Spain. Chery opened a European operations center and R&D institute in Barcelona in April, while Geely plans to produce vehicles in a joint venture with Ford at a plant in Almussafes near Valencia starting in 2028.
Italy: One in six new cars comes from Chinese factories
The Italian market grew by 4.8% in October to 131,921 registrations, and after ten months it surpassed 1.4 million vehicles (an 8.3% increase), according to ANFIA data. Electric vehicles saw a 24% rise and now account for 5.9% of the market, while plug-in hybrids increased by 79.5% to 12.8% of the market share. Gasoline vehicles lost 18.1%, while diesel vehicles dropped by 38.3%.
23,242 vehicles produced in China (by all manufacturers, including Western ones) were registered, which is 97% more than the previous year, accounting for 17.6% of the market. Since January, the figure has exceeded 215,000 units, representing 15.4% of the market. Nearly half of new Italian electric vehicles and over 46% of plug-in hybrids come from China.
BYD registered 6,009 vehicles (a 220.7% increase) and holds a 4.6% market share, with the Seal U DM-i accounting for 42.8% of this total (2,571 units, ranking ninth among all models). After ten months, BYD has 47,714 registrations, 325 more than MG (47,389). MG sold 5,358 vehicles in October, while the MG ZS, with 3,005 units, was the fourth most popular model in Italy. Omoda and Jaecoo combined for 4,988 registrations (2,710 and 2,278 respectively).
Leapmotor is growing the fastest: 1,600 vehicles in October (a 455.6% increase) and 30,048 since January, nearly ten times more than a year ago. The T03 is the most registered electric vehicle in Italy after ten months, with the B10 in tenth place.
Stellantis remains the largest group with 30,285 vehicles, but it lost 9.5% of its market share. Volkswagen (20,903) and Renault (12,905) saw declines of 6.4% and 5% respectively.
Norway: 98.8% Electric Vehicles and Record for Chinese Brands
In Norway, 15,725 new cars were registered in October, 41% more than the previous year. According to OFV, the Norwegian road traffic authority, this was the best October in over 30 years. There were 15,536 electric vehicles (98.8%), with the remainder consisting of 89 diesel cars, 53 conventional hybrids, 33 plug-in hybrids, and 14 gasoline cars. Since January, BEVs have accounted for 98% of the market, up from 95.2% the previous year. OFV concludes: “Norway’s new car market is now almost entirely electric. Competition is increasingly focused on which brands and models perform best in terms of price, range, space, delivery time, and financing.”
The Tesla Model Y leads with 1,429 registrations, ahead of the Toyota bZ4X (725) and Volkswagen ID.4 (553), with the XPeng G6 in fourth place at 542. Other models in the top 30 include the Deepal S05 (338, 11th place), BYD Sealion 7 (310), XPeng G9, Zeekr 7GT, and Smart #5.
Among brands, Tesla (1,548) edged out Toyota (1,493) by just 55 vehicles.
Sources: chinaevhome.com, electrive.com