Europe’s carmakers defend their territory at the Paris Motor Show. China is already inside the gates.

PARIS — Motor shows are said to be dying. This year’s Paris Motor Show, however, tells a different story, with big names like Mercedes, Fiat and Hyundai Motor, absent for the better part of a decade, making their comebacks. 

Their return is less a celebration than a defensive move: European automakers are fighting to hold their home market as Chinese brands, led by EVs, chip away at their share one sale at a time.

About 60 auto brands participated in this year’s biennial show, up 25 percent from 2024. Of them, 20 brands are Chinese, double the number two years ago, and about a third of all automakers at the show.

Stellantis has the largest presence on the floor with eight brands and more than 60 vehicles, over twice its 2024 showing, including nine concept cars. 

Fiat, back in Paris for the first time in eight years, brought the Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback, a pair of SUVs that mark its return to the compact C segment, along with the Multiplay, a concept that shifts between a pickup and an SUV and nods to the boxy, eccentric Multipla.

Opel, back after a decade, brought a new Astra and two high-performance electric models, the Mokka GSE and Corsa GSE. The Corsa GSE reaches 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour from a standstill in 5.5 seconds, making it the most powerful production Corsa ever built.

The urgency is easy to measure. Chinese brands took 10.7 percent of the European market in the second quarter, up from 5.7 percent a year earlier, according to Schmidt Automotive Research. 

In August alone, Chinese brands accounted for 11.3 percent of sales across the European Union, the European Free Trade Association and Britain, which means more than one in ten new cars sold in Europe now carries a Chinese badge.

BYD registered 26,000 vehicles in Europe in August, up 127.9 percent from a year earlier. Chery sold 23,000, up 217.5 percent; SAIC Motor sold 21,000, up 32.4 percent; and Leapmotor sold 8,000, up 219.5 percent.

Mercedes-Benz, which last came to Paris in 2018, arrived with six premieres, including a new GLA and the VLE, an electric minivan that seats up to eight and has a range of more than 700 kilometers. 

Hyundai, also returning after eight years, showed the new Bayon and Ioniq 3, both designed for European buyers. 

Volvo, away for 12 years, is leading with the EX60, an electric SUV targeting a range of about 700 kilometers.

With the American market effectively closed to them under U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese automakers are making Europe their next frontier, moving beyond exports to set up local production.

BYD in May announced plans to take over underused plants from European manufacturers, including Stellantis. 

Geely and Ford in July formed a joint venture to build vehicles at Ford’s plant in Almussafes, near Valencia, Spain. Ford holds 66 percent and Geely 34 percent, and the operations will begin in the first half of 2027, with volume production starting in 2028.

Xpeng is in talks to acquire a Volkswagen factory in Europe.

Since October 2025, more than 15 Chinese automakers and parts suppliers have announced overseas projects, with planned investment totaling about 70 billion yuan, or roughly $10 billion, as of February, according to data from the Korea Automotive Technology Institute.

“Automakers first placed their overseas plants in emerging markets, where they could avoid tariffs and use cheap labor,” said Yoon Sun-ho, a researcher in technology policy at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute.

“Now they are expanding into Europe and neighboring regions to respond to EU industrial policy such as the Industrial Accelerator Act.”

BYD leads the Chinese contingent; It gave a world premiere to the Atto 8, a seven-seat electric SUV that will go on sale in Europe in the first quarter of 2027. 

The Atto 8 has a 115-kilowatt-hour battery and a WLTP combined range of up to 653 kilometers in its rear-wheel-drive version. 

BYD also introduced the Shark, a plug-in hybrid pickup, to Europe for the first time.

Denza, BYD’s premium brand, is making its first appearance at the Paris Motor Show with the Z9GT, the D9 and the new Bao 5, along with the Denza Z sports car in coupe, spider and racing versions.

Xpeng showed off the G9L, a 5.12-meter crossover offered as a battery-electric model and as an extended-range electric vehicle, sold in Europe with three rows of seats. 

Li Auto is using the show for its European debut, unveiling the Li i6, known as the Li 6 in Europe. 

BY SARAH CHEA   [[email protected]]