Sales of Far Eastern Cars in the UK

[mr.bluesky]

To be fair that could be applied to most car designs esp EVs where without a radiator no grill is needed so less things to design, add on strict Euro safety requirements esp pedestrian safety

The larger Chinese SUVs could easily pass for Range Rovers - from the side at least  and several have European designers & MG has design  based in the UK

Plus a lot of cars are now computer aided design which churn out similar results. Gone are the days of a draughtsman sitting at a drawing board designing cars like this beauty

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[Blackpool Rock]

September car sales in the UK by brand:

1.   Volkswagen (25,972)
2.   BYD (20,140)
3.   Kia (18,399)
4.   MG (18,026)
5.   Audi (16,721)
6.   Tesla (15,875)
7.   BMW (15,617)
8.   Mercedes (15,571)
9.   Jaecoo (15,055)
10.  Toyota (13,947)
11.  Skoda (13,371)
12.  Volvo (12,235)

I have emboldened the Chinese firms (in the case of Volvo, Chinese-owned).

Where is Ford?  Where is Vauxhall?  Where are Peugeot, Renault and Nissan?

(Where, indeed, are Riley, Hillman and Austin?)

About 56K of that is the VAG though which will largely be the same cars using different badge branding, i've had one and driven others which were company / pool cars and in all honesty they aren't what they're cracked up to be

Out of that lot i'd go for Toyota or a Kia if badge snobbery wasn't an issue

[Blackpool Rock]

Yep, a lot if the Chinese cars all look the same, many are related. Very bland looks and poorly proportioned in a lot of cases.

That's true of a lot of EV's though, I mean things like the Ford Capri and Mustang are simply trading of their name and heritage to try and sell them

[Blackpool Rock]

Vauxhall is now owned by PSA I think they're called, Peugeot / Citroën parent group.

Not sure about anyone else but I'm seeing the new Renault 5s all over the place. Maybe because the styling makes you notice them and the Chinese 1s are more beige than a 1974 Morris Marina or Austin Maxi.

I never liked the Renault 5 years ago and would never touch a Renault but I have to say I really like the new EV ones, it's a classic look but with even better modern styling touches

[Blackpool Rock]

Plus a lot of cars are now computer aided design which churn out similar results. Gone are the days of a draughtsman sitting at a drawing board designing cars like this beauty

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I believe Enzo Ferrari said the E-Type was the most beautiful car ever designed 

[mr.bluesky]

I believe Enzo Ferrari said the E-Type was the most beautiful car ever designed 

Yes he said it was the car he wished he'd built. A souless computer could never design a thing of such beauty

[maxQ]

That's true of a lot of EV's though, I mean things like the Ford Capri and Mustang are simply trading of their name and heritage to try and sell them

The new Capri is terrible, they really missed an chance to do something great

[Vice Admiral]

Vauxhall is now owned by PSA I think they're called, Peugeot / Citroën parent group.

You haven’t been paying attention during your World Car Industry Mergers & Acquisitions lessons over the past five years or so!

Yes, back in 2017, General Motors sold Vauxhall and Opel to French-owned PSA (Citroen and Peugeot).

Then, early in 2021, PSA and the Italian-American conglomerate Fiat Chrysler – which had itself been created by the merger of Fiat and Chrysler in 2014 – merged to form Stellantis.

There are 14 Stellantis brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, and Vauxhall.

(Ram?  An American brand specialising in pick-up trucks and commercial vehicles.)

[Vice Admiral]

Here are the figures for world car production in 2025 (the final column gives the percentage increase or decrease since the previous year):
1   China      34,530,738   10.4%
2   U.S.      10,243,844   -2.6%
3   Japan      8,410,232   2.1%
4   India      6,490,810   7.9%
5   Germany   4,148,836   2.0%
6   South Korea   4,102,200   -0.6%
7   Mexico   4,092,448   -2.6%
8   Brazil      2,644,054   3.5%
9   Spain      2,274,026   -4.3%
10   France      1,463,991   7.8%
11   Thailand   1,455,569   -0.9%
12   Czechia   1,452,776   -0.4%
13   Turkey      1,419,464   4.0%
14   Canada   1,237,075   -7.6%
15   Indonesia   1,147,600   -4.1%
16   Slovakia   1,070,000   7.8%
17   Russia      853,897   -12.8%
18   UK      764,715   -15.5%
19   Malaysia   747,780   -5.4%
20   Poland      628,276   -4.0%

In 1950 – 75 years ago – the top five were:
1   US       8,005,859
2   UK      783,627
3   Canada    (figures not available)
4   Soviet Union    362,985
5   West Germany (figures not available)

A book could be written about the reasons for the UK’s decline in car manufacturing – and no doubt has been – but surely there aren't enough good reasons to justify our being overtaken by no fewer than 16 countries?

[Vice Admiral]

Studying the above tables got me reflecting on the success these days of Skoda – which in the 1970s produced cars that looked like boiled sweets and lasted about as long, but today is one of the most successful brands in Europe.

However it appears that Skoda is not the only car manufacturer in the old Czechoslovakia.  There’s also a firm in Slovakia called Praga, whose Bohema I rather like the look of.

I think it would do wonders for my image in Stamshaw, Paulsgrove and Leigh Park.

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[Blackpool Rock]

Studying the above tables got me reflecting on the success these days of Skoda – which in the 1970s produced cars that looked like boiled sweets and lasted about as long, but today is one of the most successful brands in Europe.

However it appears that Skoda is not the only car manufacturer in the old Czechoslovakia.  There’s also a firm in Slovakia called Praga, whose Bohema I rather like the look of.

I think it would do wonders for my image in Stamshaw, Paulsgrove and Leigh Park.

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I wouldn't be so sure about that, back in the 80's I spoke to a couple of guys who owned Skodas, think it was the Estelle and they said they were decent cars, then came all the Skoda jokes and they basically had an unjustified reputation for being shite.

Czech engineering was actually always decent quality which is why Hitler was so desperate to invade them and get his hands on the renowned Skoda works factory

The real shit which should have been the butt of all the jokes was the Lada Riva which was originally based on the Fiat 124 but by all accounts was even shitter once the Russians bought the tooling and added their penchant for quality control   

[Vice Admiral]

The "boiled sweet" era was before the Estelle, when the Skoda model sold here was the 110 (photo below).  Lots of cheerful colours, but not much quality.

The Estelle was indeed the first decent Skoda of the modern era, but deeply tedious Skoda jokes went on for many years after Skodas had become some of the best-respected cars on British roads – which has certainly been the case for some 30 years.

Ladas, as you say, were a different matter.  Oh, and back in the 1970s I once nearly bought a Wartburg Knight (also see below)!  East German.  Not quite as bad as a Trabant, I suppose, but that's about all you can say.

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[Punting2022]

I will only ever buy german tbh.
Not ev washing machines either.
Happy to pay for petrol. Gives u driving pleasure

[Blackpool Rock]

I will only ever buy german tbh.
Not ev washing machines either.
Happy to pay for petrol. Gives u driving pleasure

Why am I not surprised 

[PilotMan]

I will only ever buy german tbh.
Not ev washing machines either.
Happy to pay for petrol. Gives u driving pleasure

Do you realise how frequently you use TBH?

[george r]

Studying the above tables got me reflecting on the success these days of Skoda – which in the 1970s produced cars that looked like boiled sweets and lasted about as long, but today is one of the most successful brands in Europe.

However it appears that Skoda is not the only car manufacturer in the old Czechoslovakia.  There’s also a firm in Slovakia called Praga, whose Bohema I rather like the look of.

I think it would do wonders for my image in Stamshaw, Paulsgrove and Leigh Park.

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skoda cars went from being shit to more like a vw with a different badge after being bought by vw many yrs ago

[timsussex]

I had a  Škoda 136 Rapid coupé - the last of the rear engine  cars
The cast aluminum sump pan with cooling fins was a work of art in its own right and must have cost a fortune to produce compared th the thin stamped bit of tin everyone else used - mind you the rear engine front radiator layout needed all the help with cooling it could get !

[Vice Admiral]

I had a  Škoda 136 Rapid coupé - the last of the rear engine  cars

This is very strange.  I have no memory of ever seeing one of these (first photo) on English roads.

But I well remember the 110 R (second photo) from the seventies.

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[Davey Dykes]

It seems Citroën is reviving the 2CV.




And also a commercial version.



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[timsussex]

This is very strange.  I have no memory of ever seeing one of these (first photo) on English roads.

But I well remember the 110 R (second photo) from the seventies.

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apparently there are 7 still on the road and 80 on SORN out of 3188 originally registered  - many were used as kit car bases 

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[Blackpool Rock]

It seems Citroën is reviving the 2CV.




And also a commercial version.



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FFS best left unrevived 
Wonder if they will still catch fire really easily 

[Punting2022]

Do you realise how frequently you use TBH?

I know. Its a habbit tbh.
I guess its easier to write the full word