Chinese brands now sell roughly one new car in every 15 in Switzerland. From January to September 2026 they registered 11,676, a 6.7% share of a market that is barely growing. In the whole of 2024 they sold 928 (0.4%), and in 2025 6,251 (2.7%).
| Chinese-brand share of Swiss new cars | 2024 | 2025 | Jan–Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese brands (incl. MG, Lynk & Co) | 0.4% | 2.7% | 6.7% |
| + Chinese-owned Polestar, smart, Lotus | 1.0% | 3.5% | 7.7% |
| + Volvo (Geely-owned) | 5.1% | 7.2% | 11.4% |
Our calculation from auto-schweiz registration data (Switzerland + Liechtenstein), cut-off 30 Sep 2026.
BYD Went From 44 Cars To 13th Place
BYD registered 44 cars in Switzerland in 2024. This year it’s at 4,568 so far. That makes it the biggest Chinese brand here, and the 13th-biggest of any kind. MG (3,458) follows, then Leapmotor (1,607) and Zeekr (1,002). BYD’s best-seller, the Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid (1,600), is almost level with the most popular China-built car of all, the Volvo EX30 (1,651).
Count where cars are built instead, and the number grows. Blick put “made in China” at 10.3% for the first half, including China-built Volvos, Polestars, smarts and directly imported Teslas. AMAG, Switzerland’s biggest importer, sums up the mood: “Wir haben Respekt, aber keine Angst vor den Chinesen.” (CEO Helmut Ruhl)
The list of brands keeps growing, too. Chery, Geely and DENZA all launched in Switzerland between August and October this year.
No China Tariffs Here, And Still Not Cheap
Chinese-built cars come into Switzerland duty-free, under the Swiss–China free trade agreement since 1 July 2014, and since 1 January 2024 Switzerland has charged no import duty on any industrial goods at all. Every imported car, Chinese or not, still pays the 4% Automobilsteuer and 8.1% import VAT, and electric cars have paid the Automobilsteuer since 2024 too.
The EU went the other way. Since 30 October 2024, battery-electric cars built in China pay definitive countervailing duties of 17.0% (BYD), 18.8% (Geely), 35.3% (SAIC/MG) and 20.7% (other cooperating makers). That comes on top of the EU’s standard 10% car duty. Switzerland is not obliged to follow, and it hasn’t. So far the EU has accepted exactly one minimum-price deal instead of the duty, for the China-built Cupra Tavascan. Plug-in hybrids aren’t covered: Brussels and Beijing announced an understanding on hybrids on 9 October, and EU leaders discuss it this week.
Duty-free still doesn’t mean cheap. An SRF comparison in 2025 found Swiss prices for Chinese EVs up to 154% above prices in China. So the low-cost image doesn’t fully reach Swiss showrooms.
The tariff gap also explains less than you’d think. Economists at CEPR found that Chinese EV market shares moved much the same way in Switzerland, Norway and the UK, none of which charge these tariffs, as in the EU. Regulation pulls too. Swiss importers must average 93.6 g CO₂/km from 2025 or pay CHF 95 per gram per car, and in 2025 the industry paid about CHF 98 million. Every EV an importer sells helps.
Who’s Here, And Who Sells Them
| Brand | Group | Sold in Switzerland by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYD | BYD | BYD Automotive Switzerland AG, Baar, through partner dealers | Official launch April 2025. 4,568 registrations Jan–Sep 2026. 31 partners selected, target 55 sites (Bilanz, 1 Oct 2026). Flash charging awaits Swiss certification |
| DENZA | BYD | BYD Automotive Switzerland | Launched 26 Aug 2026 at The Dolder Grand. 3 sales sites, 6 planned by year-end. 8-year warranty |
| MG (incl. IM5/IM6) | SAIC | MG Motor Switzerland GmbH (own subsidiary, 2026) | Previously imported by Astara. At Auto Zürich the organiser’s MG brand page still gives Astara’s address, while its exhibitor list names MG Motor Switzerland GmbH (Hall 1). MG IM5 from CHF 41,990, IM6 from CHF 49,990 |
| Maxus | SAIC | Astara | Vans and pickups. eDeliver 7 from CHF 29,900. 713 registrations Jan–Sep 2026, nearly double last year |
| Leapmotor | Leapmotor International (Stellantis joint venture) | Emil Frey | Since Jan 2025; 30 dealers. 1,607 registrations Jan–Sep 2026. B10 from CHF 29,900; B05 from CHF 25,900 per Stellantis Switzerland (June), CHF 27,900 on the organiser’s Auto Zürich page |
| XPENG | XPENG | Hedin Distribution AG | Since Sep 2025. 397 registrations Jan–Sep 2026. G6, G9, P7+; L03 from CHF 35,600; X9 from CHF 77,600 |
| Zeekr | Geely | Emil Frey | Since mid-2025. 1,002 registrations Jan–Sep 2026. X from CHF 37,990, 7X from CHF 53,990 (2025 prices), 9X from CHF 117,500 |
| Lynk & Co | Geely | Volvo partner dealers | Since early 2026; 12 sales locations by the end of September (Lynk & Co, 30 Sep 2026). 01 from CHF 43,995. Volvo takes over Europe-wide distribution in January 2027 |
| Geely | Geely | Emil Frey | Launched in Zürich on 16 Sep 2026 with the E5, E2 and Starray EM-i. Deliveries are just starting → our Geely story |
| Chery | Chery | Luxi Motors AG, Winterthur | Launching now. First 500 Tiggos shipped; four Tiggo SUVs, CHF 27,990–48,990 per vybe (14 Oct); 10 dealers at launch, 45 planned by end-2028; 7-year warranty |
| JAC | JAC | JAC Schweiz AG, Wohlen (Auto Kunz group) | Here since 2019. E30X from CHF 16,900. 348 registrations in 2025 |
| Voyah · Dongfeng · MHERO | Dongfeng | NOYO AG, Rotkreuz | Voyah since about 2023; Courage from CHF 43,990. Dongfeng Box city car |
| BAIC · BAW · Forthing | BAIC · Dongfeng | Alpha Mobility, Duillier | BAIC X55 from CHF 29,900. Small volumes, growing |
Under Chinese ownership, though not usually counted as “Chinese brands”: Volvo, Polestar and Lotus (Geely), and smart (a 50/50 Mercedes-Benz/Geely joint venture).
Who’s Next In 2027
- iCaur (Chery): V27 range extender, early 2027, via Luxi Motors
- Lepas (Chery’s premium brand): L8 plug-in hybrid, first half of 2027. The Swiss sales set-up is still open
- Chery Himla pickup: not before late summer 2027. The importer cites missing parts supply and trained workshop staff
- Lynk & Co 07 GT: Europe-wide launch in 2027, shown at Auto Zürich this November
- Xiaomi: Germany “and other European countries” from 2027. Switzerland isn’t named yet
- Li Auto: made its European debut in Paris this month. Sales start in Norway and the Netherlands in early 2027. Switzerland isn’t named yet
- No Swiss plans announced (as of 14 Oct): Omoda/Jaecoo, GAC/Aion, NIO/Firefly, Hongqi, Avatr, Yangwang. A handful turn up in the registration data anyway, as private (grey) imports
Arriving Is Only The First Step
Aiways came to Switzerland in 2022 with the U5. Registrations fell from 63 in 2024 to 4 in 2025 and 1 so far this year, and aiways.ch is now a parked domain. There’s been no formal announcement, but registrations have effectively stopped. Great Wall (ORA, WEY) signed a European deal with Emil Frey in 2022, never launched here, and closed its European headquarters in 2024.
What Swiss Buyers Think: Price Pulls, Service Decides
- Attitudes are softening fast. In AutoScout24’s March 2026 survey, strict opponents of Chinese cars fell from 43% to 24% in eight months, and 30% would consider one.
- Price is the draw. In the AXA Mobility Barometer 2026, 43% of people planning to buy an EV could imagine a Chinese one, up from 37%. Of those, 69% cite price. Among the sceptics, political differences (52%) and working conditions (46%) are the main objections.
- Service is the condition. 82% say a reliable dealer and service network matters a lot (AutoScout24). So the dealer map decides how far each brand gets.
At Auto Zürich 2026
By our count, the organiser’s list for 5–8 November holds 18 Chinese brands, up from 12 last year (By The Numbers). Nine of the 18 brands on the Media Day stage are Chinese or Chinese-owned. The Leapmotor B03 is the one novelty the organiser explicitly labels a Swiss premiere. → Auto Zürich 2026 Media Day: the brands on stage · Where to find them in the halls
Our take
We walked the Chinese stands in Paris this month, and we think lumping them together as Chinese cars hides how different these brands are. What each one brought is in Every Chinese Brand At Paris 2026, and their story across eleven shows since 2022 in From Seres To Zeekr.
A stand in Paris is not a showroom in Zürich. So the ones to watch at Auto Zürich are those with a Swiss importer and dealers already in place, such as Zeekr, Leapmotor and XPENG. After the show, watch whether Chery grows from 10 dealers towards 45, how Lynk & Co fares under Volvo from January, and whether Xiaomi or Li Auto name Switzerland.
Independent editorial. No manufacturer paid for or reviewed this article.
