CARMA, the leading technology and consulting company, has released the second part of its ‘Driving Change Series’ study, which presents an analysis surrounding the Automotive industry, hyper focusing on the incoming Chinese brands in the MENA region and beyond. Findings show that Chinese automotive brands are gaining media confidence globally, with limited outright scepticism.
The first part of this series, which focused on consumer research, found that price, reliability and technology were key factors for those considering purchasing a new vehicle. Chinese brands were characterised by low levels of criticism and high proportions of positive coverage on pricing, technology and reliability.
In addition, Chinese automotive brands – especially BYD – are increasingly seen as industry innovators. The brand garnered more than double the volume of coverage where brands are positioned as innovative (1,189 articles) compared to other Chinese brands such as Geely (402) and Xpeng (298), as well as established brands including BMW and Volkswagen (284 and 251 respectively).
BYD was also found to have contributed 41% of all positive coverage on Chinese brands, and had a higher proportion of positive coverage compared to other Chinese brands and established brands.
Within the MENA region Chinese brands secured the most articles where they positioned as innovative in the UAE (75%), which helped elevate the presence and perception of Chinese brands across the wider Middle East region. Numerous articles were published by UAE media on BYD, highlighting the investment the company has made into innovation and technology. Other outlets also praised the inclusion of the Chery Tiggo 8 in the Dubai Police Fleet, noting that the model was chosen specifically as Dubai Police required vehicles equipped with the latest technology.
In Saudi Arabia, high levels of confidence were reported in media narratives relating to pricing, reliability and technology. In the first part of this series, these factors were found to be the most important or consumers when purchasing a vehicle, highlighting that Chinese brands have found a winning formula for growth despite the automotive industry’s challenging and competitive landscape.
