The 2026 Paris Motor Show opened on October 12 with Chinese carmakers assembling in record numbers: of the 60-plus exhibitors, more than a third are from China, exceeding the combined count of German and French domestic brands. Francois Roudier, secretary-general of the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, said that 'in the history of the automobile there was the German era and the American era, and now we are entering the Chinese era.'
European registrations back the shift. ACEA data show September new-car registrations in Europe rose 4.9% to 1.09 million units, a fourth straight monthly gain, with battery-electric sales up nearly 33% and plug-in hybrids up 40%. BYD's September Europe registrations more than doubled to about 17,500 units, easily passing Tesla's roughly 6,964 (down 48.5%), and Chinese brands' overall share rose to about 6.8%.
On the policy side, on October 12 China's Ministry of Commerce confirmed that China and the EU reached substantive consensus in consultations on hybrid-vehicle trade, built on the principles of 'respecting facts, non-discrimination and compliance.' Building on 302,000 hybrid units in 2025, the two sides agreed on an upward arrangement to ensure Chinese companies' export space and stable growth, paving the way for broader EV negotiations.
While Europe still debates what counts as 'European-made,' Chinese makers are already building plants and localizing supply chains on the continent - a switch in going-global logic from simply exporting vehicles to operating locally.
Image: Next-generation EV charging infrastructure. Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).
