A SMALL REVOLUTION
Il alVolante price list continues to be enriched with new names: this month is made up of 74 brands, ten of which have landed in the last three years. Most come from China and we are also talking about vetoes and giants like the BYDthe Dongfeng and the group Chery with the Jaecoo and Omoda branded SUVs. A different case is that of Leap motorwhich recently allied itself with Stellantis; soon the electric and plug-in hybrids of this Chinese company will be built in the Old Continent. The Venetian Cirelli followed in the footsteps of DRimporting cars from the Asian country and selling them after making some modifications. We then point out the Lombard brand SWMknown in the 70s for its motocross bikes and now also active in the production of cars after its acquisition by the Chinese Shineray group.
BYD
Birth: 2003
Models: 10
Site: China
Leader of registrations in China, it is in the “top 10” globally and is aiming for first place. In Italy since 2023, it has been selling electric cars but the bulk of its sales come from SUVs Seal U DM-i (in the photo above), our best-selling plug-in hybrid.
CIRELLI
Birth: 2024
Models: 7
Site: Italia
This Italian company imports Chinese cars, changing the brand with its own. The cheapest is the massive SUV Cirelli 1 (in the photo above), “twin” of the SWM G03F, while the more modern is the large 7zero7 range extender sedan, basically a Forthing Xinghai S7.
DONGFENG
Birth: 1969
Models: 4
Site: China
Born from an initiative by Mao Zedong, it is a state company that landed in Italy in 2025 with four petrol, hybrid and electric cars. The most original, the Dongfeng Box (in the photo above), is a rounded “battery” runabout 402 cm long that promises a range of up to 310 km.
FORTHING
Birth: 2001
Models: 2
Site: China
The home of the Dongfeng Liuzhou group, controlled by the public giant Dongfeng, came to us in 2024. The spirited SUV Forthing Friday (in the photo above) is also offered by Cirelli (which calls it 5) and by Evo (the 6). The U-Tour minivan, however, is sold by Cirelli under the name 7.
GEELY
Birth: 1986
Models: 2
Site: China
Today he leads a global giant that includes brands such as Lotus, Lynk & Co, Polestar and Volvo, as well as the joint venture with Mercedes for Smart. It arrived in Italy in 2026 with two crossovers: the electric EX5462 cm long and with 218 HP (from €38,900) and the Starray (in the photo above), a plug-in hybrid with a total of 260 HP with prices starting from €34,900.
JAECOO
Birth: 2023
Models: 2
Site: China
The brand of China’s number one exporter (the Chery group) specializes in SUVs, including 4x4s. The debut in Italy is in 2024, with the Jaecoo 7 (in the photo above). 450 cm long, it is available in petrol (with a 1.6 turbo with 147 HP) or plug-in hybrid (1.5 turbo and 347 HP in total). In 2025 the Jaecoo 5rather similar in aesthetics to its older sister but smaller (438 cm in length) and with a 211 HP electric variant instead of the hybrid one “on tap”.
LEAP MOTOR
Birth: 2015
Models: 3
Site: China
It landed on the list in 2024 with two electric ones: the city car T03one of the few battery-powered cars that costs less than €20,000, and the large SUV C10. In 2025, the B10a battery-powered crossover 451 cm long. The Stellantis group has 20% shares of this company and has created a joint venture to export, sell and produce these cars in Europe.
OMODA
Birth: 2022
Models: 2
Site: China
Like Jaecoo, this company is in the Chery group and came to us in 2024. However, instead of powerful SUVs it produces sleek and sporty crossovers. The range of the Chinese company includes, for now, two models: the Omoda 5 (in the photo above), it is available in petrol (with a 147 HP 1.6 turbo), 224 HP hybrid with a 1.5 or electric with 204 HP. Then there is the Omoda 9a more refined hybrid SUV “on tap” 478 cm long and with 537 HP: the price of the single version is 51,900 euros.
SPORTEQUIPE
Birth: 2023
Models: 5
Site: Italia
The “luxury” brand of the DR group sells exclusively petrol, LPG or plug-in hybrid SUVs. Two are more refined versions of DR models (like the 6, in photo abovederived from the 6.0), two are rebadged cars produced by Chery while the 8 GT is a Kaiyi Kunlun.
SWM
Birth: 2016
Models: 3
Site: China
This Lombard brand founded in 1971 and purchased in 2014 by the Chinese Shineray is now used for motorbikes (as originally) and petrol or plug-in hybrid SUVs (sold by us from 2024). The largest (475 cm long) is the G05 sum seven-seater (in photo above).
TIGER
Birth: 1989
Models: 2
Site: United Kingdom
Historic British brand specializing in small handcrafted sports cars, since 2022 it has been owned by the DR group, which uses it to market Chinese petrol or LPG SUVs produced by BAIC. The most accessible is the Tiger 6 (in the photo above), “twin” of the Beijing Mofang: 462 cm long, it is powered by a 1.5 turbo with 177 HP.
XPENG
Birth: 2014
Models: 2
Site: China
Specializing in electric cars, it landed on our price lists in 2025 with two large models available with rear or all-wheel drive: the crossover Xpeng G6 (475 cm long, in photo above) and the luxury SUV G9489 cm long.
THEY WILL ARRIVE IN THE FUTURE
In the coming months, many other manufacturers will debut in Italy, united by three elements: Chinese nationality, a large group (public or private) behind them and an almost exclusively electric range. BYD should launch two new brands to produce medium and high category cars (the Denza and the luxurious Yangwang), while the Saic group (already present in our country with MG) could bring the sleek battery-powered cars of IM Motors. But let’s find out together who’s coming for sure.
CHANGAN
It is one of the oldest Chinese companies: founded in 1862, at the time it supplied weapons to the emperors of the Qing dynasty. In the automotive field it is known for having created the Avatr brand with Huawei and for having developed the Japanese company’s latest electric car, the 6e, in collaboration with Mazda. The first models arriving here in 2026 will be the crossovers Deepal S05 (in the photo above) e S07electric and (perhaps) 1.5 petrol plug-in hybrids.
FIREFLY
It is a Nio brand (known for its cars with interchangeable batteries) specializing in small and luxurious electric cars. The only model, scheduled for 2026, will be the EV unveiled at the end of 2024 (in photo above): approximately 400 cm in length and a rear engine (like traction) with 143 HP.
GAC
The state giant GAC, founded in 1955, has already been present in our country since 2022 with a design center in Milan. By the end of this year it should also arrive in the price lists with the electric crossover Aion V (in the photo above), 461 cm long and with power up to 223 HP.
VOYAH
Luxury brand of the Dongfeng group born in 2019, it has focused on Italy for style: the coat of arms, for example, was created by Italdesign. The first models arriving from us will be two electric ones (the medium Courage and the large Free, in the photo above) and the huge (532 cm long) plug-in hybrid minivan Dream with 571 total hp.
ZEKR
It is the luxury electric brand of the Geely group. The most interesting model, expected by us soon, is the compact crossover Zeekr (in the photo above), developed on the basis of the Smart #1.
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