A new study by media analysis firm Carma has revealed that UK and Saudi news outlets are behind nearly a third of all global scepticism aimed at Chinese car brands. That’s a chunky 30% of negative media coverage coming from just two countries.
We’re not sure whether that makes us brutally honest or just a bit moody here in the UK, but maybe it says something about how tough (and thorough) the British press can be when it comes to reviewing cars. Or maybe we just like a good moan.
Despite the negativity, the overall tone of Carma’s report is pretty upbeat. It highlights that 80% of people who own a Chinese car think they’re packed with cutting-edge tech — and surprisingly, two-thirds of UK media coverage actually backs that up, praising Chinese brands for their innovation.
The brand getting the most attention? BYD. According to Carma, BYD has dominated headlines — not just beating other Chinese brands like Geely and Xpeng, but also outshining major players like BMW and Volkswagen when it comes to being seen as innovative.
Why? Carma points to BYD’s rapid product launches, impressive battery and EV tech, and its fast-growing presence across Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. In fact, BYD is doing so well that it's dragging up the reputation of other Chinese car brands with it.
“Our analysis revealed that Chinese automotive brands have gained confidence around the globe and that positive sentiment on ‘the rise of Chinese brands’ is a result of BYD’s success, rather than strong industry-wide performance,” says Jennifer Sanchis, senior insights consultant at Carma. “In fact, BYD leads in terms of share of voice compared to several other Chinese and established brands and generated 41 per cent of all positive coverage of Chinese brands.”
The findings are based on 12,000 online news articles published between January 2024 and January 2025, with the analysis handled by an AI system.
Carma didn’t mention which journalists are the most skeptical about AI itself… maybe that’s for the next report.
