8:51 am, September 26, 2025
‘The Chinese brands are here and they’re ready to take over’.
Its an opinion we’ve all heard a million times over recent years, with more and more retailers signing up to represent the likes of BYD, Omoda and Jaecoo.
However, one dealer executive sees things a little differently as she opened up on the challenges of representing one of the new wave of brands.
Vicky Hart, head of marketing and digital at Waylands, says the she doesn’t see the Chinese challengers dominating ‘any time soon’ due to a combination of key factors.
She pointed to a lack of brand awareness as a major issue as the new outfits looks to steal market share from more established legacy rivals.
The comments came during our Car Dealer Podcast Live show, earlier this week, in which Hart was one of three industry guests to join us on the panel.
Speaking about the new Chinese brands, she said: ‘I think that what they’re doing is they’re providing customers with more choice but one thing we’re seeing is that actually, they tend to sit in a basket with a lot of the volume brands that we would know and expect to be on the shopping list.
‘I don’t think we’re at a point where we’re going to see domination of those brands in a very short period of time.
‘I think what they are doing is perhaps extending that buying decision, extending that purchase journey, because now more than ever there is more choice. But I think absolutely there is still an opportunity for the mainstay brands that we continue to see.
‘I don’t see them dominating anytime soon.’
Waylands themselves have dipped their toes into the water when it comes to representing Chinese brands, with the dealer group signing up to represent Omoda and Jaecoo in Bristol.
Hart admitted that the outfits were at a ‘disadvantage’ compared to their rivals as they look to overcome the challenge of having ‘no established base’.
She added that the situation posed difficulties from an aftersales point of view, as well as a sales position.
However, she insisted that the Chery-owned operations had been ‘superb’ in supporting the dealer network both financially and in terms of asset provision.
‘I think we recognise that in that brand [Omoda & Jaecoo], we have the disadvantage, if you like, of no established base,’ she added.
‘From an aftersales point of view, clearly we have a challenge but from a sales point of view, there’s no renewal opportunity there.
‘In terms of marketing activity, we know it’s costly – we are ultimately looking to conquest customers from other brands.
‘I would say that in terms of asset provision, in terms of financial support, the brand have been superb. To that extent, they absolutely put their money where their mouth is and are very supportive of the dealer network.’
The full episode of Car Dealer Podcast Live 2025 is now on Spotify or you can watch the entire show on YouTube. Hart’s comments are available below:
