by Robby DeGraff, Manager of Product and Consumer Insights
With every passing year, our AutoPacific team continues to conduct research on vehicle shoppers in an ongoing effort to learn what American consumers think of Chinese automakers...because they will be here at some point. Last week, I dove into our latest batch of data to see if perception has changed at all compared to last year's Future Attribute Demand Study or “FADS”, and well, things are trending in a rather surprising direction.
Even as geopolitical tensions and tariff tirades distance China and the United States, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of Chinese automakers. Note this jumped 12% pts YoY over numbers from our 2024 FADS Study, with 22% of the 18,987 consumers we surveyed in this year's study saying they are "very familiar" with 43% saying they are "somewhat familiar".
Additionally, half of the Americans we surveyed in this year’s study told us they are also much more likely (up 10% pts. points from 2024) to consider buying or leasing a Chinese-brand vehicle when they do become available. As a result of that, certain Chinese brands are catching the eye and attention of these interested stateside vehicle shoppers, with Huawei (27%), Xiaomi Technology (23%), and BYD (19%) ranking as the top three most considered out of several automakers listed in our study.
What makes this all very shocking is that lingering consumer concerns and worries regarding privacy and national security threats if Chinese-brand vehicles are sold here in the U.S., are beginning to subside and fall.
