The Spanish brand with Chinese capital registers 20,088 cars by September, up 185.7%, and surpasses Ford and Fiat. The Chinese arrival now dominates 16.8% of the market.
The brand Ebro, 40% owned by the Chinese group Chery and assembled in Barcelona, has registered 20,088 units in the first nine months of 2026, nearly triple the 7,032 from the same period in 2025. The growth of 185.7% places it ahead of historic manufacturers like Ford (15,902) and Fiat (8,732), and it is now closing in on Opel, which is around 22,617 units, according to data from Anfac, Faconauto, and Ganvam collected by ecosistemastartup.com.
The rise of Ebro is supported by three models: the S400 (8,397 units), the S700 (7,632), and the newly arrived S900, which has recorded 1,662 registrations in its first year. With these figures, the company positions itself as the third Chinese brand with the most sales in Spain, only behind MG (34,398) and BYD (34,384).
"People no longer value getting into debt to buy a BMW Series 4 or an X2 that costs 50,000 euros. People are now more practical," explains Andrés Bécares, manager of the Ebro dealership in Oviedo.
This change in behaviour translates into direct comparisons at the point of sale: customers arrive asking to compare the S700 with the Hyundai Tucson, the Kia Sportage, the Seat Ateca, or the Cupra Formentor. According to Alejandro Álvarez, head of sales for the brand in Asturias, the equipment of the Spanish model (540º cameras, electric seats with memory, panoramic roof, voice control, adaptive Full LED headlights) is priced between 12,000 and 13,000 euros cheaper than the European equivalent.
The phenomenon is not exclusive to Ebro. Brands owned or controlled by Chinese groups now represent 16.8% of car sales in Spain and have grown by 65.5% year-on-year. The sector expects this share to reach or exceed 20% in the coming months. In the first nine months of 2026, electrified models have seen a 38.9% increase, with 217,298 units and a share of 23.8%; fully electric cars have grown by 39.4% (100,508 units) driven by the Plan Auto+ public aid scheme.
At this pace, the Spanish market will close 2026 with 1.2 million cars registered, a 4.4% increase from last year, although still 5.5% below 2019 levels. In Europe, Chinese brands captured a record share of 10.9% in June 2026, with 150,272 registrations, an increase of 118%, according to the ACEA association and the Dataforce consultancy. The key: Chinese manufacturers have bet on conventional and plug-in hybrids to avoid tariffs of up to 45% on electric vehicles imported from China. One in four hybrid and plug-in sales in the EU already bears a Chinese emblem.
Ebro's sponsorship of the Spanish National Team has strengthened brand awareness among a customer profile that a year ago would not have considered a car of Chinese origin. The challenge now for the Catalan firm is to maintain the pace of deliveries and expand its dealership network to sustain growth in 2027.
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