Chinese automakers gained significant attention at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, running from July 9 to 12 at the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, UK.
Since its inception in 1993, the famous Hill Climb - a course nearly two kilometers long - has been at the heart of this Festival of Speed, but increasingly, the event is becoming a chance for carmakers to draw attention to their brands.
China's EV giant BYD had the festival's largest stand this year, showcasing its expanding line-up. The company sees the event as a chance to share BYD's story with the world.
"The next step, I think we're going to do more, building the BYD brand and then tell the BYD story. I think BYD's story is not told enough yet. A lot of people do not know BYD, do not really understand the power behind the 120,000 R and D engineers behind, 52 patents per working day behind. So this kind of story, we need to tell because our mission is really to use technology to change the world and use technology to deliver affordable solutions to combat climate change," said Stella Li, executive vice president of BYD.
BYD only began selling cars in the UK three years ago, but sales have risen rapidly. In the first half of the year, the company sold nearly 38,000 cars in the UK, nearly double the previous year.
MG (Morris Garages), an icon of British motoring history now under Chinese ownership, unveiled two electric concept cars -- the MG GO! and the MG Cyber Concept.
Jozef Kaban, vice president of MG's global design center, said the brand aims to deliver quality products that show European heritage with the support of Chinese technologies.
"We have the very open-minded vision on innovations and technologies from China and very high speed and ability to deliver a great quality, with a very, let's say, European, strong heritage-oriented as well view on the car, car which is not just the technology, but is as well experience and emotion," said Kaban.
As electric vehicles make further inroads, Formula E is making its Goodwood debut this year with electric racing, though organizers said there will always be a place for tradition.
"We might be phasing out some of the combustion engine, but we're not phasing out motorcars. And I always think the celebration of those old cars will always continue, that harking back to the heritage of motorsport and a place where you can see those classic cars, I think there'll always be a place for that," said Adam Waterworth, CEO of Goodwood Estate.
Chinese automakers shine at Goodwood Festival of Speed
