Survey: BYD Instead of BMW: Company Fleets Are Opening Up to Chinese Manufacturers

 

About six in ten employees at companies with company vehicles can envision including Chinese brands in their own fleets; among fleet decision-makers, that figure rises to 79 percent. This shift is being hindered less by image than by service networks, spare parts availability, and data protection. This is according to a recent survey conducted in Germany.

 

Bockel, August 2026 – Chinese car brands have made their way into German corporate fleets—at least in the minds of those in charge. A recent study by the survey institute Omniquest, commissioned by MHC Mobility, shows that 58 percent of respondents from companies with company vehicles can envision vehicles from Chinese manufacturers being used as company cars in their organizations over the next three years. Only 25 percent rule this out, while 17 percent are undecided.

“The question is apparently no longer whether Chinese vehicles will be added to German fleets, but under what conditions,” says Rainer Thies, CEO of the car subscription provider MHC Mobility. “The brand alone is no longer the deciding factor. What matters is whether the vehicle fulfills its purpose, whether the costs are predictable, and whether everything works smoothly in everyday use—from the repair shop to replacement parts.”

 

Decision-makers are significantly more open-minded than other employees

Respondents who have a say in vehicle procurement—a good half of the sample—are particularly open to the idea. In this group, approval stands at 79 percent, and a quarter are already making concrete plans to add Chinese vehicles to their fleets. Among respondents who do not have a say in the decision-making process, the figure is only 34 percent—the same number of respondents in this group answered “don’t know.” This reluctance stems less from deliberate rejection than from a lack of familiarity with the topic. There is also an age-related trend: Among those aged 30 to 39, 77 percent can envision Chinese vehicles in their fleet, compared to only 42 percent of those aged 60 to 69.

 

The technology is just as impressive as the price

Twenty-nine percent cite price and total cost of ownership as the most important reason for choosing a Chinese manufacturer. Almost as many (27 percent) point to technology and features, 19 percent to the manufacturers’ expertise in electric vehicles; 20 percent do not cite any of these reasons. Among decision-makers, technology and features actually rank first, at 32 percent.

 

Service networks and data protection are bigger obstacles than image concerns

A clear pattern emerges regarding the concerns: they obviously relate more to day-to-day operations and less to prestige. The most frequently cited concerns are the service and repair network (26 percent), political uncertainty such as tariffs (22 percent), and data protection and IT security (20 percent). These are followed by the supply of replacement parts (13 percent) and residual value risk (10 percent). Brand image comes in a distant last place among the surveyed employees, at 9 percent.

“In my view, the hurdles that are mentioned are operational issues that can be resolved, not matters of principle,” explains Thies. “Workshop coverage, spare parts supply, residual values, data protection—these are precisely the issues that a fleet cannot and does not want to handle on its own. Once these issues are addressed in the service package, the brand’s origin very quickly becomes less important.”

 

The company car is losing its status symbol status—even for luxury brands

What would it mean to you personally to have a BYD or MG as a company car instead of an Audi or BMW? When asked about the status implications, 43 percent responded: “No problem—as long as the car is good.” Another 22 percent would even find it exciting—meaning that, combined, about two-thirds (65 percent) react neutrally or positively. Only 22 percent of respondents from companies with company cars feel that such a change would be a step down, while 13 percent would even find it awkward in front of customers and colleagues.

 

Price is the deciding factor—but the required distance is manageable

A good price could at least partially offset this perceived loss of image. For a good four out of five respondents, the decision comes down to price. If the price is right, only 19 percent of all respondents rule out switching to a Chinese company car. Thirty-two percent would switch to a Chinese model if it were 10 to 20 percent cheaper, while 26 percent require a price advantage of more than 20 percent. For 19 percent, a 5 to 10 percent discount is sufficient, and for another 4 percent, the same price is enough.

“A price difference of ten to twenty percent is not unrealistic in the fleet business,” says Thies. “The key, however, is for companies to actually realize this advantage and not lose it again due to residual value risks or service costs.”

 

Context: There is still a gap between openness and admission statistics

As positive as these figures may sound for Chinese automakers, their actual market share is still significantly smaller than the expressed interest would suggest. In the first half of 2026, for example, industry leader BYD had a market share of just 1.8 percent in Germany, while MG had 1.1 percent. According to Dataforce, the share of Chinese suppliers in the fleet business stood at only about 1.4 percent at the beginning of 2026.

 

“So it seems the cultural barrier toward Chinese manufacturers has largely fallen, but the operational barrier remains in many areas,” Rainer Thies concluded. “Companies want to be able to test new brands without making a long-term commitment—and they expect that service coverage, replacement parts, and residual value risk won’t fall on them. Models with predictable total costs, integrated services, and short contract terms lower precisely these hurdles and turn general openness into an actual procurement decision.”

 

About the Study

For the study, the polling firm Omniquest surveyed approximately 1,000 working adults in Germany in July 2026 on behalf of MHC Mobility. Sixty-two percent of them work at companies that provide company vehicles. These 615 respondents formed the basis for the questions regarding Chinese manufacturers; 54 percent of them reported that they are involved in decisions regarding the purchase of company vehicles.

 

About MHC Mobility
MHC Mobility is a Europe-wide mobility provider operating in seven countries and managing a fleet of more than 50,000 vehicles. The company helps businesses reduce costs and accelerate their path to climate neutrality—through vehicle leasing, fleet management, and comprehensive decarbonization solutions ranging from charging infrastructure and energy storage to consulting services. MHC Mobility is part of Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., one of the world’s largest and most diversified financial groups, with assets totaling over 12 trillion yen (approximately 57 billion pounds).

 

 

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