Why AVATR, ZEEKR and XIAOMI — and why not every brand
The test is simple: we import the brands with no dealer network in Romania and the models that can be type-approved in Europe. What is behind each brand on the list, and why BYD and MG are missing.
- behind AVATR
- 3 groups
- the ZEEKR architecture
- 800 V
- dealer networks in Romania
- 0
The list of brands on this site is short, and it is short on purpose. We do not import "cars from China" in general; we import a few specific brands, chosen by a test you can check.
The test
They have no dealer network in Romania. Where a network already exists — BYD, MG, soon others — there is no point competing with it: there you buy with a warranty and a service network, which we cannot offer, at a comparable price. Our place is with the cars you otherwise cannot buy at all.
The second test: the model can be type-approved in Europe. We check before putting it on the list, because the approval risk is ours. The third, less visible: parts and workshops exist. A wonderful brand whose headlight takes three months to find is not a brand we should be selling.
AVATR
Three companies in one: Changan (one of the largest state-owned carmakers, with 160 years of industrial history, from arsenal to automobiles), CATL (the world's largest battery maker, supplying Tesla, BMW and Mercedes) and Huawei (the onboard electronics, the sensors, the driver assistance). The result is a luxury brand with leading technology and a design you do not mistake: the AVATR 12 is the saloon, the 11 and 07 are the SUVs, the 06 is the compact saloon. Many of them also exist as REEVs, which suits anyone not ready for pure electric. The first AVATR 12 in Romania.
ZEEKR
The premium brand of the Geely group, the same group that owns Volvo, Polestar and Lotus — and that learned from them how to build a car for Europe. ZEEKR already sells in several European countries, so it publishes WLTP figures and has parts on the continent. Its 800 V electrical architecture means very fast charging; the ZEEKR 001 is a shooting brake of almost 800 hp, the 7X a family SUV, the 9X a flagship SUV with extended range. It is the lowest-risk brand on the list: the closest to European standards, with the most parts within reach.
XIAOMI
The phone maker that entered the car industry in 2024 with the SU7 and sold more in a year than others do in five. The SU7 is an electric sports saloon, the YU7 the SUV. Integration with the phone is the selling point, but the car itself — chassis, battery, performance — surprised everybody, including the people who took it apart. No presence in Europe at all so far, so we pay the closest attention to parts and software.
VOYAH, BYD, HONGQI
They are on the Brands page, with what we know about each, even when we have no model published under them. VOYAH is the premium brand of the Dongfeng group, already present in several European markets — we import it to order. BYD has a dealer network in Romania, so there we send you to the dealer: it is the better choice for anyone who wants a warranty. HONGQI, the state luxury marque, is a niche and we bring one in when somebody specifically wants it.
What we do not import, and why
- Brands with a dealer network in Romania. BYD, MG, Omoda, Leapmotor. You are better off buying from them.
- Models that cannot be type-approved. A few large SUVs and a few small city cars, with features RAR will not accept.
- New cars. Taxes on the value of a new car make the price uncompetitive. Why lightly used.
- Anything we have not driven. Every brand on the list is one we have sat behind the wheel of before recommending it.
You can ask for something else
Yes, as long as the model can be type-approved in Europe. Ask before you give up — checking costs nothing, and if the answer is no, we tell you why.
Is there something the article did not settle? Write to us; we answer with figures, not with "it depends".
