Chinese brands take record share of Norway's new car registrations in October

OSLO, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese brands accounted for a record 22.5 percent of new passenger car registrations in Norway in October, up from 16.9 percent a year earlier, the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) said Monday.

Registrations of Chinese-brand cars reached 3,534, compared with 1,879 in October last year. Their share surpassed the previous monthly record of 22.1 percent set in July, according to OFV.

XPeng ranked fifth among all brands with 932 registrations, up from 376 a year earlier. BYD recorded 816 registrations, while Changan's total rose from 15 to 339.

"More than one in five new cars is now from a Chinese brand, and the number has almost doubled in one year. In a short time, the Chinese brands have gone from being challengers to becoming a permanent part of the Norwegian car market," said OFV Chief Executive Geir Inge Stokke.

Norway registered 15,725 new passenger cars overall in October, an increase of 41.2 percent year on year and the highest October total in more than 30 years.

Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 98.8 percent of the month's registrations. Tesla was the most-registered brand with 1,548 cars, followed by Toyota with 1,493 and Volkswagen with 1,308.