- Chinese brands sharply increased Italian footprint as October registrations hit 23,242 units (17.6% market share), reflecting aggressive expansion to seize share from legacy European incumbents.
- BYD, MG, Chery’s Omoda/Jaecoo, and Leapmotor drove volumes; BYD registered 6,009 units in October and 47,714 year-to-date, while China-made BEVs accounted for nearly half of Italy’s BEV registrations.
- Execution risks include rapid scaling needs, potential supply or distribution bottlenecks, dealer and aftersales capacity strain, and sustained margin pressure if price competition intensifies.
New vehicle registrations in Italy reached 131,921 in October 2026, up 4.8% year on year, according to the latest data from the Italian Association of the Automotive Industry (ANFIA).
Registrations in the first 10 months of the year exceeded 1.4 million, an increase of 8.3% from the same period in 2025.
While the overall market continued to expand at a moderate pace, its powertrain mix is shifting, with Chinese automotive brands gaining market share at an accelerating rate.
By powertrain, registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) rose 24% year on year in October, giving them a 5.9% market share.
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) registrations jumped 79.5%, accounting for 12.8% of the market.
By contrast, conventional internal combustion engine vehicles remained under pressure.
Petrol and diesel vehicle registrations fell 18.1% and 38.3%, respectively, year on year during the month.
A total of 23,242 China-made vehicles from all automakers were registered in Italy in October, accounting for 17.6% of the market, up 97% from the same month in 2025.
Registrations of China-made vehicles exceeded 215,000 in the first 10 months, up 91.4% year on year, giving them a 15.4% share of the Italian market.
Nearly half of all newly registered BEVs in Italy during the first 10 months were made in China. China-made vehicles also accounted for more than 46% of newly registered PHEVs.
BYD registered 6,009 vehicles in Italy in October, up 220.7% year on year, for a market share of 4.6%.
Its registrations in the first 10 months totaled 47,714, an increase of 184.9% from a year earlier.
The Seal U DM-i was BYD’s best-selling model in the country, with 2,571 registrations in October.
This account for 42.8% of the brand’s monthly total, ranking ninth among Italy’s best-selling models for the month.
SAIC Motor’s MG brand recorded 5,358 registrations in October, up 37.9% year on year. Its cumulative registrations for January-October reached 47,389, an increase of 10.2%.
The MG ZS accounted for 3,005 registrations during the month, ranking fourth among all models in Italy.
Omoda and Jaecoo, two brands under Chery, recorded a combined 4,988 registrations in October, up 171.8% year on year. Omoda accounted for 2,710 units, while Jaecoo registered 2,278.
Leapmotor posted the fastest growth among the Chinese brands. Its registrations in Italy reached 1,600 in October, surging 455.6% year on year.
Cumulative registrations for the first 10 months climbed 949.2% to 30,048 units.
The T03 ranked first in Italy’s cumulative BEV registration rankings for January-October, while the B10 placed tenth.
Meanwhile, several established automakers recorded weaker results. Stellantis registered 30,285 vehicles in October, down 9.5% year on year, but remained Italy’s largest automotive group by sales.
Volkswagen Group and Renault Group recorded 20,903 and 12,905 registrations, respectively, during the month, down 6.4% and 5% year on year.
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