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Shkruar nga Pamfleti
For decades, Albania has been identified as the “land of Mercedes,” thanks to the large number of used vehicles imported from Germany and other European countries. However, the new vehicle market is changing rapidly, as Chinese brands, led by BYD, are taking the lead.
According to data published by Deutsche Welle, in 2022, around 740 thousand vehicles were registered in Albania, of which over 212 thousand were Mercedes - 30 percent of the market.
But just a few years later, the situation in the new vehicle market in Albania has changed significantly. During 2026, BYD became the best-selling brand in Albania, thanks to the economical offer for the electric and hybrid model, data from the General Directorate of Road Transport Services show.
In the first half of this year alone, BYD has secured about 50 percent of the new vehicle market. In January it had 47.9 percent, in March it reached 62 percent, while in April it was over 54 percent. In May and June the market share stabilized at around 45 percent, which means that almost every second new car sold in Albania was a BYD brand.
Although the Albanian market is relatively small, in just six months, around 4,000 BYD vehicles have been sold, indicating the rapid change in buyer preferences.
In addition to BYD, models from other Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Leapmotor, Li Auto, Geely, Zeekr and Avatr are also being added to Albanian roads, as well as electric models from Volkswagen, produced for the Chinese market and imported at prices much lower than those in Europe.
A Volkswagen ID.7 can be purchased in Albania for around 23 thousand euros, while in Germany the starting price is around 54,500 euros.
However, the versions for the Chinese market also have some limitations. Some software functions are not available, online services and factory navigation do not work due to the configuration for the Chinese market, while performance and charging speed may be somewhat lower than on models intended for the European market, writes "Klix".
Another reason for the growing presence of Chinese vehicles is that many of them are imported directly by private companies or individuals and not only through official distributors. Competitive prices have made them increasingly attractive to Albanian buyers.
The best-selling model is the BYD Yuan Up, known in some markets as the Atto 2. This compact SUV costs around 14,200 euros in Albania, while in Germany the starting price is around 31,990 euros. The BYD Sealion 7 is also among the most sought-after models.
One of the main factors that has favored this development is the fact that Albania is not a member of the European Union, so it does not apply the additional customs tariffs that the EU has imposed on electric vehicles manufactured in China. At the same time, the Albanian market is very price-sensitive, which has given Chinese manufacturers a major advantage over European competitors.
Today, electric and hybrid vehicles make up about 80 percent of the new vehicle market in Albania, with Chinese brands accounting for the largest share.
The Albanian example is increasingly being cited in European media as evidence of how competitive Chinese manufacturers could be in the European Union market if additional import tariffs had not been imposed. It also shows that the high prices of European vehicles are creating space for Chinese brands to gain a significant share of the market in a very short time.
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