More than half of American car buyers would consider a Chinese car brand for their next purchase, an increase of almost 25 percent compared to last year. That's according to a survey of prospective car buyers conducted annually by the research firm AutoPacific. And yes, those car buyers are conscious of the privacy and security fears.
AutoPacific spoke to 18,000 people who said they were planning to buy or lease a new car within the next three years for its 2025 Future Attribution Demand Study, and the company has been releasing snippets of data as it analyzes them, ahead of the full report's release later this year.
There has already been at least one surprise. Last year, partially automated driving systems like General Motors' Super Cruise or Ford's BlueCruise, or those developed by Tesla, were not in high demand. This year, that tech went to the top of the most-wanted list, with 43 percent of consumers saying they want hands-free partial automation. The same percentage also indicated a demand for rear automatic emergency braking. Wireless device charging, No. 1 in the list in 2024, didn't make the top 15 for 2025.
Can I buy a Huawei to drive on the highway?
In 2024, just 53 percent of surveyed consumers said they were familiar with Chinese cars, and only 41 percent said they would consider one. This year, 65 percent were familiar with Chinese brands, and 51 percent said they'd consider one for their next vehicle.
Huawei came first among the Chinese brands, with 27 percent prepared to consider one. Xiaomi placed second (23 percent), with the Tesla-outselling BYD in third place (19 percent).
A chart from AutoPacific showing 2024 and 2025 attitudes toward Chinese cars. Credit: AutoPacific
Chinese cars are fast being recognized for offering a level of digital integration that is far ahead of the connected cars on sale in the US. "Aside from the responsiveness of screens... I feel like people hate screens here because they're not done very well," said Kevin Williams, an automotive journalist who has spent time getting to know the latest in Chinese vehicles.
"Versus in China, it just seems so intuitive," he said. "Not just how easy it is to use, and I barely understand any sort of Chinese characters... [but] just like the support it has for popular apps. When I was in the Xiaomi SU7, it had a full-fat, full-service Apple Music, like it looks like what I would get on a computer. And it wasn't just Apple Music; they had whatever the Chinese equivalent of Spotify and other popular apps—Chinese TikTok—they all have these full-fat apps that run with, like, no real running issues."