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Blog & Insights

Practical guides. Export playbooks. Market reports.

Field notes from 4 years of shipping Chinese vehicles to 50+ markets — practical guides for dealers, fleet operators, and importers.

Three Brands, Three Playbooks: A Dealer's Selection Dilemma
Markets

Three Brands, Three Playbooks: A Dealer's Selection Dilemma

A Saudi dealer recently asked me a question: "I want to get into Chinese EVs, but I don't know whether to bet on BYD, MG, or Geely. What if I bet on the wrong one?"

2026-06-10 · 6 min
Saved 20,000 Dirhams, Then Waited Eight Weeks for a Part — One Parallel Import Owner's Experience
Import Guide

Saved 20,000 Dirhams, Then Waited Eight Weeks for a Part — One Parallel Import Owner's Experience

A post that gets repeatedly shared on UAE automotive forums goes roughly like this: an owner bought a Chinese-brand EV through an unofficial channel, paying about 15% less than the official dealer's quote. Two months after deli...

2026-06-10 · 6 min
July, 2 PM, 51°C Outside, AC on Full Blast — Can This Car Handle It?
Markets

July, 2 PM, 51°C Outside, AC on Full Blast — Can This Car Handle It?

This is the question every potential EV buyer in the Gulf market asks themselves. Not the rated range measured in a 23°C lab — but the real-world range with the AC blasting, stuck in traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road at two in the a...

2026-06-10 · 6 min
How Many Kilometers Do You Drive Each Day?
Markets

How Many Kilometers Do You Drive Each Day?

I've asked this question to over a dozen friends in Dubai who were considering an EV. The highest answer: "60 kilometers round trip, 80 if there's traffic." The lowest: "I just go around Marina and JLT, less than 30 a day."

2026-06-10 · 6 min
Two Years Ago Customers Walked In Asking "Is This Car Safe?" — Now They Walk In Asking "What's the Range?"
Industry

Two Years Ago Customers Walked In Asking "Is This Car Safe?" — Now They Walk In Asking "What's the Range?"

A salesperson who has been selling Chinese cars in Dubai for three years said something to me: "The questions have changed. Before, it was a trust question — 'are you guys any good.' Now, it's a product question — 'which trim g...

2026-06-10 · 7 min
A Customer Walks In Asking Two Questions: "Do You Have the Seal?" and "How Much?"
Markets

A Customer Walks In Asking Two Questions: "Do You Have the Seal?" and "How Much?"

A Dubai dealer told me last month: a customer walked into his showroom, phone in hand, with a BYD Seal page already open on Dubizzle. He didn't ask about the brand. He didn't ask about the warranty. He asked two questions: "Do ...

2026-06-10 · 7 min
If a Model Can Sell 80,000 Units Overseas in One Year, Dealers Should Probably Read the Spec Sheet
Markets

If a Model Can Sell 80,000 Units Overseas in One Year, Dealers Should Probably Read the Spec Sheet

Here's a number that doesn't get enough attention: Jetour sold more than 80,000 T2 units in export markets in 2025. That's not a prediction or a target — it's units already shipped, imported, and sitting on dealer lots from Riy...

2026-06-10 · 7 min
When Xiaomi Builds a Car, It Doesn't Just Make Headlines — It Makes Production Lines
Markets

When Xiaomi Builds a Car, It Doesn't Just Make Headlines — It Makes Production Lines

When Apple talked about building a car, the world waited ten years and got a cancellation notice. When Xiaomi announced its EV intentions in 2021, the market response was cautious at best — another tech company thinking cars ar...

2026-06-10 · 7 min
If Your Customer Walks In With 60,000 AED and Says "I Want an EV" — What Do You Show Them?
Markets

If Your Customer Walks In With 60,000 AED and Says "I Want an EV" — What Do You Show Them?

Not every customer walks into a showroom with a six-figure budget and a list of must-have features. Some walk in with a number — and the number is tight. For those customers, the question isn't "which Chinese EV has the best ra...

2026-06-10 · 7 min