Moroccans Shift Toward Chinese Cars: Quality and Price as the Winning Formula

ALDAR/ Iman Alaoui

Morocco’s car market is undergoing one of the fastest transformations in its modern history, driven by the unexpected surge of Chinese brands that are reshaping competition and setting a new pace that has disrupted traditional manufacturers.

Official figures clearly illustrate this shift. BYD, for instance, which sold only 11 cars in June 2024, skyrocketed to 412 units in June 2025 — an explosive growth of more than 3,600%. In the same trend, Changan boosted sales by around 85%, while Geely jumped by 115%, growth rates rarely seen in a sector that had long been dominated by European, Korean, and Japanese brands.

This breakthrough has come at a cost for long-established players. Companies like Auto Hall lost a significant share of the market, falling below 10% during the first half of 2025, despite still selling thousands of cars. The issue is not declining demand, but rather the shifting preferences of Moroccan consumers, who now find in Chinese cars the perfect balance between affordability and advanced technology — from digital dashboards and driver-assistance systems to electric and hybrid engines — all priced about 30 to 40% lower than their European counterparts.

Beyond the commercial battle, these changes have paved the way for wider industrial transformations. Morocco is preparing to host major electric battery factories. BTR is investing nearly 3 billion dirhams in a plant near Tangier to produce 50,000 tons of cathode materials by 2026. Meanwhile, industry giant Gotion High Tech is planning a massive project in Kenitra, with over $1.3 billion in investment to build Africa’s first Gigafactory, with a production capacity that could reach 100 GWh.

In short, Morocco’s auto market is experiencing a genuine revolution: Chinese brands rising at rocket speed, traditional competitors forced to reposition themselves, and the state betting on massive investments to consolidate Morocco’s role as a regional hub for car manufacturing and clean technologies. At the center of it all, the Moroccan consumer emerges as the biggest winner, now enjoying a wider choice of vehicles that combine higher quality with lower prices than ever before.