China's Chery Automobile May Enter The UK As It Looks To Build A Local Factory

By making its products in Europe, Chery will be able to avoid paying those tariffs. But Mr Zhang insists his company is always committed to local production.

"We're not trying to use any unfair methods," he points out.

"We want to be able to adapt to the local market and offer the best products, using the best dealers." Localisation is the only strategy in the long term, "he told the BBC.

Britain has not said whether it will adopt similar tariffs.

China's domestic car market is huge, with more than 30 million vehicles sold each year.

China also already has a sizable share of the global auto market, exporting about 5 million vehicles last year, up 64 percent from the previous year.

In the UK, Chinese car brands still account for a relatively small proportion of car sales, at around 5 per cent.

But established automakers fear the number could grow quickly, as the prices offered by Chinese brands are expected to play a key role in the market.