Dodds on Formula E expansion in China: "I believe we will see a Chinese manufacturer again"

Since the end of the partnership between the current Cupra Kiro team and the Chinese car manufacturer Nio, no manufacturer from China is represented in Formula E anymore. Although the racing series has been intensively courting brands from China for years and is organising two E-Prix in the country for the first time this season, it is still unlikely that they will join in the near future.

Six manufacturers are currently active in Formula E and are also developing their own powertrains in the first two seasons of the Gen4 era. Four of them come from Europe: Porsche (Germany), Stellantis (Netherlands) with its two French brands DS and Citroen, Lola and Jaguar (both UK). They are joined by Mahindra (India) and Nissan (Japan). Yamaha, another Japanese manufacturer, is also involved through the Lola partnership.

China is the world's largest growth market for electromobility - Formula E 2026 is taking this into account with races in Shanghai and Sanya. Although BYD, Geely and SAIC have long been on the road internationally with electric cars, the racing series has so far waited in vain for one of these companies to get involved.

One reason for this is that many Chinese brands are still young and have historically hardly used motorsport as a marketing tool. Unlike traditional manufacturers with a history of combustion engines, they often lack an established racing culture. In the huge domestic market, additional attention was simply not necessary for a long time.

Dodds: "The timing has to be right"

"The Chinese market is the fastest growing market for electric vehicles in the world, and it is logical that Chinese manufacturers want to get involved in Formula E," says Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds at SoyMotor. "But the timing has to be right, and that is a combination of several factors."

Dodds points above all to the priorities of the manufacturers: "They are very focussed on the domestic market. If they want to sell globally, they need to shift their focus to a more global platform. That is the most important point. Next, they need to expand their knowledge of motorsport, because they don't have a long history in Formula 1 or Formula E, so they need to learn more about how motorsport can help them."

However, Dodds believes it is likely to happen sooner or later: at least one Chinese electric brand will take the step to become better known internationally "I believe we will see a Chinese manufacturer in the world championship, but certainly not at the beginning of the Gen4 era."

In practical terms, the timetable also speaks against it: The currently registered manufacturers have long since started developing their Gen4 powertrains. The logical time for a new manufacturer to join would therefore be the end of 2028: That's when the 15th Formula E season starts and thus the second phase of the Gen4 era, in which all manufacturers are allowed to develop new powertrains.