Largest car dealer in the US explains why it isn't interested in selling Chinese cars

As Chinese cars are dominating sales charts all over the world, the CEO of the largest car dealer in the US, Lithia Motors, explains why the likes of BYD won’t be on his shop floor, even if the politics change and the doors open.

From the UK to Australia, Chinese cars – specifically EVs – are flying out of the shops at record rates.

With BYD recording over two million exports in 2025, the industry is shifting in its favor. Just not in the US, due to the tariffs.

However, one of the biggest experts in America has revealed his shops aren’t in a rush to stock Chinese cars if they arrive in the States, despite their popularity.

VISIT SBX CARS – View live supercar auctions powered by Supercar Blondie

Largest car dealer in the US claims Chinese cars won’t be on their forecourt

BYD specifically has become an absolute global powerhouse in 2026, having dethroned Tesla as the best-selling EV brand in the world.

Despite housing Chinese vehicles in its shops dotted around the UK, American company Lithia Motors has now claimed that if they come to the US, they won’t be rushing to stock them.

The reason why is that CEO Bryan DeBoer believes that ‘fundamental differences’ in the service operations wouldn’t be possible, even though it is the largest car dealer in the US.

He told investors in a recent call that 50-60 percent of their profits come from servicing vehicles and parts.

The fact that they don’t have a dual-franchising system to expand their workshops would rule Lithia Motors out of selling the Chinese cars.

“I think we would probably not be early adopters when it comes to the United States or possibly even Canada, primarily because we’re usually not in a dual franchise situation,” he said.

Currently, Lithia Motors has 10 UK-based dealerships that house three Chinese brands, but the infrastructure in the US wouldn’t be ready for the rate at which the cars sell.

“We do have building relationships with a number of Chinese brands,” he continued.

“We’ll keep our minds open and look at the opportunities that present in the future.”

Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology

Chinese EVs are still years away from coming to the US

The Chinese EV scene only really erupted last year, signified by over 800 percent rises in sales in certain countries around the world.

Very few of the electric cars were successful before then, with President Trump hiking the Chinese tariffs on Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to around 25 percent during his first term.

The Biden administration then upped these tariffs to 100 percent in 2024, which was continued into 2025 when President Trump went back to the White House.

These tariffs have stopped Chinese brands from successfully landing on US shores, despite their overwhelming success in Europe and Asia.

With the POTUS showing support for these taxes, there’s no indication that they will be lifted any time soon, maintaining success rates for the likes of Ford and Tesla.

Recent surveys suggest that almost all automotive executives in the US believe that Chinese cars will be sold in the US in the future.

But the tariffs are certainly buying the US manufacturers more time to become competitive with the affordable prices of the Chinese cars.

Both Ford and Tesla have announced cheaper electric cars in the last few months, in preparation for any competitors coming soon.

Still, even if Chinese EVs land, it’s clear that even the largest car dealer in the US isn’t on board, and the infrastructure for servicing will take years to build.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie