'I attended China's latest car launch - this is why they could take over the UK'

China has arrived in the UK with Chery just the latest manufacturer to lift the covers off its UK expansion plans last week. In a glitzy event at London's O2 Arena, Chery demonstrated why China is a genuine threat to Western manufacturers.

After showing off their two new models, the Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8, one word was on every person's lips in attendance. The five-letter word hung in the air, almost every conversation I had started with it, and every debate concluded with it. The word - price. Starting from just £29,995, Chery will go to market with the most affordable hybrid in the UK when the Tiggo 7 hits the road.

Soon after, the Tiggo 8 will break another record with the cheapest seven-seater SUV on the road at just £28,545. Chery's latest models come after the success of sister brand OMODA and Jaecoo with 25,000 sales in the UK already to their name after just one year.

Oliver Lowe, head of Products at Chery said: "We're offering a plug-in hybrid at the price of most people's full hybrids. Because it is self charging as well it works super well for retail customers." In comparison, you're looking at another £10,000 for a Hyundai Tucson and maybe even another £30,000 for a plug-in Range Rover.

For under £30,000, Chery is offering a plug-in packed with tech, fitted with leather seats, has 425 litres of boot space and an estimated range of over 700 miles. Even the car's few initial shortcomings, such as cheaper plastics compared to some of its rivals, can be explained by price.

Ultimately, is a slightly fancier steering wheel and better seats worth paying thousands of pounds more, you'd struggle to find any ordinary motorist agreeing otherwise.

Chery's Dr Luan Yunfei stressed the brand wasn't only just selling their cars based on price with designing a quality product still important. He said: "We are selling quality, I would not say we are selling on price."

However, speaking to some dealership owners, the rise of China is certainly catching the attention of consumers. Recent studies found that 7 in 10 motorists in the UK would at least consider buying Chinese models.

One individual I spoke to even claimed that Chinese cars "could take over" sooner rather than later. According to a recent study of car dealers by Close Brothers Motor Finance, price is the most important factor when buying a used car.

More than three-quarters of dealers (77%) said price was the number one issue, even higher than mileage (57%) and manufacturer and model name (45%).

A further poll by YouGov also discovered that the right price was the most determining factor for future car buyers (61%). This even superseded the ability to test drive vehicles (57%) and whether they could trade in their current models (35%).

China's come to town. And if prices stay low, customers are likely to keep the launch party going on for some time to come.