Chery Automobile Co’s Omoda outsold Tesla, Jeep and Fiat in Spain last month, a promising sign for the Chinese automaker’s ambitious push into Europe.

Omoda sold 744 new cars in Spain last month, a 8,167% increase over the nine cars registered in August of last year, according to Spain’s Anfac. Its models include the €28,000 Omoda 5, a combustion-engine sport utility vehicle (SUV) that has a pricier electric sibling.

The Omoda sales push started with its official launch in Spain earlier this year. Chery, BYD and Geely are among the Chinese automakers expanding in Europe to escape a bruising price war at home. They’re arriving just as new European Union (EU) tariffs on electric cars imported from China amplify the impact of a broader slowdown for electric vehicles (EVs).

Chery is using Spain as a base for its wider expansion in the region. By the end of this year, the company hopes to start production of electric Omoda SUVs at a former Nissan Motor Co factory near Barcelona’s cargo port, a move that should help the company avoid the EU duties. The manufacturer is also scouting sites for a second European location.

Tesla, which offers only EVs, registered 549 vehicles in Spain last month, according to Anfac, whose full name is the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. Jeep and Fiat sold 532 and 305 vehicles in the country, respectively.

  - Bloomberg