MG and BYD both entered Norway around 2020, and both chose the same basic path: joining an existing multi-brand importer rather than building one from scratch. Four or five years on, their growth curves and approaches look quite different — comparing them is more useful than retelling either as a simple success story on its own.
MG: steady growth
MG has been represented since 2020 by Norwegian Mobility Group (part of Gill Gruppen, also Subaru's Norwegian importer), with the ZS EV as its first volume model and the MG4 now its current best-seller, alongside the newer, more upmarket IM5/IM6 sub-brand. Sales grew from around 3,700 in 2020 to a record 5,458 in 2025, with cumulative sales passing 20,000 in May 2025. In NAF's independent winter-range test, the MG4's real-world range deviated less from its rated figure than the field average, earning a best-value rating. In early 2026, the MG S5 EV was recalled in Norway over a heating-control defect, affecting 1,524 registered cars, which MG said could produce smoke during preheating or standby.
BYD: an aggressive approach
BYD and RSA had been in talks since 2014 before signing formally in 2020, with Norway becoming BYD's European pilot market; the Tang SUV was the launch model, followed by the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal and Sealion 7 (now its top seller). Registered fleet grew from 1,058 in 2021 to 13,351 in 2025, about 0.5% of Norway's total car fleet. For full-year 2025, BYD was Norway's largest Chinese brand and placed among the top ten brands overall, reaching 7th place specifically in December 2025. BYD founder Wang Chuanfu visited Norway in February 2024; RSA's CEO, Frank Dunvold, said at the time the two companies were "discussing how to build BYD into one of Norway's largest car brands." The Tang's winter-test range deviation was similarly better than the field average.
What both validate
Neither brand built its own importer — both joined a local multi-brand group that was genuinely invested rather than reluctantly accommodating, and that shared commitment looks like the biggest common factor behind both results. Both also performed better than average in Norway's independent winter range testing, which matters more here than almost anywhere: a NAF survey found 62% of Norwegian buyers weigh winter range when choosing an EV.
What a new entrant can take from this
A partner's level of genuine commitment tends to predict growth better than initial brand awareness does — both MG and BYD benefited from a local partner that actually cared about the relationship. Winter-test results aren't just an engineering metric; the media coverage they generate functions as a real growth lever, worth treating as such rather than as a side detail. Worth noting: the lead BYD built in Norway was itself overtaken by another Chinese brand, XPeng, by 2026 (see the XPeng and NIO case study) — a reminder of how fast Norway's competitive order can shift.
Sources: RSA/BYD joint press release, MG's official 2025 record-year release, NAF's winter range test.