BEIJING — With regards to their favourite electrical automotive model, Chinese language shoppers’ best choice is Warren Buffett-backed BYD, in response to a survey by Bernstein.

Elon Musk’s Tesla ranks second, and third on the checklist is Germany’s Volkswagen, Bernstein stated. The agency cited the most recent outcomes from an everyday survey of Chinese language shoppers within the third quarter of the previous couple of years. This yr’s survey, launched Thursday, lined about 1,600 respondents.

Most of these surveyed lived in China’s bigger cities, with a mean age of 32 and month-to-month earnings of about 19,000 yuan ($2,969), the analysis agency.

Practically half the respondents stated they’ll take into account shopping for an electrical automobile for his or her subsequent automotive buy, the report stated, noting shopper preferences for decrease working prices, a greater driving expertise and environmental friendliness.

Intent to purchase an electrical automotive from a Chinese language start-up like Nio or Xpeng doubled this yr to about 9.5% of these surveyed, up from round 5% for the previous couple of years.

Chinese language start-ups ranked first within the “higher mass & premium” section of the electrical automotive market, which covers vehicles costing no less than 150,000 yuan ($23,437). The subsequent most-favored in that section was Tesla, adopted by premium German manufacturers like BMW and Audi, the survey discovered.

However throughout vehicles of all classes, premium German manufacturers ranked first, adopted by Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, and Chinese language manufacturers together with BYD and Geely, the report stated. Electrical automotive start-ups ranked sixth on this class.

China is the world’s largest auto market and lots of European automotive firms are making the nation the start line of their push into electrical autos.

Volkswagen generates about 41% of its gross sales quantity in China, in response to Goldman Sachs.

Porsche counts China as its largest single market and reported 11% progress within the first three quarters of the yr from the identical interval a yr in the past. Throughout that point on a worldwide foundation, the German luxurious automaker stated its lately launched electrical Taycan mannequin outsold its flagship 911 sports activities automotive.

— CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.