Warning Chinese electric car ‘invasion’ could cripple Britain

a coming influx of Chinese electric cars poses a security risk as they could be remotely controlled to “crittle” Britain, according to the head of the industry’s professional body.

Britons face “significant safety problems” from Chinese cars, warned Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of Motor Industry.

In a report to be shared with automakers and regulators, Professor Saker said there was “no way” to prevent Chinese cars from being remote controlled.

He said: “The automaker can be in Shanghai and could stop 100,000 to 300,000 cars across Europe, thus bringing a country to a standstill.”

While regulators can test car samples for spyware or other security vulnerabilities, it’s not feasible to test thousands of vehicles, he said.

A similar fragility of the test samples allowed Volkswagen to cheat on emissions tests before the Dieselgate scandal.

Up to 30 new EV brands are interested in the UK car market, most of them Chinese.

Companies such as BYD and Ora, who already have deals with UK distributors, will join a series of other car manufacturers including Chery, Dongfeng and Haval.