Paris 2026 opens today, and the Chinese pavilion is the premium floor. If you import or distribute, this is your buying window - not next year. Here is the four-step playbook I would run before signing anything off the show floor.
Step 1 - Score margin headroom, not headline price. The EU duty stacks 27-45% on BEVs. A model priced to absorb that and still earn is a model you can stock through the duty. Ask for the landed margin, not the factory sticker.
Step 2 - Check the local-plant credential. BYD Hungary, SAIC Spain, Chery's European pipeline - a brand with concrete poured in the region owes no countervailing duty and gives you allocation priority. Put "local plant yes/no" at the top of the scorecard.
Step 3 - Pin the certification and ADAS status. Europe's type-approval and driver-assist rules are unforgiving. A debut car that is not yet homologated for your market is a 12-month wait, not a Q1 unit. Get the cert timeline in writing.
Step 4 - Demand the service plan. Paris sells the dream; your market lives on parts and training. Require a local parts hub commitment and technician certification before you commit volume. No service plan, no signature.
The trap is signing on the booth buzz. The brands worth a channel partnership clear all four steps; the ones selling only a low price clear none. Walk the show with this list, not a brochure.
So before you sign at Paris - have you scored margin, plant, certification and service, or are you buying the sticker?
