The uproar over Ferrari’s secretive partnership with a Chinese automaker has spilled into Westminster, where Britain’s most influential tech leaders are now calling for a regulatory clampdown on electric vehicles from China. The backlash, which erupted after Ferrari announced a joint venture with Chinese EV maker BYD, has exposed a deepening fault line between the allure of Chinese technology and the risks to national digital sovereignty.
At the centre of the storm is a letter, signed by a dozen British tech executives and addressed to the Prime Minister, warning that unbridled Chinese EV imports could turn Britain into a “digital colony”. The signatories include the CEOs of three major Silicon Valley transplants, the founder of a leading AI lab, and the head of a quantum computing start-up. Their argument is not simply about trade deficits or job losses. It is about the “operating system” of the connected car, which they claim could become a surveillance tool in the hands of a state with opaque data laws.
The timing is deliberate. Ferrari, once a symbol of Italian craftsmanship, is now seen by some as a Trojan horse for Chinese software. The joint venture, revealed last week, will see BYD supply batteries and a custom infotainment system for Ferrari’s first fully electric model. That system, critics point out, runs on an open-source platform developed by Tencent, a company with deep ties to Beijing’s security apparatus.
“We are sleepwalking into a future where our streets are filled with black boxes that can be switched off remotely,” said Julian Vane, the Technology and Innovation Lead of a think tank that organised the letter. “This is not about trade wars. This is about the user experience of a nation. If we let Chinese firms control the digital layer of our vehicles, we are essentially handing them the keys to our transport infrastructure.”
The call for a crackdown has been met with a mixed response from the government. Business Secretary Sarah Atherton has signalled support for stronger data protection rules for connected cars, but stopped short of endorsing a ban. Meanwhile, the Treasury is wary of provoking a retaliation from Beijing, which is Britain’s third-largest trading partner.
But the tech industry is not backing down. They argue that Chinese EVs already enjoy a generous subsidy from the state, which distorts prices and makes it impossible for British firms to compete. Worse, they say, these cars collect vast amounts of data on driving habits, locations and personal preferences, which could be used for industrial espionage or social control.
“We have seen this playbook before,” wrote one signatory, the founder of a successful autonomous driving firm. “First, they enter the market with low prices. Then they lock in users with proprietary charging networks. Finally, they extract data to improve their AI. Our cars become their training data.”
The Ferrari backlash has given this argument a potent symbol. The Italian automaker, once a byword for independence, is now accused of putting short-term profit over long-term security. Enthusiasts have launched a petition to boycott the electric Ferrari, calling it a “Chinese car with a Ferrari badge”. The company has defended the partnership, insisting that it retains full control over the user experience and that data stays in Europe.
Yet the debate is bigger than any single brand. It reflects a growing anxiety about the “software-defined” car, where the engine is secondary to the code. Britain, which once led the world in automotive innovation, now risks becoming a consumer of Chinese technology. The tech moguls want to reverse this trend by imposing strict rules on data localisation, security audits and “kill switches” that allow remote deactivation only by British authorities.
Opponents call this protectionism in a green disguise. Environmental groups point out that Chinese EVs are cheaper and more efficient, making them essential for reaching net-zero targets. They accuse the tech industry of trying to stifle competition under the guise of national security.
Julian Vane remains defiant. “This is not about killing the green transition. It is about making sure that transition does not come at the cost of our digital freedom. We can have clean cars and clean data. The two are not mutually exclusive.”
As the government deliberates, the spectacle of British tech leaders rallying against Chinese cars marks a turning point. It suggests that the future of mobility will be shaped not by horsepower, but by the power of algorithms and the sovereignty of data.
For now, the tech titans have the floor. But whether they can steer the government towards a crackdown remains to be seen. The next stop is the parliamentary committee on technology and trade, where both sides will get their hearing.
