More than 30 Chinese-made hybrid cars that caught fire on Wednesday had seemingly already been sold.
The Jaecoo vehicles had reportedly been bought by customers and were in the care of National Vehicle Distribution (NVD).
One representative at NVD told a reporter ‘no stories mate, they’re our customers’ cars so it’s confidential’.
Black smoke filled the sky of the port city of Southampton as 33 cars burned in the docks.
The vehicles were estimated to be worth more than £900,000 in total, based on a starting price of £27,505 per vehicle.
Ten fire engines attended the blaze at the Western Docks in Southampton.
The vehicles were Chinese Jaecoo 5 hybrids. Emergency crews were called to the scene at 4.20am, and the fire was brought under control by 6am.
The burnt-out cars are still at the site, surrounded by cordons waiting to be moved.
Thirty-three Jaecoo SUV electric vehicles worth almost £1million have been engulfed in a fire at Southampton docks
Huge plumes of smoke filled the air after the blaze broke out in the early hours of Wednesday
Damage was seen done to the electric cars at the storage compound in West Bay Road
A spokesperson for Jaecoo UK said the company had been informed of the fire, that it was reported at around 4am, brought under control within an hour, and was under investigation.
Associated British Ports (ABP) own the land at the docks and their security were ushering reporters away from the site.
Food technician Jacek Majchrzak, 44, who lives near the docks, said: ‘I got up at about 5am this morning and heard some sounds like ‘boom, boom’ or something.
‘I ignored it and kept on going around doing stuff before work. I checked my calendar and saw it was bin collection day so I went out and I saw it. I think ‘what on earth is going on’.
‘It’s thick black smoke and I can hear small explosions. I text my neighbours but by the time they were up at 6am it was gone. I thought it was rubbish disposal or recycling or something.
‘It smelled bad but I wasn’t too worried.’
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: ‘Multiple crews were called at around 04:20am on 3 June to a fire at a vehicle storage compound in Southampton.’
Firefighters used jets, the aerial ladder platform and ground monitors to fight the fire which involved 33 hybrid vehicles.
At the height of the incident there were 10 fire engines, two water carriers, an aerial ladder platform and support vehicles on site.
Due to significant smoke in the area, residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed
There were no reported injuries.’
An ABP spokesperson said: ‘There has been a fire in a vehicle storage compound in the Western Docks area of the Port of Southampton.
Firefighters were called at about 4.20am to the site after reports of ‘explosions’
The cars involved are believed to be electric E5 vehicles from Chinese brand Jaecoo (stock pic)
‘All personnel are safely accounted for.
‘The fire is well under control and has impacted around 25 vehicles.
‘ABP staff are supporting the incident response services in their work.’
The Jaecoo 7 was the UK’s most popular new car in March and the best-selling new car of 2026 to date according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
It has been nicknamed the ‘Temu Range Rover’ because of its styling and lower price compared with luxury SUV brands.
Some 10,000 Jaecoo 7s were registered in March alone, outselling the Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai.
Despite only going on sale in January 2025, 26,048 Jaecoo 7s were sold during 2025, making it the fourth most popular retail car in the UK.
