Study for Europe:

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The Chinese manufacturer BYD is pushing into the EU market with affordable electric cars.

(Bild: BYD)

According to a study, one in four electric cars sold to Europe this year could have been manufactured in China. Last year, the figure was almost a fifth (19.5 per cent) in Europe and 15 per cent in Germany, as the organization Transport & Environment (T&E) announced in Berlin on Wednesday. So far, most of the imports have been cars produced in China by manufacturers from the EU or the USA. However, Chinese brands are also catching up.

According to the data, more than half of the electric vehicles shipped to Europe in 2023 were built by "Western car manufacturers". Tesla alone imported 28 percent, with the Romanian car manufacturer Dacia, which belongs to Renault, accounting for a further 20 percent. However, T&E assumes that Chinese brands will continue to enter the market in the coming years.

BYD & Co. are catching up quickly
T&E assumes that Chinese car manufacturers will already have an eleven percent share of the market this year. This share could rise further to 20 percent by 2027. Between 2019 and 2023, the figure already climbed significantly from 0.4 to 7.9 percent. The Chinese manufacturer BYD alone is aiming for a share of five percent in the coming year.

Tariffs do not protect forever
An increase in tariffs within the European Union could lead to car manufacturers relocating or expanding their production to Europe, explained Sebastian Bock, Managing Director of T&E Germany. "But tariffs will not protect established European car manufacturers forever. Chinese companies will build factories in Europe," he explained.

It is therefore also crucial to increase production in Europe with the help of a "regulatory push". According to this, there must be targets for the electrification of company cars and 100 percent emission-free cars from 2035.