Different rates

This is how high the punitive tariffs on Chinese cars are

The BYD Seagull will probably not be a total price breaker when it comes onto the market in Europe after all.

(Bild: Stephan Schätzl)

It's a done deal: from Friday, the European Union will impose punitive tariffs on imports of electric cars from China, which will be added to the ten percent already due. The amount of the additional duties varies. Here is an overview.

However, the tariffs will not only affect Chinese companies, but also e-cars produced in China by Western manufacturers that are imported to Europe from the People's Republic. The amount depends on whether the companies cooperate with the EU.

BYD: 17.4 percent
BYD temporarily overtook Volkswagen as market leader in China in 2023. The company, which is currently the eye-catching sponsor of the European Football Championship, has its headquarters in Shenzhen. BYD's current exports to Europe include the Atto 3, Seal and Tang SUV models and the Dolphin compact car.

Geely: 19.9 percent
Geely was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Hangzhou. The company, which once started out building refrigerators, is now one of the world's largest car manufacturers. Geely caused a stir with its purchase of the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo, which has been part of Geely since 2010. Polestar is also part of the empire of company founder and major Mercedes shareholder Li Shufu. In Europe, Geely is also represented with cars from the Lynk & Co and Zeekr brands. There is also a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz: the Smart has been produced by a joint venture in China since 2022.

SAIC Group: 37.6 percent
The Volkswagen partner is represented in Europe with the MG brand and manufactures the MG4 compact car and the MG5 estate, among others.

Cooperative carmakers: 20.8 percent
This group includes the Chinese BMW subsidiary, which manufactures the iX3 SUV for global export in China, and Dongfeng, which produces the Dacia Spring small car in a joint venture with Renault and Nissan. This category also includes Great Wall, which sells Ora brand vehicles from China in Europe, and Nio. Tesla, with its Shanghai plant for the Model 3, applied for a special audit at an early stage in order to achieve a lower tariff.

Uncooperative companies: 37.6 percent
In addition to SAIC, this group includes all companies that have not cooperated with the EU Commission in the anti-dumping investigation and have failed to provide the required information. This includes the BMW subsidiary Mini, which has been producing the Mini Cooper and Mini Aceman models in a joint venture with Great Wall in China since the end of 2023.

The duties will be imposed provisionally
The tariffs will come into force provisionally at midnight on Friday after Brussels and Beijing failed to reach an agreement in the dispute over the People's Republic's subsidy and trade practices. Provisional means that the customs authorities will initially demand the duties as a guarantee. Whether they will then be retained depends on whether an agreement is reached with China in the coming months.