Germany's intake of electric vehicles from China keeps on escalating.
Increase in the volume of imported electric vehicles in Germany has been largely influenced by a decrease in imports from the Czech Republic and South Korea. These imports dropped by a substantial 45.3% from January to April this year, resulting in only 77,000 electric vehicles being imported.
Conversely, China witnessed a significant surge in electric vehicle imports throughout the year 2023. Germany imported an impressive 129,800 pure electric passenger cars valued at around 3.4 billion Euro from China. This amounts to a tripled volume and a tenfold increase in worth compared to the previous year, and a whopping thirty times more than in 2020.
China comprised 29% of the total electric vehicle imports last year, while South Korea took up 9.9% and the Czech Republic held 9.3%.
Currently, Chinese electric vehicles are under the spotlight due to impending EU tariffs. The EU Commission recently announced plans for increased tariffs on electric vehicles manufactured in China. The underlying reason being accusations that Chinese producers are reaping subsidies at the expense of European counterparts. The EU has granted Beijing a reprieve, as negotiations with Chinese authorities and companies are scheduled to take place first, with new tariffs set to be introduced at the beginning of July.
This issue is expected to significantly impact Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck (Greens) during his upcoming trip to China this week. He will be accompanied by a parliamentary and an economic delegation. The German automotive industry has strong roots in China and is apprehensive about the possible repercussions of EU tariffs on Chinese cars. While Chinese authorities might retaliate with countermeasures, electric vehicles produced by German manufacturers in China could be negatively affected when exported to Europe as well.
