Customs data showed that in September this year, Chinese auto brands exported 60,517 electric vehicles to the 27 EU countries, a year-on-year increase of 61%, the second highest level on record.
The last export peak was in October 2023 (67,000 vehicles), when the EU officially announced an anti-subsidy investigation on Chinese-made electric vehicles.
On October 4, EU member states voted to impose additional import tariffs of up to 35% on Chinese-made electric vehicles, with 10 countries including France, Italy and Poland supporting the measure. Currently, although China and the EU are still negotiating alternative solutions to tariffs, the tariffs are expected to take effect at the end of October.
The surge in Chinese brand electric vehicle exports in September shows that Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers want to avoid the upcoming tariffs. However, even if the tariffs take effect by then, it is not expected to stop Chinese automakers from entering the European market. Chinese cars are usually sold at higher prices overseas than at home, but lower than the prices of local European automakers.
In order to avoid the impact of tariffs, some automakers have begun to seek localized production in Europe. BYD plans to produce cars in Hungary and Türkiye, while Xpeng Motors and Geely’s high-end electric vehicle brand Zeekr have also said they are considering localizing production.