- More than 60,000 EVs produced in China were exported to Europe last month.
- Some Chinese car manufacturers are being hit with tariff increases of over 35%.
- Officials from China and the European Union continue negotiating, hoping to find a solution.
Shipments of Chinese-made electric vehicles into Europe reached near record highs in September, just as the European Union prepares to slap imported EVs from China with hefty new tariffs.
Local customs data reveals that Chinese car manufacturers shipped 60,517 EVs to the European trade bloc last month, which consists of 27 countries across the continent. This represented a 61% increase from the year prior and was the second-highest level on record, only behind October 2023.
Read: Why Europe’s Automakers Are Against EU Tariffs On Chinese EVs
The rush to export EVs to Europe comes just weeks before hefty new tariffs are expected to be enacted by the end of this month, Auto News notes. On October 4, members of the European Union voted in favor of enforcing the new tariffs, despite five member countries voting against the tariff hikes. Tariffs would have been overturned if a qualified majority – 15 EU members representing 65% of the bloc’s population – had voted against them. However, that did not happen.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, voted against the tariff hikes and fears potential trade retaliation from China, which could hurt their businesses.
Officials from China and the EU continue to negotiate to see if a compromise can be reached. If a solution cannot be found in the coming days, the tariffs are tipped to go into effect at the end of the month.
Beijing is already fighting back against the tariff hikes. Officials from China have claimed the tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules and have lifted tariffs on brandy imported from the EU from 30.6% to 39%. The country may also hit pork and dairy imports from Europe with new tariffs and is contemplating raising tariffs on imported vehicles with large-displacement engines.
