Following the United States, the European Union is also preparing to impose temporary tariffs on mainland trams, which will bring some uncertainties to the mainland new energy vehicle industry, but will not hinder the growth of mainland automobile exports and the overall new energy vehicle industry.
Why? After decades of development, the mainland's new energy vehicle industry has been relatively mature, with outstanding advantages in the industrial chain, strong cost control capabilities, and full cost performance.
Among them, the highest EU tariffs on mainland automakers are SAIC at 38.1%, Geely at 20% and BYD at 17.4%, while other Chinese EV producers will be subject to a weighted average tax of 21%, and these temporary tariffs will be implemented from July.
SAIC Motor was the most taxed because SAIC Motor Motor ranked first in China in terms of vehicle exports, with 4.68 million vehicles exported from mainland China in 2023, of which 1.2 million were exported, accounting for a quarter.
More importantly, SAIC Motor also ranked first in export sales to Europe, with 240,000 vehicles exported to Europe last year, followed by Geely (22,000 units) and BYD (16,000 units).
However, the British media calculated that if Europe wants to really weaken the price advantage of Chinese trams, at least tariffs must reach more than 50%, after all, China's tram cost control ability is very strong, and the current price advantage is very marketable in the world.
Some people say that Europe and the United States have almost given up the development and production of electric vehicles, but this is an impossible thing, such a big cake, Europe and the United States are not stupid, how can they give up? It's just that at present, China is in an all-round lead in the field of trams, and Europe and the United States cannot compete, so the dog jumped over the wall in a hurry and used the next policy of imposing tariffs.
Looking at the global new energy vehicle sales list in the first quarter of 2024, BYD ranks first, Tesla ranks second, Germany's BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen are in the top ten, and BMW sold 117,000 new energy vehicles in the first quarter, ranking third in the world.
In addition, Peugeot in France sold 35,000 units, Ford sold nearly 40,000 units, as well as Toyota, Volvo, Hyundai Kia, etc., all on the list, and new energy vehicles are still being sold, so Europe and the United States have not given up on electric cars at all.
If you can't fight, you will pick a child, and if you can't compete, you will increase tariffs, this is the current thinking of Europe and the United States.
However, China's new energy vehicles to go global, for the EU such tariffs must be countered, China has been imported from the EU pork anti-dumping investigation, fired the first shot back.
You must know that among the European countries that have imposed tariffs on mainland trams, Spain has jumped the highest, followed by France and Italy, and Spain is the country that exports the most pork from the European Union, and France ranks second in pork exports, which can be described as a precise counterattack.
In 2023, the mainland will import 6 billion US dollars of pork, of which EU pork accounts for more than half, for the mainland, it is a big deal to import from another country, such as Russia, there are many countries that can be replaced, but Europe is different, and it is European farmers who suffer the direct losses.
Last year, in protest against taxes, French peasants drove tractors to spray manure and straw at government buildings.
The trade war between China and the EU has begun, and the mainland's countermeasures have just begun, but the EU is not monolithic, and the internal differences are also very large.
It is not difficult to understand that Germany has invested and benefited greatly in the Chinese market, which is a significant contributor to the Volkswagen Group's revenue, and Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi also have a large market share in China.
Germany's opposition to the EU's tariff hike is understandable, but Japan has also made it clear that it wants to "keep its distance" from Europe and the United States.
Unexpectedly, Germany and Japan were in a hurry to speak for Chinese cars, which is actually China has mastered the industrial chain advantages of the global new energy automobile industry.