The import duties imposed on Chinese electric cars on Friday opened the verbal coffers of German car bosses. Volkswagen director general Oliver Blume and BMW:n managing director Oliver Zipse in men rush to knock out customs tariffs that rise up to 45 percent, Automotive News Europe tells.
In their opinion, the Commission should reconsider the tariffs.
Blume painted a grim picture of the consequences of China’s possible countermeasures. According to him, in addition to Volkswagens manufactured in China, counter-duties could also apply to car models exported from Germany.
Separately, Blume mentioned Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini, which are included in the VW group’s brand selection.
“Possible punitive tariffs would hit the German car industry particularly hard. They would cause us significant harm. That is why we strongly oppose these new regulations,” he said.
According to Blume, on the contrary, companies that create jobs in Europe should be rewarded and even exempted from import duties completely. Several Chinese car manufacturers have recently expressed an interest in building their production facilities in the European chamber.
The EU member states approved the import duties on Friday last week. Depending on the manufacturer, tariffs rising up to 45 percent have been set for five years.
PHOTO: Rainer Haeckl www.rainerhaeckl.de
Negotiations continue
BMW CEO Oliver Zipse shared Blume’s deep concern. He characterized the customs decisions as a “fatal signal for the European car industry”.
There is still a few weeks left to play. The updated customs regulations will be implemented on the last day of October.
Until then, negotiations between the EU and China regarding the customs wall will continue. The qualified majority decision made on Friday by ten member states is characterized as a new setback for the German car industry.
Drastically more expensive energy and declining demand in the domestic market are only part of the pile of worries that are constantly piling up.