Interview: Trade protection measures against Chinese EVs would be a "serious mistake," says German economist

FRANKFURT, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Protection measures against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) would be highly risky to the auto market if adopted by the European Union (EU), a German economist and auto expert warned in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Director of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Bochum, Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, emphasized that China is a leader in the development of EVs and plays an important role in the German auto industry.

Dudenhoeffer strongly opposes the potential imposition by the EU of additional tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China, calling it "extremely destructive."

EU protection measures against Chinese EVs would undermine the opportunity for German auto companies to tap the potential of the Chinese market, and hinder the development of the German auto industry, Dudenhoeffer added.

China is playing a pioneering role in the transformation of the auto industry, he underlined. It has acquired a unique competitive edge in the domain of smart driving, especially driverless taxis (Robotaxis) and smart cockpits.

By the end of February 2024, the Apollo robotaxis run by Baidu had covered more than five million trips on open roads in China. Chinese smart vehicles have impressive navigation, information and entertainment functions, Dudenhoeffer said, and China is ahead of other countries in terms of autonomous driving technologies.

Scale production has made it possible for battery manufacturers in China to reduce production costs and improve the cost-effectiveness of lithium-ion batteries. "This is one of the reasons why Chinese automakers can produce low-cost electric vehicles," he said.

Sales of German brands in China were twice those in other EU countries outside Germany, Dudenhoeffer found in his research.

At the same time, China's automotive market is far from saturated, which means it will continue to maintain a faster and stronger growth momentum compared to the European and American markets. This will attract top German automakers to further strengthen their "electric offensive" in China, said Dudenhoeffer.