Von der Leyen hits China with electric vehicle subsidy probe — ‘Europe is open for competition. Not for a race to the bottom,’ says European Commission chief in annual address
by marketrent
Von der Leyen hits China with electric vehicle subsidy probe — ‘Europe is open for competition. Not for a race to the bottom,’ says European Commission chief in annual address
by marketrent
6 comments
Axel Springer’s Politico reports an announcement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen:^1
>“Global markets are now flooded with cheaper Chinese electric cars. And their price is kept artificially low by huge state subsidies. This is distorting our market,” von der Leyen said in her annual State of the European Union address.
>“So I can announce today that the Commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China. Europe is open for competition. Not for a race to the bottom.”
>[…] In her speech, von der Leyen said that, while Europe needed to defend itself against unfair trading practices, it was equally vital to keep talking with China. “De-risk, not decouple — this will be my approach with the Chinese leadership,” she said.
^1 https://www.politico.eu/article/von-der-leyen-hits-china-with-electric-vehicle-subsidy-probe/
Or maybe they’re cheaper because they dont have legacy platforms that need to spend billions catching up to eletric engines (a la BMW, and VW).
And maybe it’s because they didnt defraud their consumers and governments around the world by faking their emissions, and are now liable for many billions to customers and governments around the world….
Nah, it’s pure cheating. They’re selling the cars at a loss.
/s
It’s always easier to blame an opponent than to face your own incompetence.
At least, Ursula demonstrates consistency in her bad faith and hypocrisy.
In Europe the local car manufacturers increased their profit margin so much that cheaper vehicles disappeared out of the market as those were not as profitable as heavier cars.
Now the Chinese are filling that market void (affordable cars) but Von Der Leyen is quickly jumping to stop it. It was not her pony.
Cars in Europe must only belong to the elite.
We need reciprocity. If Chinese want to build cars here, then need to open a company with 50% domestic ownership and build factories here.
Wow… what a speech. I can agree with 100% what she said… more Europe, more independence from China, Russia and US, more CO2 regulation, more regulations in favour of the customers, more freedom, more democracy, more help for Ukraine, more countries (like balcan and eastern Europe) into EU, …. I am now more proude of Europe I have ever been. Long live Europe! ❤️
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[Speech in EU parliament](https://twitter.com/vonderleyen/status/1701855911180943382)