Chinese electric car producers were strutting their stuff in Munich, with brands including BYD, Changan, Xpeng and Leapmotor, which has a partnership with Italian-French-American automaker Stellantis, all displaying models.
They were also clear that the EU’s duties are not dissuading them from entering Europe, though the taxes are shifting the types of models they’re importing.
Hybrids are not included in the duties, making them an attractive alternative to all-electric versions.
In each of their media pitches, the Chinese brands said they were dedicated to being “in Europe, for Europe.”
But for the most part, that means taking a model sold in China and tweaking the tech and components to abide by European regulations, rather than building models from the ground up with European audiences in mind, said Pedro Pacheco, an auto expert at consulting firm Gartner.
The real test of whether Chinese carmakers see Europe as a viable long-term market is if they create products designed for Europeans.