Sales of Chinese electric cars have surged across Europe to a record high. Brands such as BYD, Chery, SAIC and Xpeng have targeted Europe for exports as the Chinese industry seeks to dominate the global electric vehicle market.
This has put traditional European manufacturers under great pressure, as stricter emissions rules are forcing them to increase their sales of electric vehicles.
The increase in European sales comes despite EU tariffs of up to 35.3% on electric cars made by some Chinese manufacturers, in addition to the standard import tariff of 10%.
The UK is the biggest European market for Chinese cars because the government has refused to follow the EU’s lead in imposing additional taxes. The UK accounted for a quarter of Chinese electric vehicle sales in the 18 largest Western European markets.
Chinese manufacturers have sold more than 120 different models in Europe this year – compared to around 100 from European brands.
The figures also showed a recovery in sales for Tesla across Europe. The US carmaker suffered a sharp drop in sales last year due to a backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s alliance with Donald Trump and far-right European political parties.
Tesla sales grew 60% year-on-year, helped by a surge in demand for cheaper versions of the Model 3 and Model Y. The Model Y was the best-selling individual model across Europe during the period.