One in three plug-in hybrid cars sold in Europe is Chinese and not subject to tariffs

Not long ago, it was hard to find a car of Chinese origin. Then, it began to be fairly common to come across a model from several brands from that country. The European Union had to act, because electric cars from the brands arriving from China were taking over the market and it was difficult for European brands to keep up. So they imposed tariffs on Chinese electric cars, and this helped to rebalance the situation.

However, these brands have acted quickly and have changed their strategy to avoid these tariffs and keep dominating the market with their models. The solution has been to maintain a good pace with electric cars, while increasing the presence of plug-in hybrid cars from their brands in the European market.

One third of the plug-in hybrid cars sold in Europe are Chinese

During the month of June this year, 34% of the plug-in hybrid cars sold in Europe originate from the Asian country. Leading by units sold are BYD, Geely and Chery, together with vehicles from European-origin brands but under their control, such as Polestar or Leapmotor.

According to figures provided by Dataforce, Chinese vehicles account for 11% of the cars sold in Europe during the month of June. Electric cars from these brands represent 15%, although they remain below the share of plug-in hybrid cars. If we look at data on hybrid cars, including conventional hybrids, the market share approaches 25%.

What will the European Union’s response to this situation be? That is not yet known, but it is expected that it will be similar to the one introduced against Chinese electric cars. That is, rather than benefiting European brands, it would place obstacles on the import of plug-in hybrid cars so that European brands are the ones with greater presence in the European market.