Unlike US auto manufacturers, Germany’s counterparts did not want tariffs on China’s EV. Germany lost the vote in the European Council. 
EU Votes for Tariffs on Chinese EVs
This story may seem counteractive but Germany does not want the EU to place tariffs on Chinese EVs.
This is because Germany is still dependent on its internal combustion engines for exports and China will undoubtedly retaliate.
TheDriven reports EU Votes for China EV Tariffs Despite Protests from Germany and Others.
Euronews reported that just under half (12) of the members states abstained from the vote, with 10 voting in favour and five voting against including Germany, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Despite the vote, EU-China negotiations can continue until October 30 with the possibility of finding an agreement to prevent the tariffs. China attacked the probe from the very outset, labelling it a “naked protectionist act,” an denying the existence of any subsidies, wrote Euronews.
Germany sought to block the proposal to protect its car industry, which relied on China for a third of its sales last year, from any Chinese retaliatory measures. To block the proposal Germany, would have needed to win the support of another 14 member states for a so-called qualified majority, comprising 65 percent of the EU’s population.
Germany is not currently on track to meet its target of having 15 million electric cars on its roads by 2030, despite being the world’s second largest producer of electric cars in 2023.
Brussels Breaks Impasse
EuroNews reports Brussels Breaks Impasse after EU Countries Fail to Agree on Chinese EV Tariffs
European Union countries failed to agree on whether to slap China-made electric vehicles (EVs) with steeper tariffs during a closely watched vote that ended with too many abstentions, forcing the European Commission to overcome the political impasse and push its proposal over the finish line.
The outcome of Friday’s vote was not publicly available, although several diplomats told Euronews how each member state positioned itself:
- 10 were in favour: Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, the Netherlands and Poland. (45.99% of the EU population)
- 12 abstained: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Finland. (31.36%)
- Five were against: Germany, Hungary, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia. (22.65%)
The Commission “should not trigger a trade war. We need a negotiated solution,” Germany’s Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in reaction to the vote.
The dispute around Chinese EVs marked a rare moment where the [European Council] president, [Ursula von der Leyen] a German native, defended a position strenuously opposed by her home country.
The political fiasco could reverberate until the country holds its federal election in September 2025.
Only 45.99 percent of the EU was in favor of tariffs but the European Council rammed through the tariffs over Germany’s objection.
Tariffs are one of the areas where changes do not have to be unanimous. But 45.99 percent is quite the ramrod.
Of those voting for vs against it was 45.99 percent to 22.65 percent a 67 percent margin to enact.
EU Tariffs
- Tesla: 7.8%
- BYD: 17%
- Geely: 18.8%
- SAIC: 35.3%
- Other EV producers in China that cooperated in the investigation but have not been individually sampled: 20.7%
- Other EV producers in China that did not cooperate: 35.3%
Those are on top of existing tariffs.
As in the US
This is just as in the US. Those in charge not only mandate EVs, they set policy to ensure the cars are as expensive as possible.
Electric Big Rigs Don’t Make Sense Even With $40,000 in Tax Credits
This morning I noted Electric Big Rigs Don’t Make Sense Even With $40,000 in Tax Credits
Due to Biden’s regulations, truckers are driving older engines longer because they can’t afford newer diesel models. The result is more pollution.
Joe Biden’s Position on Tariffs
The Above Tweet was from June 11, 2019.
On May 14, 2024, Biden changed his tune.
On June 13, I noted The EU Taxes Vehicles from China that its Own Companies Make
Eurointelligence: The trickle-down profit margins that permeated through German industry will be a thing of the past. The new cars will have fewer components, and fewer German-made components. This is the reason why the decline in cars constitutes a decline in industry and in the economy – to the extent that countries depend on it. Germany is one of those.
On October 5, I noted Buy American Provisions Cost $125,000 Per Job Created
“Buy America” sounds great. But it’s costly and about to rise steeply.
One wonders how idiotic tariff policy can get. Competition is stiff between Biden, the EU, Harris, and Trump.
In other news Tesla announced they are downsizing operations and starting in 2025 they will only be manufacturing high end golf carts
I think that there are 3 more reasons for these tariffs. 1/ European Commission is preparing ground to implement Draghi’s report recommendations and it is clear that Germany will not agree to European debt union idea. So Chinese EVs tariffs are a chip to press Germany. 2/ Germany is ambivalent to tariffs as German Mittlestand companies (privately owned SMEs) are heavilly invested in China and they make money by supplying German car maker plants in China and Chinese car makers. Any profit counts in hard times regardless where it is made. 3/ Stelantis is now sinking rather fast and France and Italy are on the hook. That’s why these two governments voted in favor of tariffs even though they may lose a lot in Chinese counter tariffs which will likely hit milk product exports.
Good. They dug the gave for Chrysler 25 years ago, including that jackass with the mustache making commercials.
unless the west drops the green lunacy
its finished
Germany is most worried about losing their machine tool exports to China more than the car exports. China has been going upscale in that sector for a while now and they know that their time in China has an expiration date. This would just more that date forward.
Where will China obtain machine tools if not from Germany?
Europe is a complete MESS . . . brought on by the Politicians who don’t understand a damn thing about Global Trade and continue to push the GREEN BS. First of all the Car Industry in the West is a Sun Set Industry especially in Europe. . . there are just too many manufacturers making cars. Numerous brands will go out of business unless Governments subsidize them because of job loss in the the coming years. Second, the younger european generation is not buying cars because buying and maintaining them is to expensive. Third, most of Europe has extremely good public transportation. Fourth, for plug electric cars the price of electricity continues to rise in Europe faster than Gas or Diesel fuel and Diesel fuel is subsidized in many European countries otherwise many people couldn’t afford to drive. Fifth, European sales of Electric Cars are down by nearly 23% over the past year and inventories in Europe for all cars are at all time highs . . . and things aren’t going to get any better any time soon. . .
In many places in the United States — particularly California but also rural areas — it is not practical to exist without a private vehicle. Cars will continue to sell well in these places, if nowhere else. The fact is, people love their vehicles. They love the freedom they offer, the sense of power, the ease and convenience. The only thing they hate is the parking issues. European cities are a little different in that, being older, they haven’t been designed with the automobile in mind (such as the development of strip malls along major roads) as in the U.S. and Canada. And finally note that a car is not only a necessity, it is a status symbol, especially if you can afford a Porsche SUV or a sportscar. Status symbols don’t go away; they just morph into a new form.
— Greg (my blog: dark.sport.blog)
UK/Europe is getting pounded by costly energy imports… e.g. the UK north sea is nearly dry https://fasteddynz.substack.com/p/the-perfect-storm
Also — Dutch government to end gas extraction in northern province after 60 years and many damaging quakes
Dr Levi
https://youtu.be/8HtnqOnj9tU?si=J9zpIkZWv-ReDT0C
These tariffs are evidence that it was never about saving the environment, it was always just about the grift of forcing people to buy expensive things.
Foreign brand sales are dropping in China. Former GM chairman says nearly all legacy automakers are finished in China. This long video paints the picture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NKjEOCS2-0
It’s structural self-immolation. Europe always had the highest social spending in the world. Then came the masses of migrants, and social welfare state was extended to them, too. China has none of those lunatic asylum problems to carry.
Read the Fate of Empires (Sir John Glubb, 1976) online PDF. It’s but 24 (26 total) easy read pages. On page 15 into 16 read XXIV The Arab decline, especially regarding “the [negative] influence of women” (pars. 4-7). On page 24 read the Summary to cut to the quick, and especially note “An influx of foreigners.” The End of the US is nigh. It will be Very Ugly. Prepare as inclined.
It was the anti-rationalist Ash’ari school of theology brought about by a concatenation of events that caused the Arab decline rather than an influx of foreigners. The belief that cause and effect has no meaning kind of shut off rational inquiry and therefore scientific progress.
While on the subject of women power: Why matriarchies fail:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfsZjKv_fw0
I recall high school history books saying that this is how the Great Depression started or was prolonged.
Yes. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. The US tried to transfer its economic problems to the rest of the world, but instead helped propel the Nazi Party in Germany into power.
EV’s make no sense at all. Hybrids are sensible. We own one and there are many features to love and the best: when standing still, the engine shuts down, saving fuel. When cars are idling, you are getting ZERO MILES PER GALLON.
Exactly that is; BY FAR; the low hanging fruit of battery powering cars over ICEs: Standing still. Add to that low speed stop and go; as well as very low speed (as compared to designed-for speed..) period; and you’ve covered 80-90+% of efficiency gains of a battery electric powertrain versus a modern ICE one.
Once up to high steady Autobahn speeds, a modern diesel gives up hardly anything to a battery car efficiency wise. Which, in the big scheme of things; means a well proportioned hybrid; or plugin-, dependent on use case; provides almost all the gains, with virtually none, if any, of the downsides.
Just as is the case with all else in our fully financialized #DumbAge: The only reason BEVs are even considered, is because hybrids are hard to make. Beating Toyota at building them, is so many orders of magnitude beyond the meager abilities of the retard classes “inveeesting” in stuff and “making money from my hooome and potfooolio”, that even retarded little them recognizes it will never ever happen.
So, instead, the idiots do the only thing their meager aptitude affords them: Make up some childish Powerpoints about, like, magical like, stuff that the “uncreative and copying” Asians somehow haven’t thought of… But that dumb little me and my Powerpoint somehow have….
And then, since everyone in America with any wealth these days have obtained it specifically as a result of being dumb enough to pose no discernible threat to The Fed: Tah-dah: The retards are now “making money”. Like, you know, this-and-that “inveeessssstor” was, like, at my, like presentation,and he, like, looked at my packageand, like, liiiiked it!!! ooooooh, I’m soooo exciiiited!!!”
Exactly this, explains ALL of BEVs in the US. As well as 90+% of AI; well beyond 100% of “finaaance”, etc., etc,. And NONE of that is, in any way, an exaggeration.
Stuk. My 2018 Mercedes diesel will do 1200 miles at 70mph on the autobahn with just one tank of fuel. Double drivers mean that we can do that distance in one day (long hours).
My friend in his Tesla boasted that he did the same distance with free charging.
However the extra money he spent on coffee and junk food at each charging point plus the motel and meal charges required for the two day trip more than overode my diesel cost.
He had to out of his was off the autobahn to find a Telsa Supercharger. If he had used a non Tesla paying charger the costs would have been considerably higher.
The two year depreciation on his Tesla could buy a new BYD.
Due to the complexities required to pass the EU emission standards of diesel car motors Mercedes have given up producing them. Every week I need to drive on the freeway for an hour at 60mph to do the regeneration properly
“My 2018 Mercedes diesel will do 1200 miles at 70mph on the autobahn with just one tank of fuel.”
Modern diesel engines, even with efficiency reducing emissions equipment, are very efficient when operating at designed-for load. Even modern gas engines are, especially the ones designed for hybrid installations.
The gains available from burning the fuel to spin a turbine to generate high voltage electricity, transmitting it across the grid, then charging batteries then discharging those in the vehicle then powering an electric drivetrain, are minimal. Very possible non existent, anywhere where any of the above steps are less than optimally efficient.
Even more so, when taking into consideration the substantial additional weight required for sufficient battery to have multi hundred mile range.
Direct, infrastructure powered EVs are hugely more efficient: They can be extremely lightweight, space efficient and cheap (at the margin, once/if the not-at-all-cheap initial outlay for infrastructure development and buildout is done…). As well as trivially self driving, which is another much-ballyhooed silly hype which will never come to bear in any driving environment much resemblance to the current one.
Small, city-car BEVs can also be efficient. They need much less battery, can be limited to less power and speed and hence get away with much less heavy safety cages etc.(Think 4 wheeled electric bicycle with a canopy…) Dense cities is also exactly where any tailpipe emissions; but also particulates from road/tire interaction, which increases rapidly with weight AND power; are most problematic.
For Autobahn use, there is almost no possibility of battery vehicles ever becoming meaningfully more efficient, per almost any metric, compared to modern, maintained diesels.
Check out the BYD Shark, only available in Mexico.
I saw a concept car of this technology last year, but BYD already has a production line.
The truck has 4 electric motors, which are part of the wheel assembly. There is no wheel axle, no drive shaft or differential, everything is handled by electronics. There is a 1.6 litre gasoline engine which is used to recharge the battery. The range is around 500 miles.
Shark … interesting …. Chevy Volt, introduced in 2010, had a 1.4L for recharge too.
Are US/EU Auto companies (and airlines, medical, utilities, etc) following govt lead rather than their customers? And Red-China is now most customer-centric?
Shark Photo FYI:
https://preview.redd.it/a-byd-shark-in-the-us-v0-1k6x8pkxi4ld1.jpg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e21952d6b7a39cbabc81cbad2816211457e58dc7
Silliness….a Gal of gas will idle an engine for 1-2 hours so figure $2-3/hour (inc wear/tear). Sometimes GPH not MPG is the right metric.
Hang on … but Tesla doesn’t make hybrids… Jeff Green … Jeff Green…
That’s what happens when you give up your sovereignty.
“One wonders how idiotic tariff policy can get. Competition is stiff between Biden, the EU, Harris, and Trump.”
Yes, and it will continue endlessly until something big breaks, the casualties are the regular Joe that is often clueless about the economic hurricanes and tornadoes being generated by windy politicians.
The best course of action is to go where you’re treated best outside these collapsing paradigms….