2022-10-18 12:05:00
For many, this is a dream car: 653 hp, acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.9 seconds, electric all-wheel drive, range depending on battery capacity 500-700 km, basic price 69,900 land coins Europe.
We are talking about the new top-end ET7 sedan from Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Nio. The first cars will be delivered to Europe in October. Orders can be placed for the Nio EL7 SUV, which will be shipped from January, followed by the smaller Nio ET5, which will compete with Tesla’s mid-size Model 3.
Also new to Europe is the concept of battery swapping stations, which Nio is launching alongside sales. Those who do not want to charge by cable can exchange dead batteries for new ones, which only takes a few minutes. So there is one such station in Germany, in Bavaria on the A8 autobahn, but by the end of the year it is planned to launch 19 more, and 100 more in 2023.
Landwind test disaster
Landwind SUV after ADAC crash testPhoto: Landwind
The first attempt by Chinese automakers to enter the European market ended in disaster before it even really began. 17 years ago, the Landwind SUV completely failed a crash test conducted by experts from the German Automobile Club (ADAC), damaging the company’s image and confidence in Chinese cars for many years.
But that was a long time ago, and now the situation has changed dramatically. The rental company Sixt recently announced an impressive deal: the Munich giant wants to order 100,000 electric vehicles from the Chinese manufacturer BYD by 2028, with the first one expected to be delivered this year.
China makes cars of different classes
For BYD this is an important step into the European market. Because the company, which is one of the world’s largest suppliers of batteries for electric cars, in the medium term can become the largest supplier of electric cars, removing Tesla from first place
BYD electric taxi in Shenzhen, May 2017 Photo: DW
In addition to BYD and Nio, companies like SAIC, Geely and Great Wall Motors, or more recent companies like Xpeng, are participating in the expansion. Experts believe that nearly 20 Chinese car brands may soon appear in Europe. Their advantage is that they carry cars of various classes, while the big European automakers, including the German leaders, often only offer electric cars in the upper price segment.
In addition, companies in Europe have recently suffered from shortages of parts and chips caused by supply chain problems, resulting in reduced production time.
Serious competition from Chinese professionals?
But can Chinese automakers be serious competitors to Mercedes, BMW, and VW in Europe? DW turned to the experts for an answer to this question.
Assembly of BMW electric cars at the Leipzig plant, May 2019 Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Woitas
“I don’t believe that any of the Chinese manufacturers can really compete on equal terms with European, Japanese and Korean manufacturers in Europe,” said Jochen Siebert, founder of JSC Automotive, a consulting company with offices in Shanghai and Stuttgart. you specialize. in the Chinese car market.
According to Siebert, the strengths of Chinese manufacturers are likely to lie in “certain electronic devices,” as he calls them. An example would be karaoke for passengers or augmented reality devices. This will attract everyone in China, but German buyers are more conservative and tend to avoid too much electronics, believes the founder of JSC Automotive.
Success thanks to government support
In addition, there are, as you say, fundamental problems – in fact, all Chinese professionals have not yet stood on their feet. Without continued government support at the local and national level, most, if not all, would not exist today. “Knowing full well that the Chinese state is running out of money for even bigger subsidies, all the Chinese manufacturers are running abroad to find their fortune,” Siebert explained.
Gregor Sebastian, an automotive industry analyst at the Berlin-based Mercator Center for China Studies (MERICS), also believes in government support – including restrictions on market access for foreign competitors or subsidies for electric vehicle makers. Kannada – has contributed significantly to the latter’s success thus. far away
Favorites because of contributions
But this support can soon turn into a serious weakness. According to Sebastian, the EU prioritizes security. “New laws regarding subsidies in third countries that affect competition may be a major problem for Chinese electric car manufacturers,” the expert added.
An electric SUV from the MG brand, owned by the Chinese company SAIC MotorPhoto: Vachira Vachira/NurPhoto/photo alliance
“Of course, Chinese manufacturers have a chance,” said Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based business consultant who specializes in the electric car market, “After Tesla’s success, you would have to be a fool to reject them.”
Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center for Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach, has been constantly analyzing the innovative opportunities of electric car manufacturers for several years. “Chinese car makers such as BYD, Nio or SAIC are considered as serious competitors in the European markets. Bratzel
Isolation from China will hurt German manufacturers
“A new center of technologies and suppliers is emerging in China, and Chinese manufacturers will be able to take advantage of this new cornucopia,” said Ferdinand Dudenhöfer, head of CAR, Company for Automotive Research in Duisburg In his opinion, China’s first opportunity is the unlimited speed of development and innovation “Let me put it this way: Tesla is a one-off phenomenon, but China is a broad movement that makes many Teslas, ” said Dudenhoeffer.
He publicly warned against “anti-China policies” that would harm German enterprises more than the Chinese. “We stand to lose a lot more, and isolation from China will put the German car industry in a vulnerable position today, and those who cut themselves off from it lose their customers worldwide,” concluded car head
See also:
#Electric #cars #China #coming #conquer #European #car #market