China’s BYD still wants to conquer Europe despite taxes on its electric cars

BYD does not like the taxes that Europe imposes on electric cars from China. The manufacturer believes that the ‘zero emissions’ policy poses problems for the industry.

Europe wants to tax Chinese manufacturers up to the subsidies they receive in their country. In this way, the European Union hopes to impose higher prices on brands from the Middle Kingdom for their electric vehicles on the Old Continent.

A calculation that does not please Stella Li, the vice-president of the BYD group. The Chinese manufacturer is now one of the main global players in the electric car market. According to her, these decisions will above all impact consumers.

“We do not agree at all on the calculations, it is not a fair judgment”Li said. “Politicians should refrain from imposing tariffs. These increase vehicle manufacturing costs and sow confusion in the automotive industry. »

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However, BYD still plans to establish itself in Europe to sell its cars there successfully. For the manager, this is the only solution for a brand to continue to prosper.

Stella Li takes the example of manufacturers who are going backwards, and worries about their survival: “We are now hearing that many companies are returning to combustion engine cars. But if the whole world switches to electric cars in five years, they won’t be ready because they won’t have invested. In the long term, it is very dangerous. This will kill these car companies. »

A new strategy in Germany

Recently, BYD bought its German distributor to develop its sales more quickly. The vice-president recognizes that BYD’s beginnings across the Rhine were not satisfactory, and she explains why.

“I think we haven’t built the infrastructure properly. Today we are fixing the problem and starting to build our network. We need to add more service points, which we have already done, and more concessions. »

Thanks to this change in strategy on the German market, it is now optimistic: “You will see the change very soon – you will see a lot of BYD cars on the streets of Germany. »