Chinese hybrids are not affected by the customs surcharges decided by Brussels. As a result, MG is launching a competitor to the Dacia Duster hybrid, 2,600 euros cheaper. BYD is banking on rechargeable hybrids. A way to get around European policies and to compensate for the slowdown in sales of electric cars in Europe.
Electric cars are selling poorly? No problem for Chinese car manufacturers: here come the hybrids! The cherry on the cake: Chinese hybrid cars are exempt from the customs surcharges that Brussels decided to apply to electric models this summer. Hybrids are therefore only subject to the usual 10% duty on entry into the European Union, compared to 27 to 47% for “zero-emission” vehicles from the former Middle Kingdom. A paradox that allows the leading Chinese manufacturer in Europe, MG, to rush into the breach. The brand opened orders in early September for its new MG ZS Hybrid, a perfect competitor for Renault’s Dacia Duster E-Tech. At less than 24,000 euros for the base model compared to 26,600 for the Franco-Romanian (in the hybrid Expression version).
The 4.43-meter-long ZS (9 centimeters longer than the Dacia) offers a non-rechargeable gasoline-electric engine with 197 horsepower (140 for the Duster). Approved for emissions of only 113 grams of CO2 per kilometer (like its rival), this compact SUV will be available in the 185 points of sale of the brand of the powerful Shanghai group SAIC from October. The model will benefit from a seven-year or 150,000-kilometer warranty.
3,910 euros less than the Clio
MG is digging its furrow, as it started deliveries of its small hybrid MG3 saloon at the end of June, starting at 19,990 euros… Compared to 23,900 for a comparable Renault Clio E-Tech. The manufacturer is aiming for 10,000 units per year for this hybrid MG3. Petrol-electric cars should represent a third of MG sales in France in the second half of the year. And the manufacturer is not stopping there. It will offer this same MG3 in a simple, cheaper petrol thermal version at the end of the year. At around 15,000 euros, it will compete head-on with the Dacia Sandero and the new Citroën C3. Really!
King of electric in France, MG is […]
- challenges.fr
