Economy
Alarm bells sound in Brussels as EU sales of Chinese hybrid cars rocket
Explosive growth in imported vehicles omitted from EV tariffs fuels concern for future of European carmakers
Published
EU imports three times more from China than bloc exports there
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Sales of Chinese hybrid cars have rocketed in the EU in the past four and a half years, new data shows, underlining growing concerns in Brussels over the future of the European car industry.
In 2022, just 659 Chinese-made fully hybrid cars (vehicles in which the petrol or diesel engine charge the motor and battery) were sold in the EU. However, after Brussels imposed anti-subsidy tariffs on fully electric cars from China in 2024, sales of hybrids have shot up to 160,662 in the first seven months of this year.
