Chinese Hybrid Cars Join EVs as Market Share in Europe Hits Record High at 9%

From 1.1% to 9.2% in One Year
Chinese Manufacturers Focus on Hybrid Market to Avoid Tariffs

In May, the share of Chinese-made vehicles in the European hybrid car market exceeded 9%, marking an all-time high.

Reuters Yonhap News

According to Bloomberg, citing data from market research firm Dataforce, Chinese-made hybrids accounted for 9.2% of all hybrid cars sold in May in the European Union, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the United Kingdom, and other European markets. In May of last year, the share of Chinese-made hybrid cars was just 1.1%.

This increase is the result of Chinese manufacturers targeting the European market with a strategy focused on hybrids to avoid tariffs.

Previously, in October of last year, the European Commission decided to impose countervailing duties on Chinese-made electric vehicles for five years following an anti-subsidy investigation, raising the maximum final tariff rate to 45.3%. However, hybrids were excluded from these measures, and Chinese manufacturers have since concentrated on exporting hybrid vehicles.

In May, the share of Chinese-made battery electric vehicles (BEVs) sold in the European market also reached 9.0%, the highest level in ten months since July of last year (9.8%), before tariffs were imposed on electric vehicles.

In the overall European market, including internal combustion engine vehicles, the share of Chinese car registrations surpassed 5% for the first time in May. These figures demonstrate that Chinese manufacturers are expanding their market share in Europe through strategies such as price competitiveness, technological capabilities, and tariff optimization. Stella Li, Executive Vice President of BYD, recently stated, "Europe is the most important market."