Letters | European carmakers were asleep at the EV wheel

Readers discuss the European Union’s anti-subsidies investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles, and the possible impact of a US government shutdown

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BYD electric cars to be loaded on a ship are stacked at the international container terminal of Taicang Port at Suzhou Port, in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province, on September 11. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:30pm, 28 Sep 2023

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I refer to your report, “EU races to aid of its hi-tech industries” (September 17), which says that the European Union is launching an anti-subsidies investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles.

Here we go again, accusing China of unfair market practices rather than acknowledging that European manufacturers have been asleep at the wheel.

Last year, there were an estimated 300 Chinese EV manufacturers, a testament to their entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take risks. Meanwhile, European carmakers like Volkswagen and BMW are heavily involved in China’s EV sector, and some of them also export through their joint ventures to Europe. Does that mean they are being subsidised in China as well?

Rather, it shows that manufacturing in China remains more competitive than in Europe. Claiming that the success of Chinese companies is due to subsidies is a moot point.

Michel Demuynck, Discovery Bay

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Letters | European carmakers were asleep at the EV wheel

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Readers discuss the European Union’s anti-subsidies investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles, and the possible impact of a US government shutdown

Letters | European carmakers were asleep at the EV wheel

Readers discuss the European Union’s anti-subsidies investigation into Chinese-made electric vehicles, and the possible impact of a US government shutdown