Carlos Tavares, head of the Stellantis group with the Peugeot, Fiat and Opel brands, warns of unequal opportunities for market entry. Lars Klingbeil, the chairman of the SPD, says it is “my claim that electric cars come from our big, proud manufacturers, not from China”. Visitors to the most recent auto show in Shanghai are amazed at the force with which the Chinese manufacturers are pushing into their home market. And also to Europe, no one has any doubts about that anymore.
Will the Europeans be able to assert themselves? Will they be granted access to the Chinese market in the same way as Chinese manufacturers are granted access to Western markets? The debate is reminiscent of times when the Japanese came to Europe. Then the South Koreans. Now the Chinese. With the difference that the politically flanked spread of electric cars has eliminated a technical hurdle, one of considerable height.