Slovak car factories are worried about the introduction of customs duties on Chinese electric cars. They expect that there could be retaliation and regular car buyers would pay for it. Europe is talking about the suspicion of China’s unfair control of the electric car market, and their investigation by the European Commission is currently in process. Any barriers and trade wars will not benefit anyone because already expensive cars will become even more expensive, says Alexander Matušek, the head of the Automotive Industry Association of Slovak Republic. Therefore they claim that they support open competition in which the best should win.
“If we look at what our car companies produce, in some cases these are products that are only made in Slovakia. Exports to China will therefore be more at risk,” says Matušek.
The main advantage of Chinese electric cars is their price, with comparable quality. The head of the Institute of International Business at the Pan-European University, Tomáš Dudáš, explains that European car companies are now trying to develop the so-called popular electric car under 25 thousand euros. According to him, China's pressure on prices is justified.
“Over the past year, Tesla has been forced to cut prices in China several times due to pressure from Chinese competitors. Of course, there is also the question set by the EU whether such competition is fair,” explains Dudáš.
The government has already approved a proposal for subsidies, faster depreciation or benefits on highways for electric cars. According to experts, politicians should focus on creating a support framework that will strengthen the European automotive industry.
Zdroj: RTVS
