E-cars
“Autopapst” warns of a dangerous price attack from China
Expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer expects a violent price reduction for Chinese cars. The German manufacturers would have to react quickly so as not to go under.
According to studies by auto experts Ferdinand Dudenhöffer and Haonan Zhu from the Center Automotive Research (Car), Germany is facing a stormy price attack by Chinese e-car providers. The attack will start with this year’s international automotive exhibition (IAA) in Munich, which begins on September 9th. “The IAA 2025 becomes the largest Chinese car facility outside of China”, predicts the professor, who is often referred to as “autopapst”. The Germans would have to prepare for massively growing pressure, the Chinese would “put a lot in the shade” in the future.
Chinese electricity has so far cost twice as in China
The prices of Chinese manufacturers for German consumers are still comparatively salted. On average, they collect more than twice as much for their e-cars as in their home market, as a new car study shows. This is probably also explained by the modest market shares of the Chinese in the European e-car market. In some particularly attractive models, the manufacturers demand even clearer surcharges: The small car BYD Dolphin Surf is in China according to the list for the equivalent of 7371 euros (net), with us it is in the list with 19,319 euros – an additional charge of 162 percent.
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The fact that Stromer is so cheap in China is mainly due to the cost advantage in production and in Batteries and at the hard price war in China, so car director Dudenhöffer. This gives the Asians considerable competitive advantages worldwide. In the first half of the year, the Chinese sold almost four times more electric cars than the European providers.
With increasing sales, car prices tumble
Dudenhöffer explains the high prices in Germany with customs surcharges. More importantly: “The Chinese have so far have big gaps in their sales networks, the brands are little known to customers. With increasing sales figures, however, this disadvantage is continued. “This programmed other falling prices for electric cars in the future,” warns Dudenhöffer. VW and Co. would have to dress warmly: “The cost advantages in China in electrical car production rush to Germany bit by bit.” EU impairing tariffs for electric cars from China only worked in the short term and also endangered the ride of the electric car production of the German car manufacturers in China.
In China, the Germans have to offer their products, partly considerably cheaper in order to get rid of them at all, a partly ruinous business. A VW ID 3 (pure), for example, costs only about half there. Dudenhöffer advises the domestic producers on quick decisions: “German carmakers have to reduce cost disadvantages faster.” On the one hand: more production facilities in China. On the other hand: new production technology: “The small -scale production methods of the German car manufacturers at electric cars are too conventional.” The Chinese, for example, have long since built large body parts in a work step by huge aluminum die-cast machines, which significantly reduces the costs.
Source: Stern
