Chinese automakers bruised by EV sales slump in Germany #NewsGerman

China’s top five automakers lost sales volume in Germany in 2024 as the overall market share of electric vehicles plummeted by more than a quarter.

Combined registrations for MG, Smart, Polestar, Great Wall Motors and BYD fell by 24 percent in 2024 compared with 2023, reaching a total of 43,835 units, according to the Center of Automotive Management (CAM) in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.

In 2024, Germany’s full-year EV sales fell by 27 percent to 381,722 in an overall market that was down just 1 percent to 2,817,331 last year, according to figures from market researcher Dataforce.

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“Chinese carmakers are still in a ramp-up phase. The prices of Chinese models are still too high – these brands are not so well known in Germany. That is not a good mixture to increase sales within an environment that is still slightly skeptical about EVs,” Stefan Bratzel, director of CAM told Automotive News Europe.

In 2025, the EU’s new tariffs on China-made EVs could further dent the newcomers’ sales volumes and performance.

To respond to market pressures, Chinese EV makers should expand their infrastructure, be more competitive with their pricing and tailor products to meet local preferences, CAM said.

Smart and Polestar, both part of the China’s Geely Holding and both with exclusively electric portfolios, suffered declines of 49 percent and 29 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, GWM’s sales fell 36 percent and BYD’s volume decreased 30 percent.

MG, which is owned by SAIC Motor, remained the top-selling Chinese brand in Germany with 20,977 registrations, down just 1.20 percent, giving it a market share of 68.5 percent when measured against its four rivals.

Despite last year’s sales declines for the Chinese automakers, Bratzel said German rivals “remain concerned” about the newcomers’ technological prowess. Competition is set to intensify in 2025, he added.

This comes as German automakers face a “kind of polycrisis,” Bratzel said.

The introduction of tougher CO2 emission reduction targets in 2025 will increase pressure and lead to further price cuts. High energy prices mean that production in Germany “is not very competitive.”

Meanwhile, the industry is awaiting any potential repercussions from President Trump’s return to power in the U.S.