China in the fast lane

Europe’s car industry is running out of time

Tesla and BYD are vying for supremacy in the EU: not much comes to mind to catapult the domestic car industry forward.(Bild: BYD, Tesla, APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Slaven Vlasic, APA/AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ, Krone KREATIV)

Time is running out in the battle between Chinese and European manufacturers. Last year, European automotive suppliers exported around eight percent less, while China increased its exports by nine percent. Added value and jobs are disappearing to the Far East. In terms of e-car sales, the Chinese have gained a 20 percent market share in the EU within two years.

"China is already dominating the supply chains," says Benjamin Krieger, Secretary General of the European Automotive Suppliers Association (CLEPA), in an interview with Krone.