Alarm bells sound in Brussels as EU sales of Chinese hybrid cars rocket

Explosive growth in imported vehicles omitted from EV tariffs fuels concern for future of European carmakers

• EU imports three times more from China than bloc exports there

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Sales of Chinese hybrid cars have rocketed in the EU in the past four and a half years, new data shows, underlining growing concerns in Brussels over the future of the European car industry.

In 2022, just 659 Chinese-made fully hybrid cars (vehicles in which the petrol or diesel engine charge the motor and battery) were sold in the EU. However, after Brussels imposed anti-subsidy tariffs on fully electric cars from China in 2024, sales of hybrids have shot up to 160,662 in the first seven months of this year.