上海生產(chǎn)的特斯拉,將成為歐盟貿(mào)易專員瓦爾蒂斯·東布羅夫斯基斯對(duì)中國電動(dòng)汽車反補(bǔ)貼調(diào)查的對(duì)象。攝影:SIMON WOHLFAHRT —— 彭博社經(jīng)蓋蒂圖片社提供
當(dāng)歷史學(xué)家們回顧電動(dòng)汽車行業(yè)的歷史時(shí),他們可能會(huì)認(rèn)為過去一個(gè)月是關(guān)鍵轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn),標(biāo)志著中國崛起為汽車行業(yè)的重要參與者。
先是中國的電動(dòng)汽車廠商在兩年一次的慕尼黑車展上,成為媒體報(bào)道的焦點(diǎn),讓歐洲的汽車廠商首次在自己的地盤上變成了配角。
幾天后,歐盟委員會(huì)主席烏爾蘇拉·馮德萊恩宣布,將對(duì)中國向歐洲出口的電動(dòng)汽車展開新一輪調(diào)查,這加劇了歐盟與中國的緊張關(guān)系。歐盟曾認(rèn)為中國既是合作伙伴,也是競爭對(duì)手。
現(xiàn)在,全球最大的電動(dòng)汽車廠商特斯拉(Tesla),可能因?yàn)槠湓谏虾5墓S,成為被調(diào)查的目標(biāo)。如果調(diào)查認(rèn)定埃隆·馬斯克的公司從中國獲得了國家補(bǔ)貼,足以破壞公平競爭,特斯拉將面臨懲罰性關(guān)稅,特斯拉從其旗艦工廠向歐盟出口汽車將在經(jīng)濟(jì)上變得不可行。
歐盟貿(mào)易專員瓦爾蒂斯·東布羅夫斯基斯在接受《金融時(shí)報(bào)》采訪時(shí)表示:“調(diào)查并不局限于中國品牌的電動(dòng)汽車,還會(huì)涉及接受生產(chǎn)補(bǔ)貼的其他廠商的汽車?!睎|布羅夫斯基斯在采訪中為調(diào)查辯護(hù)稱,已經(jīng)掌握了“充足的初步證據(jù)”。
特斯拉并未對(duì)置評(píng)請(qǐng)求作出答復(fù)。
這對(duì)于一些歐洲品牌的電動(dòng)汽車而言絕非好消息,例如Polestar 2、BMW ix3和Cupra Tavascan等都在中國生產(chǎn)并用于出口。
但損失最大的可能是特斯拉。特斯拉位于加州弗里蒙特的工廠曾經(jīng)歸通用汽車(GM)和豐田汽車(Toyota)的一家合資公司所有,但上海超級(jí)工廠卻是特斯拉第一家從零開始建造起來的工廠,從最開始就采用了先進(jìn)的生產(chǎn)工具。
中國低成本的工人在一個(gè)月內(nèi)可以組裝兩個(gè)車型約80,000輛汽車,因此這座工廠被普遍認(rèn)為是特斯拉盈利能力最強(qiáng)的工廠,而且由于其龐大的規(guī)模,這可能也是全世界效率最高的工廠。該工廠約五分之二的汽車用于出口,其中許多是出口到歐盟單一市場的Model 3。
東布羅夫斯基斯剛剛結(jié)束了在中國為期一周的高層會(huì)議,他在會(huì)上釋放了與以往不同的信息。由于中國在俄烏戰(zhàn)爭中對(duì)俄羅斯的支持、驚人的4,000億歐元貿(mào)易赤字以及歐盟對(duì)中國稀土、精煉鋰和太陽能電池板的戰(zhàn)略性依賴,歐盟布魯塞爾總部流行的一個(gè)詞是“去風(fēng)險(xiǎn)化”。
鑒于對(duì)俄羅斯能源進(jìn)口的依賴所造成的災(zāi)難性后果,政策制定者們正在重新評(píng)估歐盟與中國的關(guān)系,他們堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為歐盟不會(huì)與全球第二大經(jīng)濟(jì)體脫鉤,但會(huì)更加直截了當(dāng)?shù)鼐S護(hù)自身利益。
中國的逐底競爭摧毀了歐洲的太陽能產(chǎn)業(yè)
通過數(shù)據(jù)可以看出歐盟電動(dòng)汽車問題的嚴(yán)重性。德國電動(dòng)汽車市場分析師馬提亞斯·施密特本周寫道:“中國汽車制造商生產(chǎn)的汽車在西歐新乘用車登記數(shù)量中的占比略低于3%。”
這個(gè)比例雖然看起來不高,但這是在一個(gè)高度碎片化的汽車市場,而且其中還包括傳統(tǒng)燃油車。特斯拉的銷量與中國品牌汽車的銷量相當(dāng),而日產(chǎn)(Nissan)和本田(Honda)等知名品牌的銷量均低于這個(gè)數(shù)字。
中國開辟新市場取得的成功,在英國更加明顯。英國是中國電動(dòng)汽車在歐洲的第一大出口目的地,約有三分之一中國電動(dòng)汽車被出口到駕駛位在右側(cè)的英國市場。
中國汽車廠商最終涌入歐洲市場所帶來的威脅,與最初的日本和后來的韓國汽車廠商進(jìn)入歐洲市場的模式一樣。日韓都是首先發(fā)展低端市場,經(jīng)過數(shù)十年后,終于可以與現(xiàn)有汽車品牌相提并論。
中國已經(jīng)有高度成熟的汽車產(chǎn)業(yè)。比亞迪(BYD)、蔚來(Nio)和小鵬(XPeng)等主要品牌出口的車型,沒有必要通過低價(jià)來獲取競爭優(yōu)勢。這些品牌專注于開發(fā)由電動(dòng)動(dòng)力傳動(dòng)系統(tǒng)驅(qū)動(dòng)、價(jià)格實(shí)惠的高端汽車,對(duì)所有汽車廠商都構(gòu)成了威脅,包括高端品牌。
馮德萊恩本月在盟情咨文演講中,將中國快速發(fā)展的電動(dòng)汽車行業(yè)帶來的威脅,與歐盟在本世紀(jì)初的遭遇相提并論。當(dāng)時(shí),歐盟剛剛起步的太陽能電池板產(chǎn)業(yè),被中國進(jìn)口的廉價(jià)太陽能電池板摧毀。
她為調(diào)查辯護(hù)稱:“我們沒有忘記中國不公平的貿(mào)易手段對(duì)我們的太陽能產(chǎn)業(yè)的影響。歐盟對(duì)競爭持開放態(tài)度,但我們并不歡迎逐底競爭?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
上海生產(chǎn)的特斯拉,將成為歐盟貿(mào)易專員瓦爾蒂斯·東布羅夫斯基斯對(duì)中國電動(dòng)汽車反補(bǔ)貼調(diào)查的對(duì)象。攝影:SIMON WOHLFAHRT —— 彭博社經(jīng)蓋蒂圖片社提供
當(dāng)歷史學(xué)家們回顧電動(dòng)汽車行業(yè)的歷史時(shí),他們可能會(huì)認(rèn)為過去一個(gè)月是關(guān)鍵轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn),標(biāo)志著中國崛起為汽車行業(yè)的重要參與者。
先是中國的電動(dòng)汽車廠商在兩年一次的慕尼黑車展上,成為媒體報(bào)道的焦點(diǎn),讓歐洲的汽車廠商首次在自己的地盤上變成了配角。
幾天后,歐盟委員會(huì)主席烏爾蘇拉·馮德萊恩宣布,將對(duì)中國向歐洲出口的電動(dòng)汽車展開新一輪調(diào)查,這加劇了歐盟與中國的緊張關(guān)系。歐盟曾認(rèn)為中國既是合作伙伴,也是競爭對(duì)手。
現(xiàn)在,全球最大的電動(dòng)汽車廠商特斯拉(Tesla),可能因?yàn)槠湓谏虾5墓S,成為被調(diào)查的目標(biāo)。如果調(diào)查認(rèn)定埃隆·馬斯克的公司從中國獲得了國家補(bǔ)貼,足以破壞公平競爭,特斯拉將面臨懲罰性關(guān)稅,特斯拉從其旗艦工廠向歐盟出口汽車將在經(jīng)濟(jì)上變得不可行。
歐盟貿(mào)易專員瓦爾蒂斯·東布羅夫斯基斯在接受《金融時(shí)報(bào)》采訪時(shí)表示:“調(diào)查并不局限于中國品牌的電動(dòng)汽車,還會(huì)涉及接受生產(chǎn)補(bǔ)貼的其他廠商的汽車?!睎|布羅夫斯基斯在采訪中為調(diào)查辯護(hù)稱,已經(jīng)掌握了“充足的初步證據(jù)”。
特斯拉并未對(duì)置評(píng)請(qǐng)求作出答復(fù)。
這對(duì)于一些歐洲品牌的電動(dòng)汽車而言絕非好消息,例如Polestar 2、BMW ix3和Cupra Tavascan等都在中國生產(chǎn)并用于出口。
但損失最大的可能是特斯拉。特斯拉位于加州弗里蒙特的工廠曾經(jīng)歸通用汽車(GM)和豐田汽車(Toyota)的一家合資公司所有,但上海超級(jí)工廠卻是特斯拉第一家從零開始建造起來的工廠,從最開始就采用了先進(jìn)的生產(chǎn)工具。
中國低成本的工人在一個(gè)月內(nèi)可以組裝兩個(gè)車型約80,000輛汽車,因此這座工廠被普遍認(rèn)為是特斯拉盈利能力最強(qiáng)的工廠,而且由于其龐大的規(guī)模,這可能也是全世界效率最高的工廠。該工廠約五分之二的汽車用于出口,其中許多是出口到歐盟單一市場的Model 3。
東布羅夫斯基斯剛剛結(jié)束了在中國為期一周的高層會(huì)議,他在會(huì)上釋放了與以往不同的信息。由于中國在俄烏戰(zhàn)爭中對(duì)俄羅斯的支持、驚人的4,000億歐元貿(mào)易赤字以及歐盟對(duì)中國稀土、精煉鋰和太陽能電池板的戰(zhàn)略性依賴,歐盟布魯塞爾總部流行的一個(gè)詞是“去風(fēng)險(xiǎn)化”。
鑒于對(duì)俄羅斯能源進(jìn)口的依賴所造成的災(zāi)難性后果,政策制定者們正在重新評(píng)估歐盟與中國的關(guān)系,他們堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為歐盟不會(huì)與全球第二大經(jīng)濟(jì)體脫鉤,但會(huì)更加直截了當(dāng)?shù)鼐S護(hù)自身利益。
中國的逐底競爭摧毀了歐洲的太陽能產(chǎn)業(yè)
通過數(shù)據(jù)可以看出歐盟電動(dòng)汽車問題的嚴(yán)重性。德國電動(dòng)汽車市場分析師馬提亞斯·施密特本周寫道:“中國汽車制造商生產(chǎn)的汽車在西歐新乘用車登記數(shù)量中的占比略低于3%?!?/p>
這個(gè)比例雖然看起來不高,但這是在一個(gè)高度碎片化的汽車市場,而且其中還包括傳統(tǒng)燃油車。特斯拉的銷量與中國品牌汽車的銷量相當(dāng),而日產(chǎn)(Nissan)和本田(Honda)等知名品牌的銷量均低于這個(gè)數(shù)字。
中國開辟新市場取得的成功,在英國更加明顯。英國是中國電動(dòng)汽車在歐洲的第一大出口目的地,約有三分之一中國電動(dòng)汽車被出口到駕駛位在右側(cè)的英國市場。
中國汽車廠商最終涌入歐洲市場所帶來的威脅,與最初的日本和后來的韓國汽車廠商進(jìn)入歐洲市場的模式一樣。日韓都是首先發(fā)展低端市場,經(jīng)過數(shù)十年后,終于可以與現(xiàn)有汽車品牌相提并論。
中國已經(jīng)有高度成熟的汽車產(chǎn)業(yè)。比亞迪(BYD)、蔚來(Nio)和小鵬(XPeng)等主要品牌出口的車型,沒有必要通過低價(jià)來獲取競爭優(yōu)勢。這些品牌專注于開發(fā)由電動(dòng)動(dòng)力傳動(dòng)系統(tǒng)驅(qū)動(dòng)、價(jià)格實(shí)惠的高端汽車,對(duì)所有汽車廠商都構(gòu)成了威脅,包括高端品牌。
馮德萊恩本月在盟情咨文演講中,將中國快速發(fā)展的電動(dòng)汽車行業(yè)帶來的威脅,與歐盟在本世紀(jì)初的遭遇相提并論。當(dāng)時(shí),歐盟剛剛起步的太陽能電池板產(chǎn)業(yè),被中國進(jìn)口的廉價(jià)太陽能電池板摧毀。
她為調(diào)查辯護(hù)稱:“我們沒有忘記中國不公平的貿(mào)易手段對(duì)我們的太陽能產(chǎn)業(yè)的影響。歐盟對(duì)競爭持開放態(tài)度,但我們并不歡迎逐底競爭?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
翻譯:劉進(jìn)龍
審校:汪皓
When historians look back on the electric vehicle industry, they may very well point to this past month as the turning point marking China’s emergence as a global player in the auto industry.
First its electric vehicle manufacturers dominated media coverage of Munich’s biennial IAA auto show, relegating Europe’s carmakers to second fiddle on their own home turf for the very first time.
Only days later, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced China’s EV exports into Europe would be the target of a new investigation, escalating tensions with a country that was once seen just as much as a partner as a rival.
Now Tesla, the world’s largest EV maker largely thanks to its factory in Shanghai, could be drawn into the probe. Were it found to have accepted state subsidies from China that are large enough to have distorted the competitive playing field, Elon Musk’s company may face punitive tariffs that render exports to the EU from its flagship plant economically unviable.
“It’s not limited only to Chinese brand electrical vehicles, it can be also other producers’ vehicles if they are receiving production-side subsidies,” EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said in an interview with the Financial Times, justifying the investigation by citing “sufficient prima facie evidence”.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
This is potentially unwelcome news for some European brands’ EV models: the Polestar 2, BMW ix3, and Cupra Tavascan are all built exclusively in China for export.
But Tesla may stand to lose the most. Whereas Tesla’s factory in Fremont, Calif., once belonged to a GM-Toyota joint venture, GigaShanghai was its first built from scratch and employing the latest in advanced manufacturing tools from the outset.
Since low-cost Chinese laborers assemble around 80,000 vehicles a month in only two versions, it’s widely believed to be Tesla’s most profitable factory—and potentially the most efficient worldwide due to its sheer scale. Roughly two-fifths of its volume is shipped abroad, many of them Model 3 sedans destined for the EU’s Single Market.
Dombrovskis just concluded a week of high-level meetings in China, where he is sending a different message than in the past. Thanks to China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war, a yawning €400 billion trade deficit, and a strategic dependence on Beijing for rare earths, refined lithium, and solar cells, the buzzword around Brussels is “de-risking.”
Policymakers are reassessing the EU’s relationship with China through the lens of its disastrous dependence on Vladimir Putin for the bulk of its energy imports, insisting they won’t decouple from the world’s second largest economy but be more forthright in asserting its interests.
China’s race to the bottom destroyed the European solar industry
The scale of the EV problem becomes clear when one looks at the data. “Chinese auto manufacturers accounted for just under 3% of western Europe’s new passenger car registrations,” wrote Germany-based EV market analyst Matthias Schmidt this week.
That may seem like very little, but that is out of a highly fragmented auto market, combustion engine cars included. Tesla also sells roughly that number, and well-known brands like Nissan and Honda fall short of that mark.
The success of China moving into new markets is even more apparent in the U.K. It tops the list of European destinations for Chinese EVs, with almost one-third exported to the right-hand-drive market, according to Schmidt.
The threat of Chinese carmakers eventually flooding Europe’s market has long been based on the pattern established first by Japan and later South Korea. Both started out in the low-end market and needed decades before finally being perceived as on par with incumbent players.
China already has a highly mature auto industry with major brands like BYD, Nio and XPeng now exporting models that have no need to compete for the bottom dollar. Their focus on affordable high-tech cars powered by electric drivetrains make them a threat for every automaker, premium brands included.
In her State of the Union address this month, Von der Leyen likened the threat from China’s rapidly growing EV industry to Europe’s experience during the aughts, when its burgeoning solar cell industry was crushed by cheap imports from China.
“We have not forgotten how China’s unfair trade practices affected our solar industry,” she said, justifying the probe. “Europe is open for competition. Not for a race to the bottom.“