EU tariffs on Chinese EVs top agenda at Stuttgart auto summit

The ongoing tariff issue between the European Union and China was a major discussion point among attendees of the Stuttgart's Automotive Management Summit, an event that brings together the biggest names in the European car business.

The summit, themed "Looking to the future", saw delegates sharing their insights on the impact of tariffs and discussing challenges facing the automotive industry at large.

When it comes to electric vehicles, the main issues and concerns surround pricing as cars manufactured in Europe are significantly more expensive than those built in China.

The latter has prompted the EU Commission to push for tariffs as high as 45 percent on some Chinese EVs coming into the EU.

The commission says subsidies given to Chinese manufacturers create an unfair playing field. In response, China has called the tariffs unfair, and its Ministry of Commerce says the situation has seriously affected the two sides' cooperation in the automotive industry.

Recently, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the tariffs. Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer told CGTN he agreed, warning that tariffs on Chinese manufactured EVs will end up being detrimental to the European car industry.

"We do oppose tariffs. We don't think that's the right measure because at the end of the day this is going to be an escalating mechanism where nobody benefits and competition at the end of the day, if it's fair and if it's free, is the benefit for consumers in terms of choice, costs, innovation and so on and so forth. So we oppose those kinds of instruments," he said.

The Chinese side has invited the EU to send a team to China to continue discussing an alternative to tariffs.

However, as the tariff deadline looms, Christian Ach, BMW's head of the German market, told CGTN he hopes a solution can be found.

"There are still discussions, and I'm very optimistic and positive that we will get a good solution for both sides, for the Chinese towards Europe and for the Europeans towards China," said Ach.

Without that breakthrough in the next two weeks, the new tariffs on Chinese EVs will come into effect on October 31.

EU tariffs on Chinese EVs top agenda at Stuttgart auto summit

EU tariffs on Chinese EVs top agenda at Stuttgart auto summit

A palm-sized electric vehicle (EV) charger and a customized new energy garbage truck are among the latest cutting-edge products hogging the limelight at the 136th Canton Fair, which concluded its first phase on Saturday in south China's Guangzhou City.

The portable EV charger, developed by U.S. industrial conglomerate Honeywell and applicable to most types of EVs, turned a lot of heads at the event, also known as the China Import and Export Fair.

It can be used even at high-altitude areas and be connected to cell phones.

The charger is now available for purchase on online shopping platforms in the run-up to China's annual "Double 11", or Singles' Day, shopping festival which falls on Nov. 11.

"This is our latest product, and it sells at only 599 yuan during the 'Double 11.' We have raised the portable charger's rate of power to 3.5 kilowatts, and it can fully charge a car in around 10 hours. We are quite surprised to see so many more guests this year, especially those from South America and Eastern Europe, who are interested in new energy chargers. We expect a significant increase of orders this year," said Zhang Shaozhi, an exhibitor at Honeywell's exhibition booth.

Meanwhile, Skyworth, known as an electric appliance producer, is exhibiting its new garbage truck at the new energy vehicle area.

The truck, with a load capacity of 3.2 tonnes, features a driving cab which can be assembled by drivers themselves.

Equipped with a lighter vehicle chassis and noise absorption devices, the truck caters to the needs of environmental protection in South and Central Asian countries.

"The chassis is very light, so it can carry 600 kilograms more than a vehicle of the same class," said an exhibitor at Skyworth's exhibition booth.

The import exhibition at the Phase 1 of the Canton Fair has attracted 213 participating enterprises from 28 countries and regions. So far, the Phase 1 has seen more than 200 new product launch events online and offline.

The 136th Canton Fair opened on Oct. 15 and will run through Nov. 4 in three phases, with the second phase to be held between Oct. 23 and 27, and the third between Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, respectively.

Palm-sized EV charger, customized garbage truck shine at Canton Fair