Flexibility is crucial to winning over Germany, says Xpeng

A November 2022 study from PwC concluded that more than 800,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) could be imported to Germany by 2025. If accurate, this wave—driven by Chinese OEMs’ focus on affordable yet technologically advanced models—could be the start of a crisis for the European industry, which some analysts believe has been stagnating since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data released by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) stated that Chinese automakers represent only 1.4% of national new car registrations up to October 2023. Although far from an immediate threat to the domestic industry, the 5.8% that China’s manufacturers secured in the electric vehicle (EV) segment this year may signal an impending change of fortunes.