No car manufacturer can avoid the electric car. In twelve years at the latest, according to politicians, only cars that cause no emissions will be registered. And it all boils down to the electric car as the Holy Grail. But for many manufacturers, the e-car turns out to be a letdown.
Is it incompetence, stubbornness or lack of conviction in the world’s largest automaker? Toyota is slow to venture into the electric car world. The German car manufacturers were also initially skeptical and hesitant. Until politicians decided: From 2035, the end of the combustion engine. New diesel and petrol engines will then no longer be allowed on the streets. This marks the end of a golden era for Audi, BMW and Mercedes, a long epoch in which the combustion engine was the golden calf. But while Toyota is still sticking to it, German carmakers are gradually switching to electric cars. But now it is clear: The Stromer from BMW, Mercedes and BMW are not well received everywhere.
GERMAN E-CAR FARMERS ARE THREATENED WITH TOTAL FAILURE
One might think that the German car market is enormously important for VW, Mercedes and other German car manufacturers. But that is not the case. China, the world’s largest car market, is far more important to manufacturers. As recently as 2020, the German vehicle manufacturers Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW sold almost 40 percent of all their vehicles in China. But that is changing with the advent of the electric car. The e-car from Germany is not particularly well received in the Middle Kingdom. Audi, for example, only sold a whopping 43 Audi e-tron GTs there. The German e-car farmers are threatened with a super meltdown.
For many years BMW and Mercedes limousines stood for prosperity in China and were incredibly popular, but the Chinese prefer to use Chinese brands when it comes to e-cars. The current market share of BMW is 0.8 percent, Mercedes 0.3 percent and Audi only 0.1 percent in the Chinese electric car market. Only VW can keep up with Chinese manufacturers with a market share of 2.4 percent. Tesla is more than three times as popular at 7.8 percent, reports Handelsblatt .
HAVE BMW, MERCEDES AND AUDI OVERSLEPT THE TREND?
While BMW, Mercedes and Audi rely on expensive luxury sedans and SUVs, the Chinese apparently want something completely different. Because: The most successful electric car in China is neither a luxurious sedan nor a high-priced SUV, but the mini electric vehicle Wuling Hongguang. And while the German car manufacturers cannot really gain a foothold in China with e-cars, more and more Chinese electric vehicles are coming to Germany. Most recently the Nio ET7 . And the new electric cars from China have this decisive advantage over many traditional manufacturers, even in this country .
