According to foreign media reports, industry data shows that the French government's efforts to slow the influx of Chinese-made electric vehicles are bearing fruit. Previously, Chinese EV exports to Europe increased sharply, triggering the threat of tariffs from the European Union.
Rather than wait for the European Union's decision to raise tariffs, France redesigned the country's subsidy program in December to exclude Chinese-made models. Prior to this, Chinese electric vehicles rapidly expanded their market share in France.
According to data released by AAA Data, the three best-selling Chinese-made electric vehicles in France (Dacia Spring, Tesla Model 3 and SAIC's MG4) accounted for 22% of the country's electric vehicle market share in the months before the implementation of the new electric vehicle subsidy policy.
In December, the market share of these models even soared to 32 percent. Subsequently, the French government introduced new regulations on subsidies for electric vehicles, which require vehicles to meet carbon emission standards during the manufacturing process and transportation to the market, which benefits European-made vehicles.
Since the release of the new rules, the market share of these three models has gradually declined, reaching just 4% in April, and French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the decline in market share of these models shows that more restrictive subsidy rules are working.
During a visit to the Renault factory at the end of March this year, Le Maire said: "This proves that when we defend our interests and the environment, we can pay off for our industry, our factories and our jobs." "
The French government has been trying to buy time for local automakers to launch their own electric models in order to catch up with Chinese manufacturers who had built up their huge production capacity early.
However, experts believe that the change in measures can only temporarily boost the development of local brands. Flavien Neuvy, an economist and director of the French research institute Observatoire Cetelem, said: "I don't think the market share of Chinese-made (imported) electric vehicles will always be so low, because Chinese manufacturers can afford to adjust at competitive prices, despite not being able to access subsidies." "
