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Tesla not part of EU investigation into Chinese carmaker subsidies, but could still face duties
- Brussels is now focused on three Chinese-owned manufacturers in quest to level playing field for European EV makers
- If evidence of subsidies found, bloc would calculate an average countervailing duty to be applied to all EV imports from China
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Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
Tesla ships more electric vehicles from China to Europe than any other company – but the carmaker is not one of a small pool of firms being investigated by the EU over potential market-distorting subsidies, the Post has learned.
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Brussels is instead focused on three Chinese-owned manufacturers, seeking to level the playing field for European EV makers. But this does not mean Tesla is off the hook.
Should the EU investigation turn up evidence of subsidies, the bloc would calculate an average countervailing duty to be applied to all EV imports from China – including cars made in China by Tesla and European-owned models such as Volkswagen and BMW, it was understood.
But the three firms forming part of the sample would be subject to individual duties based on their own discovered subsidies.
EU foreign policy chief urges Beijing ‘to find common ground’ to tackle trade imbalance with Europe
It means those companies not included in the sample could face an average duty that is higher than the level of subsidy they have received. For that reason, firms that are relatively new to producing in China could have reason to be upset for being left out of the sample.
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