小米汽车宣布明年进军欧洲市场，将在德国与8家经销商合作，但面临45.3%高额关税且无本地生产计划

Chinese tech firm Xiaomi will start selling electric cars in Europe next year, it announced at a consumer electronics trade show in Berlin on Thursday, adding to the growing list of Chinese carmakers expanding into the European market despite EU tariffs on China-made electric vehicles (EVs) and growing wariness across the bloc. Xiaomi Auto, the group’s EV arm, said it would enter several European markets including Germany, where it had signed agreements with eight car dealer groups to build a sales and service network ahead of the launch. The immediate obstacle would be Brussels’ countervailing duties on Chinese EVs. Since Xiaomi did not participate in an EU anti-subsidy investigation launched in 2023 – it only launched its first EV in China in March 2024 – it is likely to be hit with the highest duty of 35.3 per cent on the cars it exports to the EU, on top of the standard 10 per cent import duty. Xiaomi declined to comment on whether it was in discussions with the European Commission on a price undertaking offer that would spare it the levy. At the launch event at IFA Berlin, Xiaomi executives struck a positive tone on its expansion to Europe. “Xiaomi Auto is committed to long-term investment in Europe,” said Yu Liguo, vice-president of Xiaomi Auto and head of its international business. Alongside its research and development centre in Munich, he said partnerships with local dealers would be key to its European expansion. But momentum at home has slowed. Xiaomi’s July deliveries rose 2.7 per cent year on year to 31,267 but fell 10 per cent from June, according to the China Passenger Car Association, while Xiaomi said August deliveries stayed “above 30,000”, against 36,396 a year earlier. Its EV and AI segment posted a 2.6 billion yuan (US$387 million) operating loss in the second quarter of the year, its second consecutive quarterly loss. Germany, where Xiaomi chose to make its announcement, is also a demanding market, with Chinese rivals BYD, Xpeng, Leapmotor and Nio already present. BYD, Xpeng and Leapmotor are expanding their European production footprint: BYD in Hungary, Leapmotor at partner Stellantis’ factory in Spain, and Xpeng through contract assembly with Magna in Austria. Yu said local partnerships were “at the heart” of Xiaomi’s long-term commitment to Europe. The firm said it planned to add more European dealers to the eight in Germany ahead of the launch.