Comment: A trade war with China only knows losers

The Mini Aceman has become a handsome car - and surprisingly affordable for a purely electric vehicle. The family-friendly Mini from BMW was listed for 30,650 euros at the beginning of October. Whether this price will still apply in November, however, is anything but certain. This is because the spacious five-door model is built in China by BMW's cooperation partner Great Wall. This means that the model, like all electric cars from the Middle Kingdom, is threatened with a hefty additional duty: 21.3 percent is to be added to the gross price. This is what the EU Commission wants. This is because it accuses China of creating unfair competitive conditions by subsidizing its own car industry. BMW has already increased the price of the Mini Aceman by 650 euros overnight - to 31,300 euros.

But it is unlikely to stay that way: if the Mini parent company adds the full customs duty to the final price of the Aceman, the model would suddenly be priced at 36,505 euros at the dealership. This would significantly reduce sales success. Mini hopes to have a top seller in its range with the Aceman. The model is currently being presented to the world press in Copenhagen.

The EU member states have given the Commission a free hand in the customs dispute. Germany and three other countries (Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia) voted against the proposal, but this was of little avail. The motives of the supporters of punitive tariffs vary. France and Italy fear a flood of cheap imported cars. Eastern European countries such as Poland and Bulgaria are speculating on the establishment of Chinese car factories. BYD is already building a production facility in Hungary. Germany, on the other hand, fears an economic war. Because if the Chinese government counters with its own customs barriers, things will look even worse for VW, BMW and Mercedes there than they already do.

Such a conflict is likely to have only losers. Tariffs lead to higher prices - which ultimately have to be paid by consumers. This is doubly annoying for electric cars, which are already more expensive than combustion engines. After all, the EU wants us to drive only electrically as soon as possible. "We don't yet know how we will react when customs come," says Mini. But one thing is clear: at least part of the penalty duty will end up with the consumer.

MG, the most successful Chinese brand in Europe, is even expected to pay a 35.3 percent penalty duty. The reason for this is the alleged unwillingness of SAIC, MG's parent company, to cooperate with the EU Commission. Imports of European brands are subject to 21.3 percent - in addition to the ten percent that is due for all imported cars.

Volkswagen would also be affected. The Group's Cupra brand imports the Tavascan from a VW plant in China. Tesla faces a relatively low punitive tariff for the Model 3 manufactured in China. Tesla has already raised the price by 2,000 euros.

The EU Commission could unleash an economic war of unimagined proportions with the punitive tariffs. The fact that German companies with strong exports in particular - and not just those in the automotive industry - would suffer as a result is of little concern in Brussels. The fear that Chinese manufacturers could flood the market with cheap products and push their own industry to the wall is too great in countries such as France and Italy. This is not yet the case: Last year, just 290,000 e-cars arrived in the EU from China. The market share in the e-segment was therefore 20 percent. Tesla alone brought 100,000 of the electric cars to Europe from its Chinese factory. Renault imported 60,000 units from Dacia Spring. Only 75,000 imports can be attributed to purely Chinese brands such as BYD, MG or Nio. So much ado about almost nothing.

France, of all countries, shows what the EU could do instead: Promote the sale of electric cars - on the condition that the eco-balance is also right during production. Because if an electric car is produced with "dirty electricity", it hardly helps the climate. France only rewards the purchase of models that are produced using sustainable electricity. Energy-intensive battery cell production in particular should be carried out using green electricity, otherwise an electric car will start its life with a huge CO2 backpack. Chinese manufacturers therefore have little chance of receiving support. Europe should also take an example from the promotion of battery research in China. The Chinese government has invested billions here in recent years. Germany is quite different: the German government is currently phasing out funding for battery research. The industry is complaining that the Federal Ministry of Research is no longer accepting new applications for funding. (aum)