Beijing and Shanghai, December 9, 2025 (NA) – Chinese and European automotive industries are deeply integrated, giving the Asian hope that German and European automotive associations will use their influence to encourage the European Commission to work with China to find an appropriate solution as soon as possible to the European Union's (EU) anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles. The statement was made by Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Ji during a meeting with European automakers, urging them to continue investing in China and collaborating with local partners to promote the ecological and smart transition of the industry, as noted by the Argentine News Agency.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, the U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla's gigafactory reached a significant milestone by producing its 4 millionth vehicle, according to company sources. It is Elon Musk's first megaplant built outside the United States, operating since January 2019 and produced its first car in December of the same year. The facility took over 30 months to produce its first million vehicles, while production increased from 3 million to 4 million in about 14 months, according to the same sources. Tesla is a major competitor to Chinese electric vehicles like Byd, and its performance in eastern China transfers technology and trains the local workforce.
During two recent video meetings, the first with Hildegard Müller, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, and the second with Ola Kallenius, president of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association and Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Minister Ling indicated that the Chinese and European automotive industries are deeply integrated. Müller said that automotive cooperation between Germany and China has yielded fruitful results, the communiqué adds.
German automakers are continuously increasing their investments in China and deepening strategic cooperation with Chinese partners, she noted, and said that the association opposes the EU's imposition of countervailing duties on Chinese electric vehicles. Kallenius, for his part, indicated that European automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, have been continuously increasing their localization efforts in recent years and have become deeply integrated into the development of China's automotive production and supply chains.
He agreed with Ling in hoping that both sides will adopt a pragmatic approach to finding a solution in the electric vehicle anti-subsidy case, and strengthen cooperation in industrial and supply chains.
