Country is not part of the EU
Norway, a pioneer in the introduction of electric vehicles, will not support the EU's decision to impose higher tariffs on Chinese electric cars, according to Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum.
«Imposing tariffs on Chinese cars is neither relevant nor desirable for our government», — wrote Vedum in response to a Bloomberg request.
In Norway, which has the highest density of electric vehicles in the world, 24% of cars were electric last year, according to Statistics Norway. According to the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), more than 12% of electric vehicles imported into Norway are made by Chinese manufacturers.
Norway, which is not part of the European Union, has been the first European market for many Chinese electric vehicle startups. Nio arrived in Norway in May 2021, a year before its official launch in the EU. Xpeng was launched in Norway even earlier, in 2020. Norway also has some Chinese brands that are very rare in Europe.
In May, Xpeng sold 67 cars, and Nio — 66 cars. For comparison, in the same month Tesla sold 830 electric vehicles, and Volkswagen — 1372 ID units. The leaders of Chinese electric vehicles in Norway are SAIC and Geely Group. Last month, MG delivered 497 electric vehicles to Norway. MG, a former British brand, is owned by state-owned SAIC, which has been subject to an additional 38.1% tariff in the EU on July 4 on top of the 10% tariff already in place. Polestar, owned by the Geely Group, sold 328 electric vehicles in May. All MG and Polestar electric cars are made in China.
June 12, 2024 The European Commission made a preliminary decision on the upcoming increase in duties on Chinese electric cars.