The Paris Motor Show opens during the electric vehicle trade war between the EU and China

Paris (AFP) – Car manufacturers They compete to convince drivers of this Go for electricity Cheaper, more technology-rich models are being introduced at the Paris Motor Show, targeting everyone from luxury car customers to students who have not yet obtained their driving licences.

The biennial exhibition has been a major industry showcase, dating back to 1898.

Chinese manufacturers are attending strongly, despite threats from the European Union Imposing punitive taxes on imports Their electric cars A trade war is brewing With Beijing. Established European manufacturers are resisting new efforts to win over consumers who have rejected expensive electric cars.

Here’s a look at the show’s opening day on Monday.

More new models from China

Chinese electric car startups Leapmotor and XPeng showed off models they said incorporate artificial intelligence technology.

Leapmotor, founded in 2015, has unveiled its electric-powered compact SUV, the B10. It will be manufactured in Poland for European buyers, said Zhong Tianyu, head of product planning at Leapmotor. Leapmotor has not announced the price of the B10, which will be launched next year.

Leapmotor also said a smaller electric passenger car it showed in Paris, the T03, will retail for a competitive price of 18,900 euros ($20,620). Zhong said that products sold in France will be imported from China but will be assembled in Poland.

Leapmotor also announced a starting price of €36,400 ($39,700) in Europe for its larger C10 family car.

Sales outside China are made through a joint venture with Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker. Leapmotor said European sales began in September.

XPeng prepares to hit tariffs

While attending the Paris Motor Show for the first time, decade-old Chinese electric car manufacturer XPeng unveiled a stylish sedan, the P7+.

CEO He Xiaopeng said that XPeng aims to offer its services in Europe from next year. Intended European pricing for the P7+ has not been revealed, but the CEO said it will start in China at 209,800 yuan, equivalent to 27,100 euros, or $29,600.

XPeng President Brian Guo said the EU’s threatened import tariffs could complicate the company’s expansion plans if Brussels and Beijing do not find an amicable solution to their trade dispute before the end-October deadline.

Brussels says the subsidies help Chinese companies unfairly undercut EU industry prices, as Chinese-made electric cars jumped from 3.9% of the electric car market in 2020 to 25% by September 2023.

“The tariff will put a lot of pressure on our business model. It is a direct hit on our margin, which is not very high already,” Gu said.

Vehicles for young teens

The story continues

Manufacturers of small electric cars that can be driven in Europe without a license are finding a growing market among teenagers as young as 14 and their parents who, for safety reasons, prefer to drive on four wheels rather than motorcycles.

Several manufacturers of the two-seater car are displaying their offers in Paris, including the French company Citroen. The starting price for the Ami, or “friend,” is just under €8,000 ($8,720). Launched in France in 2020, the plastic-clad car is now also sold in other European markets and in Turkey, Morocco and South America.

“It’s not a car. It’s a tool for mobility,” Alain Le Goguec, Citroën’s product chief, told Ami.

European legislation allows teenagers who do not have a full license to drive Ami cars and similar vehicles from the age of 14 after an eight-hour training course. It is limited to a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph).

The vehicles also find markets among adults who have lost their license due to driving violations or who never obtained a full license, and outside cities in areas with poor transportation.

Even in the cold, energy-sapping winter, the unlicensed, plastic-covered two-seat duo can travel 100 kilometers (more than 60 miles) between charges, Renault subsidiary Mobilize said. The phone app acts as the door and ignition switch.

Another French company, Ligier, sells its two-seater off-licence in both diesel and electric versions.