Volvo has started to divert production of Chinese-made electric vehicles to Belgium in the expectation that the European Union will drive ahead with a crackdown on Beijing-subsidised imports.
The Swedish-headquartered company is seen as the most exposed among western carmakers to the controversial plans to impose tariffs on a flood of cheap EVs that are heading to Europe from Chinese factories.
Company insiders said that Volvo, itself owned by the Chinese carmaker Geely, was considering plans to halt sales of Chinese-built EVs bound for Europe if tariffs were introduced. Diverting production of Volvo’s EX30 and EX90 models from China to Belgium is expected to negate the need for the company to do so. The manufacturing of certain Volvo models bound for the UK could also be moved to Belgium. Sources close to the company insisted that suspending sales of EVs made in China was no longer being considered.
The revelations come with the EU on the brink of a major trade war with China that risks severe financial implications for German carmakers.
The European Commission launched a consultation to impose tariffs on Chinese EV imports amid claims that its manufacturers were undercutting western rivals thanks to the support of huge state subsidies. A decision is expected this week.
Volvo insisted that it was “premature” to draw conclusions about the European Commission investigation and any potential measures the carmaker would need to take if trade barriers were imposed. “We are monitoring the EC investigation and cannot comment further until a decision from the EC is made,” a spokesman said.
The European Commission launched an anti-subsidy investigation into EV imports from China in October. Unusually, it was started unilaterally by the commission rather than following a complaint by a company or industry.
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, warned that the EU was being “flooded” with cheap Chinese imports, with prices kept artificially low by “huge state subsidies”. Analysts at HSBC said that the subsidies give manufacturers a roughly 30 per cent cost advantage.
The EU currently places a 10 per cent tariff on Chinese-made EVs. Experts said that could increase to between 25 per cent and 30 per cent. The US recently announced plans to increase its tariffs on EV imports from China, from 25 per cent to 100 per cent.
The move is a worry for western car manufacturers as they are the biggest importers from China because of the country’s large factories. Tesla is the largest importer to the EU from China, but the American company has signalled that it will cease such actions this year.
Analysts said that Volvo is the most exposed to the EU action in the mid-term. However, it is now thought to be moving at pace to avoid taxes being imposed that would, in particular, make its £33,795 EX30 uneconomic if still made in China.
And although EU tariffs threaten western car manufacturing in China, experts said that companies such as BYD and SAIC would be undeterred.
Will Roberts, the head of automotive research at Rho Motion, told a conference in Paris last week: “As EU leaders consider what level of tariff to impose on Chinese EV makers, they will be balancing the fact that a 30 per cent tariff may not touch the sides of profitability for some key manufacturers.”
There is also the threat of retaliatory measures by Beijing. HSBC estimated that German carmakers generate between 20 per cent and 23 per cent of global profits in China. Meanwhile, China has a stranglehold on the production of EV batteries, with a 60 per cent market share.
Roberts said: “If provoked, the reaction and repercussions could lead to a trade war, which would be devastating for a region that is still heavily dependent on Chinese-dominated supply chains to achieve its lofty climate goals.”
The Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll sealed a £1.15 billion refinancing for the company in March
BENOIT TESSIER/REUTERS
Aston staff to work less for higher pay
Aston Martin has struck a pay deal with unions to work less but be paid more as its rivals grapple with industrial disputes and strikes. Some 2,500 workers will receive a 4 per cent pay rise, with manufacturing technicians promised a further 1.5 per cent increase in 2025 alongside a one-hour reduction in their working week.
Aston, chaired by the flamboyant Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, will also offer staff a £1,000 bonus and shares in the FTSE 250 company.
The deal comes as fellow upmarket British carmaker Bentley faces the threat of industrial action at its works in Crewe. The Volkswagen Group-owned firm has sparked anger from members of the Unite union with plans to change sick pay rules, scrap bonuses and use agency staff.
Ford managers across the UK, meanwhile, will begin industrial action this month in a similar row over pay. An overtime ban by members of Unite at Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood is due to begin at the end of next week. Walkouts have also been threatened.
Stroll poached Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark in March to be the company’s third chief executive in four years. The Canadian, who also owns Aston’s Formula One team, is adamant that he can turn around the fortunes of the Gaydon-based carmaker after a difficult few years since the company was floated in London in 2018.
On the first day of trading, shares were priced at £19 each, valuing the company at £4.3 billion. They are now worth £1.64 and, while the sell-off has largely stabilised since Stroll came to the helm in April 2020, fears about mounting debts have dogged the company.
Aston also sealed a £1.15 billion refinancing in March in the hope it would dispel lingering fears about the company’s loan pile.
Regarding the new pay deal, Simon Smith, the chief people officer at Aston Martin, said: “This agreement also promotes talent retention, providing labour certainty for the business as we enter an important period of production, with the ramp up of new models that will support the company’s financial goals in 2024.”
A representative of Unite said that the pay deal “promotes the working relations built with Aston Martin, along with delivering a substantial pay rise and improvements on the work-life balance of our members”.