Europe's electric vehicle mandates are killing their auto industry, and China is taking advantage
By ljdevon // 2025-06-28
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The European auto industry, once a global powerhouse of innovation and economic strength, is now on life support—thanks to reckless government mandates and China’s calculated takeover. By forcing an all-electric future upon unwilling consumers, European leaders have signed the death warrant of their own car manufacturers while handing over billions in subsidies to Chinese competitors. The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) was never about consumer choice or market demand. Instead, it was a political directive pushed by elites who ignored economic reality. Now, as dealerships transition from European brands to Chinese imports, the consequences are undeniable. Industry experts warn that Europe’s auto sector has no path to recovery—only a slow, painful extinction. Key points:
  • European governments have mandated an all-electric transition, decimating domestic automakers while benefiting China.
  • Chinese EV companies, backed by state subsidies, are flooding European markets, replacing historic brands.
  • Industry analysts describe EVs as “glorified golf carts” that only China can produce cheaply, exploiting Western policies.
  • The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has capitulated to government demands instead of defending the industry.
  • Experts predict Europe’s auto sector will soon be reduced to an assembly line for Chinese-made parts.

The death of Europe’s auto industry

The signs of collapse are everywhere. Once-proud marques—Volkswagen, BMW, Renault—are struggling under the weight of EV mandates that consumers neither want nor can afford. Meanwhile, Chinese brands like Chery, Jaecoo, and Great Wall Motors are expanding rapidly across Europe, leasing former Tesla showrooms and displacing local dealers. Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics, does not mince words. “The damage has been done—it devalued the car companies we had,” he says. “Governments have forced on the marketplace a technology where only non-European countries can succeed in a competitive market.” The irony is brutal. Europe, a leader in combustion engine technology, willingly dismantled its greatest economic strength. Now, it faces dependency on a geopolitical rival that dominates battery materials, rare earth minerals, and cheap manufacturing.

China’s long game: Economic warfare by policy

Beijing didn’t need to fire a single bullet to capture Europe’s auto sector. Instead, it exploited Western elites’ obsession with climate regulations to shift the playing field in its favor. While Europe drowned its industry in green mandates, China secured control of the supply chain—ensuring that EVs remained profitable only for Chinese manufacturers. China has been capitalizing on the mental programming of climate change alarmism that has infected the West over the past decade. Climate alarmism has led to policies that shutter industry and energy independence, and China takes advantage of the West's naivety. One automotive critic scathingly calls these EVs “glorified golf carts,” highlighting their impracticality outside tightly controlled urban zones. Yet European leaders, detached from market realities, continue doubling down on policies that enrich China. Paul Homewood, a critic of the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, notes that subsidies are effectively bankrolling China’s invasion of British markets. “The suicidal ZEV mandate is handing hundreds of millions in subsidies to Chinese EV makers,” he says. Instead of resisting disastrous policies, Europe’s auto trade groups have surrendered in stupid complicity. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has long pushed EVs, ignoring the economic fallout. Now, as Chinese imports surge, these organizations have no defense. Andrew Orlowski of The Telegraph paints a grim future: European jobs may linger, but profits will flow to China. “More realistically, autogeddon will see local jobs in Europe manufacturing lines retained, but the real profits will be returned to China,” he writes. The question remains: Why did European leaders ever believe this would end differently? Was it naivete—or something more sinister? Sources include: ClimateDepot.com Wordpress.com Telegraph.co.uk
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