Renault fears ‘Chinese storm’ around electric cars

Chinese car manufacturers are coming up in droves in Europe and (whether or not as the parent company of European brands) are gaining more and more grip on the market for electric cars in particular. According to Renault CEO Jean-Dominique Senard, the Chinese have an important advantage over the established order, namely their access to raw materials. Senard is very concerned about this. He even talks about an approaching ‘Chinese storm’. “Then I’m talking about the strong pressure from Chinese car imports into Europe. China has, and nobody can blame them, more and more mines needed for batteries,” he is quoted as saying. Autonews.

Senard not only fears the immediate availability of raw materials, but also the consequences of a possible conflict between China and the west. “If a real geopolitical crisis breaks out, the damage to battery factories that can only produce with products (raw materials, ed.) from outside will be significant. That is the problem.” According to Senard, Renault is therefore looking at ways to make itself less dependent on China. However, that does not alter the fact that Chinese car manufacturers already have a head start, because export restrictions recently announced by China do not affect those manufacturers. Senard warns that European leaders must focus on making European industries less dependent on China.