According to Reuters, on January 16, research and consulting company Gartner stated in a report that several car factories in Europe and North America may be closed or sold due to challenges such as overcapacity and price competition in car brands.
Gartner said that due to stricter emission standards and potential tariff policies, auto manufacturers in Europe and North America may reduce production capacity in 2025, and the dominant position of Chinese electric vehicles will be enhanced due to its advantages in software and electrification.
Pedro Pacheco, Vice President of Gartner, told Reuters that automakers are more likely to close or sell automobile factories in high -cost countries because competitive pressure will become increasingly fierce. Pacheco said: “This is a bit like a high -pressure cooker. The pressure is getting bigger and bigger … This will promote many car manufacturers to make a more pragmatic decision.”
Gartner predicts that Chinese brands can overcome trade barriers by acquiring factories, and can also open new factories in free trade partners such as European countries or free trade partners such as Morocco and Turkey.
On January 15, Stefan Hartung, CEO of Bosch, the German automobile parts supplier Bosch, expressed concern on the impact of the EU carbon dioxide emission regulations in 2025, and said that the EU should not impose fines of companies that have not reached standards. The chairman of the French car lobby group PFA believes that it is difficult for the European automobile industry to achieve electric vehicle targets in 2030 and 2035. “The risk is that we will eventually reduce the sales of internal combustion engines and artificially boost the sales of electric vehicles.”
Although electrification is facing challenges, Gartner expects that the total shipments of electric buses, electric passenger cars, electric trucks and electric heavy trucks will increase by 17%in 2025. The agency predicts that by 2030, electric vehicles will account for more than 50%of all models sold by automakers.
Pacheco said that in order to achieve this change, traditional automobile manufacturers may purchase software architecture from emerging electric vehicle manufacturers and digital technology companies, establish R & D centers, or cooperate with technology companies to set up electric vehicle joint ventures.