How China’s EVs and Their Integrated Technologies Are Displacing German Luxury Car Manufacturers

On February 20, 2025, luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz announced plans to cut production costs by 10% by 2027 in light of expected lower earnings in 2025. This news follows a general downturn in German luxury car manufacturing on a global level. The BMW Group, which includes the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, announced a global decrease in sales for all of 2024, with Volkswagen’s Porsche announcing a near-25% downturn in sales in both North America and China earlier in 2024.

Consumers point to increased Chinese electric vehicle (EV) affordability, increased technology integration, and a decrease in brand reputation as key factors driving their decision-making. This can be especially seen in the growth of Chinese EVs in the German market, which is the EU’s largest market for EVs, and in China, which is a significant source of revenue for German luxury car manufacturers.

Electrification and Affordability

Driven by a mixture of EU CO₂ emission standards and Germany’s own desire for increased EV usage, Germany has emerged as the EU’s largest market for EV technology, with domestic luxury vehicle manufacturers competing with Chinese EVs for market share. So far, Chinese EVs have been able to make a sizable dent in the German EV market, with nearly 44,000 Chinese EVs being sold in Germany in 2024, comprising 11.5% of the total 381,000 EVs registered last year, with Chinese EVs comprising over 40% of EV import market share in Germany in Q1 2024.

Price competition has enabled Chinese-manufactured EVs to dominate not only Germany’s domestic market but also the world’s. Vehicles like Nio’s ET9, set to compete directly with BMW’s 7-series and Audi’s A8, and Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra, competing with Porsche's Taycan Turbo S, compete directly with German luxury manufacturers at a fraction of the cost.

Other Chinese EVs also compete head-to-head with German auto manufacturers, to the point where Chinese-made EVs’ affordability resulted in an EU-led anti-subsidy investigation in late 2023. Price competition has drastically affected German manufacturers, to the point where

German auto supplier Bosch, the world’s largest auto supplier, made significant cuts to its workforce in 2024.

Consumer preference, driven primarily by cost and affordability, has taken hold of the German domestic market, with a survey from 2024 revealing that almost two-thirds of Germans can now imagine purchasing a car from a Chinese manufacturer. In fact, this number among survey respondents shot up to 80% if the respondent was specifically interested in an EV, highlighting lower prices as a primary consumer motivator for domestic German consumers.

Seamless Technology Integration as a Consumer Priority

Technology integration in Chinese EVs has become a strong selling point for consumers. China, which has become a major, if not the largest, market for German luxury vehicles, has drawn the ire of Chinese consumers due to its hesitancy to integrate technology into its vehicles. In contrast, Chinese EVs, with features including advanced heads-up displays and information systems, enable a more pleasant driving experience.

The utilization of connected Internet of Things (IoT) and cellular technologies to control everything within the vehicle’s purview and extenuating smart devices throughout the home and the workplace have resulted in China’s leadership in global EV manufacturing.

These incorporations of software and convenience have been a primary factor that has resulted in a decrease in German automakers’ share of China’s market, controlling just 15% in the present day (compared to 25% just five years ago). In fact, the combined electric market share of all German manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche, was a mere five percent in 2024.

Chinese EV manufacturers’ strength in technology integration has even resulted in the exportation of these technologies. This was particularly evident in Auto China 2024, which saw the announcement of Japanese car brands integrating Chinese technologies, with agreements between Nissan and Baidu, Toyota and Tencent, and Honda and Huawei dominating the conversation at the show.

Loss of Brand Power and Reputation

The reputational power, brand, and “made in Germany” tagline have also evolved in recent history. However, recent reports indicate that consumers are indexing less on these factors in favor of electrification, technology integration, and price, resulting in reputational loss for German luxury auto manufacturers.

To this extent, German manufacturers’ reputation of complex, industrious, and over-engineered vehicles has resulted in a corresponding backlash against these companies, with many consumers pointing to decreased quality, and subsequently, loss of brand perception. The perceived strength of German-manufactured vehicles and parts has received substantial criticism in recent history, with countless auto enthusiasts on forums such as Reddit, Bimmerpost, and MBWorld discussing the increasing decline of German luxury automobiles.

Inversely, the perception and reputation of Chinese EVs have increased dramatically in recent years, with Chinese EVs performing well in many side-by-side comparisons against other electric vehicles, including German luxury cars. This can be seen in the dominance of Chinese EVs around the world, with Chinese EVs comprising over 60% of worldwide EV sales in 2024.

Conclusion

All in all, consumers are increasingly drawn to Chinese EVs due to their lower prices, advanced technology features, and increasing brand prestige as well as awareness. This shift is particularly noticeable in the share of Chinese EVs in the EU’s largest EV market, Germany, as well as in China, where German luxury auto manufacturers were anticipating as their primary revenue source for the foreseeable future.

As a result, Chinese EVs have reshaped the global automobile ecosystem and displaced German luxury car manufacturers. While the legacy prestige of German automobiles and their desirability remains, it is clear that consumers are increasingly drawn to Chinese EVs, particularly given their affordability, technology integrations, and rising luxury features.

Image Credit: Matthias Balk (source)