Renault CEO: It’s time to ‘find a deal’ with China’s auto industry

Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault Group, says now is the time for the European car industry to “find a deal” with China, after the European Commission approved substantial import tariffs on Chinese-built electric cars.

De Meo, who has long expressed his view that protectionist policies are an ill-conceived means of promoting competition, spoke to journalists at the Paris Motor Show shortly after tariffs of between 17.4% and 35.3% were imposed to all electric vehicles built. in China and shipped to the EU.

He has previously argued that driving up the price of electric cars by competitively priced newcomers deprives car buyers of choice, and suggested the EU should instead try to fuel its car industry with a coherent industrial strategy that encourages innovation and boosts car production supports.

And now, with tariffs imposed permanently, De Meo says Europe could miss an opportunity to boost the global competitiveness of its car industry, which represents 8% of Europe’s GDP and provides jobs.