“Politicians in Europe are putting electric cars in a bad light and imposing strange tariffs,” the expert said.

BERLIN, July 21 (Xinhua) — Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Bochum, criticized the European Union for imposing additional tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

The European Commission earlier this month imposed provisional additional tariffs of up to 37.6 percent on Chinese EV makers. The German expert said in a recent interview with Xinhua that the tariffs are “not based on proven facts” but on claims to justify them.

There is also a lack of transparency, he said.

“Politicians in Europe are putting electric cars in a bad light and imposing strange tariffs,” the expert said, pointing out that the commission is artificially making electric cars more expensive and hindering the growth of the market.

Dudenhoeffer noted that the German automotive industry is currently in a difficult situation and that there is a structural problem. The sector needs to become more stable on the Chinese market.

Major auto giants in Germany last week published their second-quarter auto sales figures, all of which showed declines. Volkswagen reported a 3.8 percent year-on-year decline in global vehicle deliveries, while BMW and Mercedes-Benz saw a 1.3 percent and 4 percent decline in auto sales, respectively.

According to the European Commission, a final decision on definitive levies will be taken in the coming months. Dudenhoeffer stressed the need for dialogue and an agreement to solve the problem. ■