Tag Archives: Tesla

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BMW sold more electric cars in Europe than Tesla

After a long time, someone managed to remove Tesla from the throne of the best-selling electric cars in Europe, and that is BMW. It was the first time that a German manufacturer managed to surpass an American company.

The European electric car market is not looking great at the moment, and according to the latest results, sales have fallen by 6 percent compared to last year. This decline is the result of a lack of government incentives and buyers’ worries about how much their vehicles will be worth in the future. According to sales results in July, BMW sold 14,869 BEVs, which is 308 cars more than Tesla, although the Model Y is still the best-selling electric car. Tesla delivered 16 percent fewer Model Ys in July (9,544 units). The Volvo EX30 is second on the list with 6,573 cars sold, while the Volkswagen ID.4 is in third place with 5,295 cars delivered.

SUVs are still popular with 54 percent of all vehicles sold. “Customers in Europe now have more choice than ever before, and SUVs are a more comfortable and desirable option for many. These facts, along with the increasing availability of affordable models, are helping customers switch from traditional segments to SUVs,” said analyst Felipe Munoz.

If we look at the European market as a whole, total car sales in July increased by 2 percent compared to last year, with 1.03 million cars delivered. Dacia Sandero is the best-selling model with 22,398 units, Volkswagen T-Roc is second with 19,254 units sold, while third place belongs to Toyota Yaris Cross with 17,314 units sold.

Source: Reuters

News

EU reduced tariffs on vehicles produced in China

Last year, the European Commission launched an investigation into the privileged position of electric vehicles produced in China due to subsidies. This resulted in the introduction of additional tariffs on vehicles manufactured in China (37.6%), and manufacturers that cooperated during the investigation paid lower tariffs (20.8%). However, the EU decided to reduce tariffs on some car manufacturers like Tesla from 20.8% to just 9%.

After reviewing the business report for July, it was determined that Tesla received less government aid than other firms that make cars in China, so the EU agreed to reduce the tariff. However, this did not mean that the tariff would be removed completely as the company was found to still be getting batteries below market value, which is one of the ways car manufacturers receive help from China. Other ways to help are cheap land, grants and loans at lower rates. This still gives them an advantage over cars made by companies in other parts of the world.

Also, some other car manufacturers will now pay lower tariffs, such as the British brand Mini. Although the company refused to cooperate in the investigation, the EU still decided to reduce tariffs on their vehicles from 37.6% to 21.3%. The tariff was also reduced on the vehicles of some Chinese companies: BYD (17.4 to 17 percent), Geely (19.9 to 19.3 percent), and SAIC (37.6 percent to 36.6 percent).

Source: Reuters

News

The hood latch issue caused the recall of almost 1.9 million Tesla vehicles

Over the past few years, Tesla has recalled several million of its vehicles due to various safety issues. In June there was a safety problem with the seat belt warning system. Now, they are recalling nearly 2 million vehicles due to a software issue that fails to warn drivers of an open hood.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warned Tesla that an inadequately secured hood could open while driving, blocking the driver’s view. Therefore, the Tesla company offered an over-the-air software update, which should solve the problem.

The problem with unintended hood opening was reported in China in March, after which the company launched an investigation and found latch switch deformation as the cause of the warning not being activated. The hood latch assemblies were manufactured by the Chinese company Magna Closures Kunshan Co. Ltd., and the engineers started inspecting Tesla vehicles in Europe and North America. The investigation is still ongoing, but the company has decided to recall 1.8 million vehicles for the safety of drivers.

This issue affected Model 3, Model S, and Model X cars built between 2021 and 2024, and Model Y cars built between 2020 and 2024.

Source: Reuters