"All proposals submitted by Geely have been sent to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products for record, and we have never communicated or negotiated privately with the European Commission." On the evening of October 31, Geely Group issued a statement in response to the European Commission's report claiming that relevant Geely enterprises had privately contacted the EU for price negotiations. Geely stated that all proposals submitted by the Geely Group had been sent to the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products for record and that they had never communicated or negotiated privately with the European Commission. At the same time, Geely also revealed that during the consultation talks, it was actually the European Commission that initiated contact with Geely's brands, but Geely prioritized the overall situation and refused to communicate separately with the European Commission.

Meanwhile, SAIC Motor also issued a response to this matter. SAIC Motor stated that after internal self-inspection and communication with relevant national authorities, SAIC Motor had always been a major participant in the "price commitment proposal" of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products in the EU anti-subsidy investigation case and had never communicated or negotiated separately with the European Commission regarding SAIC Motor's proposal. Regarding the European Commission's final ruling, SAIC Motor also indicated that it would take necessary legal measures to file a lawsuit in the European Court of Justice to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

The European Commission announced on October 29 local time that it had concluded its anti-subsidy investigation into imported electric vehicles (BEVs) from China and decided to impose a five-year final anti-subsidy duty on the relevant products. According to this investigation, sampled Chinese export producers will be subject to anti-subsidy duties of varying rates: BYD at 17.0%, Geely at 18.8%, and SAIC Motor at 35.3%.

Other cooperating companies not listed on the sample are subject to a tariff of 20.7%. After filing an individual examination application, Tesla will be subject to a tariff of 7.8%. According to previous announcements, all other companies that did not cooperate with the EU investigation will be subject to a tariff of 35.3%. It can be inferred that SAIC Motor was the least cooperative among Chinese automakers investigated by the EU.

According to a 208-page provisional tariff decision document released by the European Commission in July this year, the main factor determining the different tariffs imposed on Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers by the EU appears to be the "degree of cooperation in the investigation." The document also highlights a section detailing the investigation into SAIC Motor, concluding that SAIC Motor's responses to the investigation were "grossly inadequate." SAIC Motor has previously stated on social media that the EU had requested sensitive business information from Chinese automakers, such as the chemical composition of batteries, and claimed that these requests exceeded the scope of the investigation.

According to foreign media reports on October 25, the European Commission stated on that day that the EU and China had agreed to hold further technical negotiations on possible alternatives to tariffs on electric vehicles produced in China, despite significant differences still existing between the two sides. According to foreign media reports, part of the proposal involves domestic Chinese automakers temporarily suspending their expansion in the EU. Meanwhile, electric vehicles sold by Chinese automakers to the EU region will be sold at minimum prices.

However, as early as October 8, Reuters reported that during the trade dispute between China and the EU over electric vehicle tariffs, China had proposed that electric vehicles imported from China to Europe should be priced at no less than €30,000 (approximately RMB 232,000) to avoid anti-subsidy tariffs imposed by the EU. However, this proposal was rejected by the EU.

According to insiders, Chinese manufacturers will temporarily suspend actively seeking production bases and signing new agreements in the EU. Foreign media have also revealed that some Chinese automakers, such as Dongfeng Motor Corporation, have suspended plans to produce vehicles in Italy. According to insiders, Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. has also canceled its European brand launch event scheduled for this week in Milan due to ongoing tariff negotiations.

According to media reports, the average retail price of battery electric vehicles in Europe is as high as €66,000 (approximately RMB 511,000). Many European automakers are developing affordable models priced at around €20,000 (approximately RMB 155,000), but they are not expected to be available until at least 2025. For example, Volkswagen Group aims to launch a €20,000 car by 2027. Additionally, Renault's R5, priced at €25,000, and the prototype of the electric Twingo, priced below €20,000, are also expected to be launched in 2026. Citroen will introduce an electric vehicle priced at €19,999 in the first half of next year, but it will still take some time. The Dacia Bigster SUV will be launched in Europe at the beginning of 2025 with a starting price below €25,000.

From a market perspective, Chinese electric vehicles have been significantly impacted in Europe since the imposition of tariffs. Among Chinese brands (excluding Volvo, etc.), MG, which previously sold the best, has now fallen out of the top 10 sales rankings for two consecutive months. In September, MG sold 4,986 vehicles in 15 European countries, ranking 11th, while BYD ranked 16th with 3,209 vehicles sold. Other brands such as XPeng, NIO, and Zeekr ranked outside the top 25 with sales of less than 1,000 vehicles.