Several of Europe’s top car manufacturers launched a series of small electrical vehicles at the Paris Motor Show on Tuesday in a bid to enhance demand and regain market share from Chinese competitors. The show started on 14th October, and ended on the 20th, marking a critical moment for the car industry in Europe as sales continued to decline, reflecting a rising trend of competition.
Julia Poliscanova, Transport & Environment’s Senior Director for Vehicles and E-Mobility, said, “It feels like Europe is fighting back.” This show featured an impressive number of new models with higher affordability, as Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault launched smaller products for mass-market production. These are important launches; especially as Chinese brands dominate at the bottom of the price list.
The hurdles to European carmakers’ success are daunting. Affordability and dearth of charging infrastructure have long been nagging issues, but fast-growing diplomatic row with China is particularly damaging the sector. The prospect of tighter emission cuts makes speedy improvement in EV sales an imperative, as otherwise failure to do so will result in hefty fines levied on carmakers.
The Renault Twingo E-Tech electric prototype has been also unveiled and will go on sale after 2026 at a price below €20,000, ($21,800). Simultaneously with its presentation, Stellantis presented a small Citroen C4 and C4 X, belonging to the platform designed to respond to the challenges of energy transition.
Poliscanova said that the high prices of the previous year drove away consumer interest in EVs. With the introduction of competitively priced models, she could foresee sales from 14% of the market next year to as much as 24%.
In a competitive environment where Chinese EVs are often priced below €31,000, the response from Western manufacturers must be quick. According to Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot, the new Spring model will continue its line of specialization in the context of affordability-important if they want to capture consumer interest.
Transitional challenges follow with sustained navigation, as leaders continue to believe that the ultimate goal is full electrification for the industry. Strategic investment and innovation in accessible mobility solutions are thus the eventual need.
