DETROIT (AP) Chinese automakers have been making inroads around the world with growing sales of their high-tech, stylish and affordable electric vehicles. That has had competitors concerned even before Canada this week agreed to cut its tariffs on EVs in exchange for concessions on Canadian farm products.
Experts now say an easier path into Canada could be a big boost for Chinese carmakers looking to dominate the global market particularly as their domestic market weakens continuing to threaten other auto manufacturers, particularly American companies.
This is telling us that Chinese automakers continue to be really popular, and are doing better and better, and not just something thats sold in global markets that are more marginal or less important to U.S. automakers, said Ilaria Mazzocco, deputy director and senior fellow with the Trustee Chair in Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
What makes Chinese vehicles stand out?
Chinese-made vehicles are high-quality, stylish and inexpensive, experts say.
Its clear that the vehicles made by Chinese brands come at a very competitive cost, but are also technologically quite desirable, Mazzocco said. They tend to be connected vehicles, so they have a lot of additional software capabilities that consumers seem to like. But the price point and the competitiveness are really big selling points.
These vehicles can cost as little as $10,000 to $20,000; in the U.S., new vehicles are running close to $50,000 on average, and EVs even more so.
Chinese companies also have unique advantages as far as auto manufacturing and production, efficiency and making vehicles lighter, which helps extend an electrified vehicles driving range.
Theyve found a way to make small and mid-sized cars cars that people want at a reasonable price, said Sam Fiorani, vice president at AutoForecast Solutions. These are the segments where GM and Ford and almost everybody else have abandoned.
Many automakers have discontinued smaller vehicles in favor of higher-margin, large sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks that are far more profitable.
So why are Chinese EVs such a threat to U.S. automakers and others?
Much of the global auto market is electrifying, an ideal opportunity for advanced Chinese automakers to capitalize on. China saw 17% growth in plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in 2025, according to data released by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence this week, and Europe saw a 33% increase.
Meanwhile, U.S. sales of electrified cars grew just 1% last year. As the rest of the world advances, U.S. automakers have weakened their once-ambitious, multibillion dollar electrification plans, instead opting for more efficient hybrid electric and gasoline vehicles amid the Trump administrations shift away from EV-friendly policy.
That shift threatens U.S. automakers competitive edge in the coming years. As is, Tesla lost its crown as the worlds bestselling electric vehicle maker last year, delivering only 1.64 million vehicles in 2025 to Chinese rival BYDs 2.26 million.
Trump administration policy slashing emissions rules at a time when Chinese companies are advancing quickly has experts worried for the future of American car manufacturers .
Chinese automakers will have to meet standards required for the Canadian auto market for the latest trade arrangement to be successful standards that are similar to those in the U.S. which is likely to incentivize Chinese auto manufacturing investment in Canada.
Theyll also have to establish which segment of the market they are targeting there: Higher-end vehicles, or less-expensive ones that sell at higher volumes.
Regardless, It brings it home to what is needed to compete globally, said Mark Wakefield, global automotive market lead at AlixPartners. The firm predicts Chinese brands will account for 30% of the global market by 2030.
Theyve already started in Europe. They started in South America. Now Mexico and Canada, Wakefield said. American carmakers dont want to end up as a Brazil with your ethanol-based cars that arent sellable anywhere else in the world and ... like Britain or Australia that used to matter in the auto world, and no longer really matter.
Why have others sought to regulate Chinese EV-makers expansion?
Countries have attempted to regulate Chinese EVs from entering their markets for several reasons.
China has become this overwhelming machine making inexpensive vehicles. And the fear is that if you give them an inch, theyre going to take a mile, Fiorani said. The other issue is technology. These vehicles are data centers... and the idea that a state-owned company in China could have access to where a high portion of drivers are going gives them leverage for all kinds of outlets.
In remarks at the Toledo Assembly Complex in Toledo, Ohio on Friday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Chinese Communist Party invests in its auto industry to control this industry.
Why? They want to take over the auto industry. They want to take away these jobs, Duffy said. As far as the Canadian trade deal, he added: They will live to regret the day they partner with China and bring in their vehicles.
The European Union hiked tariffs on Chinese EVs last year, though the two have been resolving that at the start of this year .
In 2024, former President Joe Biden set a 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars . Canada matched that import tax on the vehicles until this week. And even with an annual import cap, Canada cutting its tariffs this week means those companies are another step closer to U.S. soil. The Mexican auto market has welcomed Chinese EVs , with massive growth last year.
The advance of Chinese manufacturers is inevitable. It will happen eventually. Everybody is negotiating to put up the roadblocks to figure out: What data is being processed, how much market share youre going to allow Chinese manufacturers to have? Fiorani added.
There are a lot of guardrails that have to be put up, but eventually theyre going to make their way into all Western markets.
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn . Reach her at [email protected] .
底特律（美联社）——中国汽车制造商凭借其高科技、时尚且价格亲民的电动汽车在全球市场不断取得突破，销量持续攀升。这一趋势早已引发竞争对手的担忧，而本周加拿大同意降低电动汽车关税以换取对其农产品的让步，更凸显了这一态势。
专家指出，随着中国国内市场疲软持续威胁其他汽车制造商（尤其是美国企业），更便捷的加拿大市场准入渠道或将为志在主导全球市场的中国车企提供重要助力。
美国战略与国际研究中心中国商业与经济学讲座高级研究员兼副主任伊拉里亚·马佐科表示："这表明中国汽车制造商持续受到市场热捧，其发展势头越来越好，而不仅仅是在那些对美国车企而言较为边缘或次要的全球市场上销售产品。"
中国汽车的突出优势是什么？
专家表示，中国制造的汽车质量上乘、设计时尚且价格实惠。
马佐科表示："显然，中国品牌制造的汽车不仅价格极具竞争力，技术上也相当吸引人。这些车辆通常具备智能互联功能，因此拥有许多消费者青睐的附加软件功能。但价格优势和产品竞争力才是其最大的卖点。"
这些车辆售价可低至1万至2万美元；而在美国，新车的平均价格已接近5万美元，电动汽车的价格甚至更高。
中国企业在汽车制造与生产、效率提升及车辆轻量化方面具有独特优势，这些优势有助于延长电动车的续航里程。
汽车预测解决方案公司副总裁萨姆·菲奥拉尼表示：“他们找到了以合理价格制造中小型汽车——即消费者真正需要的车型——的方法。而通用、福特等几乎所有其他车企都已放弃了这些细分市场。”
许多汽车制造商已停产小型车，转而生产利润更高的运动型多用途车（SUV）和皮卡，这些车型的盈利能力远超前者。
为何中国电动汽车对美国汽车制造商及其他厂商构成如此大的威胁？
全球汽车市场正加速电动化转型，这为中国领先的汽车制造商提供了绝佳的发展机遇。根据基准矿物情报机构本周发布的数据，2025年中国插电式混合动力和纯电动汽车销量同比增长17%，欧洲市场涨幅更高达33%。
与此同时，去年美国电动汽车销量仅增长1%。随着全球其他国家不断推进电动化进程，美国汽车制造商却缩减了曾经雄心勃勃、耗资数十亿美元的电气化计划，转而选择生产更高效的混合动力和汽油车。这一转变正值特朗普政府逐步放弃支持电动汽车的政策之际。
这一转变威胁到美国汽车制造商未来几年的竞争优势。事实上，特斯拉去年失去了全球最畅销电动汽车制造商的桂冠，2025年仅交付164万辆汽车，而中国竞争对手比亚迪的交付量达到226万辆。
特朗普政府大幅削减排放法规的政策出台之际，中国企业正快速发展，这令专家们对美国汽车制造商的未来感到担忧。
为使最新贸易协定顺利实施，中国汽车制造商需满足加拿大汽车市场的准入标准——这些标准与美国市场相近，此举或将激励中国车企加大对加拿大的汽车制造投资。
他们还需明确在当地市场的主攻方向：是定位高端车型，还是走量销售的平价车型。
尽管如此，艾睿铂（AlixPartners）全球汽车市场负责人马克·韦克菲尔德（Mark Wakefield）表示："这让我们深刻认识到参与全球竞争所需的条件。"该公司预测，到2030年中国汽车品牌将占据全球市场份额的30%。
韦克菲尔德表示："他们已经在欧洲起步，南美洲也已开始行动，如今墨西哥和加拿大也加入其中。美国汽车制造商不希望重蹈巴西覆辙——生产的乙醇汽车在全球其他地区毫无销路，也不愿像英国或澳大利亚那样，曾经在汽车界举足轻重，如今却无足轻重。"
为何其他国家试图对中国电动汽车制造商的扩张进行监管？
出于多种原因，各国试图对进入其市场的中国电动汽车实施监管。
中国已成为制造廉价汽车的强大机器。令人担忧的是，一旦给予他们一点机会，他们就会得寸进尺，”菲奥拉尼表示。“另一个问题是技术。这些车辆如同数据中心……中国国有企业能够获取大量驾驶员的行程信息，这为他们在各种渠道提供了影响力。”
周五，美国交通部长肖恩·达菲在俄亥俄州托莱多市的托莱多装配厂发表讲话时称，中国共产党投资汽车产业是为了“控制这一行业”。
“为什么？因为他们想接管汽车行业，夺走这些工作岗位，”达菲说道。谈及加拿大贸易协议时，他补充称：“他们终将后悔与中国合作并引入其汽车的那一天。”
欧盟去年提高了对中国电动汽车的关税，不过双方已于今年初开始着手解决这一问题。
2024年，美国前总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）对中国电动汽车征收100%关税。加拿大此前一直对这类车辆实施同等进口税率，直至本周才有所调整。尽管存在年度进口限额，但加拿大本周下调关税的举措，意味着这些中国企业距离进入美国市场又近了一步。墨西哥汽车市场对中国电动汽车持欢迎态度，去年销量实现大幅增长。
中国制造商的崛起势不可挡，这终将成为现实。当前各方正在协商设置障碍，试图厘清：究竟哪些数据被处理？又该允许中国制造商占据多大的市场份额？菲奥拉尼补充道。
虽然需要设立诸多监管措施，但它们最终将逐步进入所有西方市场。
亚历克莎·圣约翰（Alexa St. John）是美联社气候领域记者。您可以在X平台（原推特）关注她的账号@alexa_stjohn，或通过邮箱[email protected]与她联系。
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