You probably have to see these places to understand the difficulties of the transition from automobiles to electric vehicles. You also have to come there to observe how a Chinese industry with overcapacity can flood the European market. That morning, while an unexpected sun illuminated the highway maze that leads to this distant arm of the port of Antwerp (Belgium), a gigantic cargo ship from the Norwegian company Höegh Autoliners unloaded thousands of cars in one of the terminals. of International Car Operators (ICO), a subsidiary of the Japanese group Nippon Yusen Kaisha.
It is, with the Swedish-Norwegian Wallenius Wilhelmsen, one of the main operators of the now merged port of Antwerp-Bruges, the largest automobile terminal in the world, through which until now the production of around forty brands transited. . Before the arrival of their Chinese competitors.
In Calloo, near Antwerp, and Zeebrugge, on the North Sea coast, the huge parking lots can accommodate around 130,000 vehicles, but they are now too cramped. In 2022, 3.4 million vehicles passed through the two ports and, since then, the market has evolved further, difficulties have multiplied and operators are struggling as best they can to resolve questions relating to vehicle storage.
In front of the carefully guarded gates of ICO, in Calloo, the gaze is lost on the cars of all brands lined up that trucks from Italy, the United Kingdom, Poland or Germany are preparing to load. In the foreground, models often still unknown to the general public. “All Chinese. Me, I prefer German cars”grumbles Rinus De Vries, a Dutch truck driver, who is waiting in his cabin.
MG, BYD, Nio, XPeng, Lynk & Co, Omoda, Hongqi, etc. Around ten Chinese manufacturers have launched a commercial offensive, with the export of nearly 4.1 million cars in 2023 (+ 58% in one year). Objective: to conquer a rapidly changing European market thanks, among other things, to the aid provided in several countries for the acquisition of an electric vehicle.
“An unmanageable mess”
According to certain forecasts from port managers, 600,000 to 1 million vehicles made in China, electric but also thermal, will be unloaded in 2024 in Antwerp-Bruges. With, in the lot, Tesla, BMW and Polestar – the Swedish brand is owned by the Chinese Geely – all assembled in the Middle Kingdom. Audi begins pre-production of an electric SUV at its new factory in Changchun (Jilin province).
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