The European Union’s probe into Beijing’s electric vehicle subsidies is meant to protect its carmakers from a flood of cheap Chinese cars. But if it leads to tit-for-tat tariffs, Mercedes-Benz Group AG and BMW AG’s biggest moneymakers will be most exposed.
For Germany’s high-end manufacturers, including Porsche AG, China has proven an insatiable market for their most expensive models, like the S-Class, 7-Series and Cayenne SUV. Those vehicles, however, are mainly imported, putting them in the line of fire if Beijing retaliates against any EU measures.
“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” Bernstein analysts Daniel Roeska and Eunice Lee said in a research note.
