The boss of the world’s biggest car carrier has sounded the alarm: Europe’s automakers are losing ground fast as Chinese carmakers enter a bold new phase of global growth and innovation.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Wallenius Wilhelmsen CEO Lasse Kristoffersen said shipments from China to regions like Latin America, Europe, Africa, and Australia have exploded — a sign that Beijing’s strategy of boosting exports through aggressive pricing is paying off.
Innovation at the Core
Industry analysts say the key reason behind China’s rising dominance is its shift from imitation to innovation. Chinese brands are no longer just competing on price — they’re setting the pace in technology, design, and efficiency.
According to AlixPartners, China exported 6.4 million passenger cars last year, up 23%, making it the world’s top car exporter — more than 50% ahead of Japan. The consultancy predicts Chinese manufacturers could control 30% of the global car market by 2030, up from 21% last year, driven mainly by strong demand in emerging markets.
Brands like BYD, Chery, and SAIC (the owner of MG) are already reshaping Europe’s automotive landscape. Their share of new car sales in Western Europe jumped to 5.7% during the first nine months of this year, up from just 3.2% a year earlier, according to Schmidt Automotive Research. In the electric vehicle segment, Chinese brands now hold around 10% of the European market.
Kristoffersen noted that while Japanese and American automakers have also lost some ground in Europe, the biggest hit has been to European brands themselves — squeezed by shrinking sales in China, weaker domestic demand, and rising U.S. tariffs. “They’re feeling pressure in every direction — home, east, and west — but they’re not standing still,” he said.
The Trade Battle Heats Up
Governments are starting to push back. The U.S. has effectively banned Chinese car imports, and the European Union has raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Still, these barriers haven’t slowed the momentum — overseas markets have become even more critical for Chinese automakers battling fierce price wars at home.
For Wallenius Wilhelmsen, this shift is rewriting the logistics map. The Norwegian company — once focused on transporting Western-made cars to China — is now making more money helping Chinese brands expand overseas.
One of those brands is BYD, now the world’s biggest and fastest-growing EV maker. The company is building a fleet of eight ships to move its vehicles around the world and has already set up factories in Brazil, Hungary, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.
Kristoffersen, however, isn’t worried about BYD or other automakers becoming direct rivals. “When we talk to our Chinese customers, we find they built their own ships because they feared capacity shortages,” he explained. “That fear is fading. There will be more Chinese shipping players, sure — but our customers aren’t turning into competitors.”
The balance of power in the car world is clearly shifting — and this time, it’s the Chinese brands steering the change.
