Germany’s automakers are losing customers in the world's biggest auto market.
Photographer: Cheng Zhao/VCG/Getty Images
VW, BMW and Mercedes Are Getting Left in the Dust by China’s EVs
After falling behind on tech trends, German carmakers are scrambling to recover in their biggest and most lucrative market.
Ryan Xu was a dream customer for Germany’s automakers. The Guangdong-based entrepreneur and her husband own a Porsche 911 and a Mercedes-Benz G-Class and were among the first buyers of the electric Porsche Taycan.
But her views on German cars have soured as Chinese consumers increasingly favor tech refinement over traditional selling points like horsepower and handling. The software systems in the Taycan, which costs well over $100,000, were “terrible,” the 36-year-old mother of three said. It was “just an electrified Porsche — and that’s it.”