Europe's Car Crisis Goes Beyond China - OpEd

Volkswagen’s supervisory board has approved another 50,000 job cuts on September 4, bringing the group’s total reductions since late 2024 to nearly 100,000—about 15% of its workforce. The OpEd argues Europe’s car demand isn’t the problem: EU car registrations rose 5.7% in the first half of 2026 and battery-electric vehicles took 20.7% of the market (1.22 million cars). Instead, it points to policy and cost pressures—Brussels eased the 2035 combustion ban and shifted China EV duties from 7.8%–35.3% to minimum import prices—while Chinese brands doubled their EU share. Proposed 70% European-content rules are criticized as paperwork that won’t address energy costs.