China is electrifying the future of mobility – not only for passenger cars, but also rapidly for commercial vehicles. Europe, however, is still grappling with the ICE ban. Those who miss the boat will lose more than market share.

By Jan Nintemann and Jochen Siegle; Photo: Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash

Already 22% of all new heavy-duty trucks in China in the first half of 2025 were electric, and 46% are projected for the full year, with 60% expected in 2026. Electric trucks significantly reduce operating costs, as electricity is cheaper than diesel.

At the same time, manufacturers like BYD, Geely, or XCMG dominate the market with double-digit growth rates.

This development is more than just news from the other side of the world: It is shifting global competition both technologically and in terms of cost.

China is transforming mobility across all vehicle classes

China combines political priority, infrastructure development, and scaling into an advantage that will also influence European logistics chains. Falling manufacturing costs and growing production capacities will change the industry’s pricing logic in the medium term.

Europe’s “industrial nostalgia,” however, acts like a brake. Those who do not invest now in low-emission fleets, CO₂ cost management, and digital optimization risk competitive disadvantages.

When the conditions are right, new markets emerge

The Chinese development shows: When the conditions are right, new markets emerge within a few years that reorder entire industries.

At TransformIT Europe 2026, we want to discuss precisely these questions: How can Europe keep pace? What digital and industrial policy steps are immediately necessary to help shape the mobility of the future? E-mobility is not symbolic politics – it is strategic industrial policy.

We look forward to the exchange in May 2026.

Sources

https://www.elektroauto-news.net/news/china-elektro-lkw-globale-auswirkungen