German automakers lament plummeting sales in China

Car manufacturers from Germany are finding it increasingly hard to sell their vehicles in China.

In particular, Mercedes-Benz saw a 7% decline in sales in the region last year with only 684,000 vehicles sold. The trend worsened in Q1 2025 with a negative 10% and only 153,000 units sold.

BMW lost 13.4% of the demand over the past year, selling roughly 715,000 BMW and Mini-branded cars. January-March 2025 saw a 17.2% decline with 155,000 units sold.

Porsche took by far the worst hit both year-on-year (–28%, 57,000 units) and quarter-on-quarter (–42%, 9,471 units).

Stiffening competition from the local brands, evolving tastes and preferences of Chinese customers, and a full-blown trade war between Europe and China have all been quoted among the main contributing factors.