Where are electric cars made ?

© Renault

It’s always interesting to know where products that we can use on a daily basis come from. The electric car market has been booming for years, and vehicles of this type have been proliferating on French streets for some time now. But where are these vehicles produced?? Are there 100% electric vehicles produced entirely in France, or is import still mandatory today??

What are the largest electric car manufacturers in the world??

Before determining where most electric cars in the world are built, we still need to have a good idea of ​​the largest electric car manufacturers in the world. So, while it is no surprise that Tesla will remain the world's largest manufacturer in the field in 2023 (rising to 18.81 million units), various competing players are starting to become more and more aggressive.

This is particularly the case for the Chinese brand BYD, which takes second place among the largest electric car manufacturers in the world in 2023 with 1.57 million vehicles sold. BYD's growth is quite incredible, and could quickly challenge Tesla and its first place: the number of vehicles sold by the Chinese brand in 2023 increased by 80% compared to 2022.

© BYD

In third place, Volkswagen sold 769,000 units in 2023. Then there are various players like Stellantis, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, Geely and GAC.

Where are most of these electric cars built ?

So if we look at these three biggest sellers of electric cars in the world, Tesla, BYD and Volkswagen, where are they actually built?? We know for example that Tesla is an American company, but not all of the company's cars are built in the USA. While Elon Musk's company has a production capacity of one million units per year based on US factories alone, Tesla also has factories capable of producing over 1.1 million units annually between Berlin and Shanghai (375,000 for Berlin, 750,000 for Shanghai).

© Tesla

For BYD, the question does not even arise: since it is a Chinese company, most of the production takes place on Chinese soil. However, in recent years, the company has also been exporting its factories: a first European factory was announced in Hungary in 2023. Then, the company launched its first factory in Thailand, in order to build 150,000 cars per year. Finally, BYD has chosen Turkey as the second European country to receive the production of electric vehicles, this since July.

As for Volkswagen, most of the company's factories are based in Germany, or in surrounding European countries (Poland, Slovakia, Spain). But then, what about 100% French electric cars ?

What electric cars are made in France ?

Some French brands offer local production of electric cars. This is the case for Renault. The company has invested in several specialized factories, the aim of which is to manufacture several models of electric cars (R5, 4L, Scenic Vision). This is also the case for the Renault Zoe E-Tech (Flins factory in Yvelines), Megane E-Tech (Douai in Hauts de France) and Kangoo Van E-Tech (Maubeuge, in the North), which are all electric cars made in France.

Peugeot is also banking on made in France: the E-308, E-308 Break and E-408 are all produced in Mulhouse for example. Furthermore, the Peugeot 3008 and Peugeot 5008 are produced in Sochaux, in Doubs. Citroën has factories all over the world, but intends to offer more 100% French production, notably by setting up in the Stellantis group factory located in Rennes (notably with its SUV codenamed CR3).

© Peugeot

Note that, despite these efforts to facilitate 100% French production, it still exists despite all of the many “French” electric vehicles built abroad, particularly in China. The spokesperson for the Automotive Platform clearly indicated this at the end of last year: “The majority of electric cars that are now purchased in France are produced either in China, like the Dacia Spring, or in Eastern countries like the Peugeot 208 ».

If production made in France is important for the consumer, it will be important for him to find out about the origin of a particular vehicle, because manufacturing secrets can sometimes be nebulous. Nevertheless, as we have seen above, a certain number of 100% French electric vehicles are accessible quite easily.

© Renault

To find out if a vehicle has benefited from French production, you have to rely on the “Origine France garantie” label. The latter is awarded under three conditions: if the majority of the raw materials and components of the vehicle come from France, if the car is entirely assembled in France, and if at least 50% of the value of the product is produced in France. Note that for the moment, the vast majority of the battery market is based in Asia, but many cell manufacturers will set up in Europe in the coming years.

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