On July 27th, at the financial results conference call for the first half of 2026, Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Board of Management at Volkswagen Group, expressed his stance on fostering a free and equitable trade environment. When it came to the proposed European tariffs on hybrid vehicles imported from China, Blume stopped short of directly endorsing their implementation. Rather, he emphasized the need for a thorough assessment of multiple strategies to guarantee a balanced competitive landscape between Europe and other international markets. This includes backing the localization of production for Chinese automakers within Europe. He further highlighted that should the EU opt to impose tariffs, it is crucial, for the sake of preserving a robust trade relationship between China and Europe, that the tariff rate remains capped at the current level applicable to pure electric vehicle models.