Elon Musk’s Tesla and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) have sued the European Union’s (EU) executive, adding to a flurry of cases by Chinese carmakers attacking tariffs peaking at 45% on imports of electric vehicles (EVs) into the bloc.

Tesla's Shanghai subsidiary is suing the European Commission over tariffs imposed on Chinese-made electric vehicles, escalating tensions between Elon Musk and the EU.

Tesla and BMW sue EU over tariffs on electric vehicles from China, joining Chinese automakers that filed claims. Read more.

Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, is taking the European Union (EU) to court over its tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China. Filed last Wednesday with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) by Tesla’s Shanghai division, the lawsuit comes in the wake of similar legal moves by BMW and other Chinese car manufacturers.

Although Tesla is an American company, it builds Model 3s in Shanghai and exports them to Europe. According to The Financial Times, Tesla accounted for approximately 28% of all Chinese-made EVs imported to the EU in 2023.

Tesla is taking the EU to court over tariffs it imposed on imports of electric vehicles from China. The European Court of Justice published the case on its website on Monday morning. The US company follows BMW of Germany and several Chinese carmakers in filing claims.

BMW said in a statement that EU duties on battery electric vehicles “harm business models of globally active companies.”

Tesla and Germany’s BMW are suing the European Commission, joining a growing band of Chinese automakers to oppose the European Union on its punitive tariffs on electric vehicles.

Tesla has joined BMW and Chinese producers in filing a challenge at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) against EU tariffs on China-made electric vehicles, according to a filing on the court's website on Monday.