The latest EuroMotoBarometr 2026 report highlights one of the most striking contradictions facing Poland’s automotive industry: a majority of companies support trade barriers against Chinese manufacturers, while an equally large share continue to do business with them. This tension reflects a broader dilemma now confronting the European car market — how to defend industrial competitiveness without cutting itself off from supply chains that have become essential to everyday production.
According to the survey conducted by Exact x Forestall among more than 1,000 automotive sector representatives across eleven European countries, 54% of Polish automotive companies believe that the introduction of tariffs on Chinese vehicles was the right decision. At the same time, 52% positively assess the European Union’s trade policy towards China. Yet this support for a tougher stance coexists with a practical reality: 56% of Polish automotive firms maintain active business relations with Chinese partners, most often by importing components and parts.
The result is a paradox that says much about the current state of the European automotive sector. China is seen both as a competitive threat and as an indispensable business partner. For many Polish companies, the issue is no longer whether they want to cooperate with Chinese suppliers, but whether they can realistically operate without them.
Cautious optimism, but Poland remains more nervous
Sentiment in the European automotive industry is moderately optimistic, although Poland appears slightly more cautious than the broader European market. Across Europe, 43% of companies expect production to increase over the next twelve months, while 20% fear a decline. In Poland, the share of optimists is almost the same, at 42%, but the proportion of pessimists is noticeably higher, reaching 28%.
A similar pattern can be seen when companies assess their own prospects. In Poland, 46% of respondents expect the situation of their own business to improve, while 26% anticipate deterioration. This means that Polish firms are not necessarily pessimistic about the future, but they are clearly more aware of the risks surrounding the sector.
Several factors explain this caution. Production costs remain high, geopolitical uncertainty continues to affect investment decisions, and competition from China is becoming stronger not only in price terms, but also in technology, scale and speed of market expansion. Polish suppliers, many of which operate in international value chains, are particularly exposed to these pressures.
China as competitor and supplier
The relationship between European automotive companies and China has become increasingly complex. On the one hand, Chinese manufacturers are rapidly expanding their presence in Europe, especially in the electric vehicle segment. Their cars often combine competitive pricing with improving technology, putting pressure on established European brands and their supplier networks.
On the other hand, European production still depends heavily on components, materials and technologies sourced from China. This applies not only to batteries and electronics, but also to a wide range of parts used across traditional and electric vehicles. Polish companies are no exception. For many of them, cooperation with Chinese partners is not a strategic luxury, but a practical necessity.
This explains why support for tariffs does not automatically mean a desire to sever economic ties. Many firms want stronger protection against unfair or highly subsidised competition, but they also need stable access to imported parts. In this sense, the industry is asking for balance rather than isolation.
Tariffs may buy time, but they will not solve the structural problem
The support shown by Polish companies for EU tariffs should be understood as a sign of pressure within the sector. Firms are concerned that without protective measures, European manufacturers may struggle to compete with Chinese producers benefiting from lower costs, large-scale state support and highly integrated supply chains.
However, tariffs alone cannot rebuild European competitiveness. They may slow the pace of Chinese expansion or give European producers more time to adapt, but they do not address the deeper structural challenges. These include high energy prices, regulatory complexity, investment gaps in battery technology, and the need to modernise production processes.
For Poland, the issue is particularly important because the automotive sector is one of the country’s key industrial pillars. Polish plants are deeply integrated into European supply chains, supplying parts and components to major manufacturers across the continent. Any weakening of the European automotive industry would therefore directly affect Polish producers, exporters and employment.
A sector under pressure from several directions
The EuroMotoBarometr 2026 findings suggest that the industry is entering a period in which companies must navigate several pressures at once. They need to remain cost-competitive, invest in new technologies, adapt to the electrification of transport and respond to changing trade policy. At the same time, they must manage supply chain risks without losing access to critical inputs.
This is especially difficult for medium-sized suppliers, which often have limited bargaining power and operate on narrow margins. Rising costs can quickly reduce profitability, while sudden changes in trade rules may disrupt established sourcing models. For these companies, the China question is not abstract geopolitics, but a daily operational issue.
The survey also shows that Polish firms are aware of both sides of the equation. They understand the need to protect the European market from aggressive competition, but they also recognise that the current automotive model is still heavily dependent on global supply chains.
Europe faces a strategic choice
The broader challenge for Europe is to define what automotive sovereignty should mean in practice. Full decoupling from China is unrealistic in the short term and could be economically damaging. At the same time, doing nothing could weaken Europe’s industrial base and leave the market increasingly dependent on foreign producers and technologies.
A more realistic strategy would combine selective trade defence instruments with investment in European production capacity, innovation, battery supply chains, automation and skills. For Poland, this could be an opportunity, but only if the country strengthens its role not merely as a supplier of lower-cost components, but as a hub for advanced manufacturing and technological competence.
Conclusion: the paradox will not disappear quickly
The Polish automotive industry’s position on China may appear contradictory, but it is in fact a rational response to an increasingly complicated market. Companies support tariffs because they fear unfair competition and the erosion of European industrial strength. At the same time, they continue to cooperate with Chinese partners because their supply chains depend on them.
This paradox is likely to remain one of the defining features of the automotive sector in the coming years. The key question is not whether Europe should choose between protection and cooperation, but whether it can design a strategy that allows it to compete more effectively while reducing its most dangerous dependencies.
For Poland, the stakes are high. The automotive sector remains one of the foundations of the country’s industrial economy. Its future will depend on how successfully companies, policymakers and European institutions manage the delicate balance between defending the market, keeping production competitive and preparing for the next phase of global automotive transformation.
