German automaker Ferdinand Dudenhofer said Chinese carmakers are years ahead of their German counterparts and brands must work together to address the shortcomings.

"I think cooperation makes a lot of sense, because if we don't, we'll waste an infinite amount of time," Dudenhofer told dpa news agency.

Dudenhofer said China is 10 years ahead of Germany when it comes to autonomous driving and voice control in cars, for example.

He said the reputation of Chinese car brands in Europe is also changing: "If (the car) has innovations, is of good quality, and has things that others don't have, that's what people will want to buy."

As Chinese brands entered the European market, the European Commission opened an investigation into Chinese government subsidies for electric cars earlier this October, concerned about the competitive advantages enjoyed by Chinese producers.

Dudenhofer called the commission investigation "the worst thing you can do" and said any backlash from China, such as the imposition of new import duties, would do significant damage to the German car industry.

He said he believed Chinese electric car brands were unlikely to open production sites in Germany and said they would likely choose other European countries instead.

Dudenhofer added that energy costs in Germany are high compared to Poland, Hungary and Spain.

China, which seeks to reduce its polluting emissions and reliance on imported oil, aims to sell about 20 percent of the world's electric or hybrid cars in 2025.

Among the Chinese car brands that have begun to enter the European market is BYD, which has become one of the world's largest manufacturers of electric cars.

BYD entered the European market via Norway and is seeking to expand to other countries in Europe, where the brand is known for its electric buses.

The Chinese company has been marketing many car models in Germany since the beginning of the year, and the remaining months of this year are expected to see the beginning of flooding the European market with the company's products.

In the first half of 2023, Chinese industry overtook Japan to occupy the first place in the world, exporting cars worth $ 35 billion, compared to imports worth $ 21 billion, as for grants provided for electric cars, it is estimated - according to the company "Alex Partners" - about $ 57 billion in the form of tax cuts or assistance for the purchase of cars.