"Protectionism risks starting a spiral: Tariffs lead to new tariffs, to isolation rather than cooperation," Oliver Zipse, CEO of the BMW Group, said in a statement. "From the BMW Group's point of view, protectionist measures, such as the introduction of import duties, do not contribute to successfully compete on international markets." The EU probe included Tesla, which opened a factory in Shanghai in 2019 and exports some of the China-made cars to other markets. The Commission said Elon Musk's automaker might receive an individual tariff.