ECG — 2026-09-18
News from ECG
China's vehicle exports are surging so fast that Europe's ports risk being overwhelmed unless inland logistics networks catch up, industry figures warned at ECG's Eastern Regional Meeting in Koper this week.
China shipped 6.14 million vehicles worldwide between January and July 2026, up 81% year-on-year, with monthly exports topping one million units in both June and July and peaking at 1.043 million in July alone. Presenting the figures, Namrita Chow of ECG framed the surge as a test of Europe's capacity to absorb it: "Growing Pains or Growing Gains? Understanding Imports to Europe" examined whether the continent's logistics infrastructure can keep pace with a trade shift of this scale.
The venue made the stakes hard to miss. The Port of Koper, the Mediterranean's largest car terminal, handled 914,817 vehicles in 2025 across more than 46,000 parking spaces, with links to over 35 global carmakers. A facility already operating at scale, and one of many now feeling the pressure of redirected trade flows.
The meeting's blunt takeaway: building more storage won't fix port congestion on its own. Vehicles must keep moving inland, fast. Frikus, which handles roughly 30% of automotive shipments through Koper, said it evacuates around 1,000 vehicles a day through a compound network spanning Central and Eastern Europe, a scale of daily throughput that underlines how much pressure now lies on inland connections rather than the ports themselves.
A panel discussion with MOSOLF, Polaris and Kastelec, moderated by Manvesta, pressed the point further: without tighter coordination between shipping lines, ports, rail and road operators and inland compounds, congestion will keep resurfacing wherever the next surge lands. Koper isn't waiting to find out, the port is running a €785 million investment programme through 2028 covering new storage areas, rail sidings, extra garage capacity and new berths.
Beyond the congestion debate, the meeting - which draws finished vehicle logistics professionals from across Central and Eastern Europe twice a year - also covered broader market trends and updates from ECG's Working Groups, before closing with a tour of the Port of Koper itself.
The message delegates left with: as trade routes keep shifting, the ports and inland transport networks need efficient connections to avoid congestion and keep vehicles moving.
ECG thanked Luka Koper, Frikus, MOSOLF and Polaris for sponsoring the event, with Luka Koper and Frikus also serving as local hosts.