The carmaker made less money in the third quarter as it cut car prices to attract buyers amid stronger competition.
Chinese electric vehicle companies like Nio are pulling ever further ahead, partly through government support but also rapid technological advances.
Firestorms over Chinese investments, like a battery factory in Green Charter Township, are erupting as officials weigh the risks of taking money from an adversary.
Analysts expected a decline in sales for the quarter. Still, the dip may raise concerns about flagging demand.
Plus a road trip in Mongolia.
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the inquiry amid growing concern about China’s dominance over electric vehicles.
Doing business in China, once seen as a can’t-miss opportunity, poses a troubling dilemma: Reasons to stay can be as compelling as the reasons to retreat.
Even as China’s other exports falter, its carmakers are seeing big increases in overseas sales, mainly for gasoline-powered models.
China, an electric-vehicle juggernaut, will have at least seven brands on display, while Germany’s automakers are now a drag on their home economy.
Much of the world’s economic fate hangs on the speed and scale of the green transition.