The Cooling Shift: How Chinese AC Brands Swept the European Market This Summer
Europe has been sweltering. Record-shattering heatwaves across France, Germany, Denmark, and the Czech Republic have completely caught the continent off guard. Historically, residential air conditioning has been relatively rare in European homes due to milder climates and strict local building regulations. However, this summer’s extreme weather transformed cooling from a luxury into an absolute necessity—triggering an unprecedented run on air conditioning units.
With supply chains scrambling, Chinese major appliance brands like Midea, Haier, Gree, Hisense, and TCL stepped up to fill the void, effectively taking home the “MVP” title for Europe’s summer cooling season.
The Massive Surge in Demand
According to recent data, the scale of this cooling boom is staggering. Customs data reveals that exports of air conditioning units from China to the EU reached a record high of $3.76 billion in the first half of 2026 alone—a massive 43.2% year-on-year increase. Notably, Chinese brands now command a 41% share of the European AC market, up from 27% just three years ago.
The brand-specific numbers reflect a true inventory sell-out:
* Gree: Wall-mounted units completely sold out in France, pushing installation wait times all the way into late August.
* Midea: Its flagship PortaSplit (a portable split-system unit designed for easy setups) saw sales double compared to last year, shipping over 200,000 units and helping the brand anchor itself deeply in the competitive German market.
* Haier: European AC sales grew 30% year-on-year, with the company utilizing its global manufacturing bases at full capacity to keep up with restocking.
* Hisense: Sales doubled in France and grew by over 20% across Western Europe, with portable units becoming nearly impossible to find in Italy and Spain.
* TCL: Total European orders grew by 68% in the first half of the year, driven by a 90% surge in demand for portable and inverter split-system units.
Why Did These Brands Win the Summer?
The success of these brands wasn’t just luck; it came down to a mix of clever product design and sheer supply chain muscle.
* Solving the Installation Bottleneck: European building codes and historic architecture make drilling holes for traditional split-system AC installations incredibly difficult and legally complicated. Chinese manufacturers anticipated this by flooding the market with no-installation portable units and innovative “plug-and-play” portable split systems. These units solved the consumer’s immediate pain point without requiring a professional installer or landlord permission.
* Supply Chain Agility: Backed by mature, end-to-end component ecosystems domestically, these brands displayed unmatched manufacturing flexibility, allowing them to ramp up production and ship units faster than regional competitors.
* Established Local Footprints: Brands like Haier and Midea have spent years acquiring local European heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) firms. This established network of local warehouses and distribution channels allowed them to react instantly when the French government unexpectedly placed an emergency order for 30,000 AC units to be delivered within days.
The Long-Term Outlook: Risks and Opportunities
Despite the record profits, the industry faces an looming question: What happens when the weather cools down?
Much of this summer’s volume consisted of portable, low-margin units. This is a highly competitive, commoditized segment of the market. If European temperatures dip next summer, manufacturers could face a severe overcapacity problem. Furthermore, Europe’s aging electrical grids, surging energy prices, and tightening environmental regulations mean future products will have to meet incredibly strict efficiency standards.
However, the broader consensus is clear: Europe’s relationship with air conditioning has permanently shifted. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that the number of AC units in the EU will more than double from 110 million in 2019 to 275 million by 2050.
For brands like Midea, Haier, and Hisense, this summer wasn’t just a short-term cash injection. It was a massive footprint expansion. The true test moving forward will be whether they can convert this sudden surge in market share into long-term brand loyalty and successfully transition European consumers toward their premium, high-efficiency smart home systems.