The European Union unleashed one of its most powerful economic tools on China, imposing tariffs on electric vehicles in a move that increases the risk of retaliatory measures and backfiring on domestic consumers and companies.

The European Union will press ahead with hefty tariffs on China-made electric vehicles, the EU executive said on Friday, even after the bloc's largest economy Germany rejected them, exposing a rift over its biggest trade row with Beijing in a decade.

European Union countries on Friday voted to impose duties on imports of electric vehicles from China, as talks continued between Brussels and Beijing to find an amicable solution to their trade dispute before an end-of-October deadline.