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 have voted to impose duties on imports of electric vehicles from China, as talks continue between Brussels and Beijing to end the standoff before an end-of-October deadline.

The EU executive said it had obtained "the necessary support" to adopt the tariffs, although it would continue talks with Beijing to find an alternative solution. The region's biggest economy and major car producer, Germany, voted against the proposal, sources said on Friday.