European shares opened marginally lower on Wednesday, with Mercedes Benz Group leading losses in automobiles stocks, while a blast in Poland kept sentiment subdued and pushed up defence stocks.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index dipped 0.2% by 0817 GMT, with auto stocks tumbling 2.0%.

Mercedes Benz Group AG slid 3.5% after a report said that the German automaker slashed its China electric vehicle prices by up to $33,000 as sales lagged.

European shares open higher as defensives eke out gains; Vodafone tumbles

US President Joe Biden said a missile that killed two people in Poland was probably not fired from Russia, after an emergency meeting of NATO leaders called to discuss the strike.

The European aerospace and defence sector jumped 1.8%.