Earlier quoted context omitted.
Should be safe to allow imports then, right? Since nobody but me would buy one. :-)
Who says imports aren't allowed?
The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
31–40 of 119 posts
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#32As it should, just like the dirt cheap solar panels from China scared US suppliers and drove all of them out of business. When the government subsidizes product to the point of it being significantly below market cost in order to capture market share, the folks who can't do the same lose. See: Amazon and small bookstores.
TBH, if china wants to subsidize the production of green tech, more power too them. Maybe it'll start a green trade war with every country putting more and more money behind green tech. When it becomes ubiquitous, then we can start worrying about fairness.
US automakers had ample opportunity to be leaders in this space and completely neglected it. Now they face the consequences of that decision.
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nobody in the USA wants that market. There isn’t even an interest in under 25k cars That doesn’t mean the market doesn’t exist. I could see these being sold in Mexico and Europe. At that point, the American car industry becomes an inefficient protected industry. American voters have limited sympathy for those in the long run when it comes to consumer goods. That said, it’s unclear if BYD can make a $10k car that me…
I mean from the manufacturer point of view, under 50k cars aren’t sufficiently profitable to be worth making. So very little R&D happens at the low end
> under 50k cars aren’t sufficiently profitable to be worth making. So very little R&D happens at the low end
The fact that both new entrants and legacy manufacturers are struggling with that production cost implies there is a structural cause for those high prices. I’m sceptical BYD can sell a car in America for $10k. I’m less sceptical that anyone else cares about the mandates that make American cars expensive.
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#34I hope so. The price of EVs in the US market is ludicrously overinflated. It's understandable for new startups like Rivian, Lucid and co, but in the case of existing auto manufacturers, early adopters are subsidizing the cost of redeveloping tooling that should have been easily covered by nearly a century of profit leeched away by shareholders. GM, Ford and Stellantis should have been able to produce a sub-$20k EV by…
> The price of EVs in the US market is ludicrously overinflated
Maybe so, but the labor unions and general cost of doing business is higher in the US. But I think the major cost here is the batteries and charging tech. BYD is ahead on both these things - they were a battery company first, car manufacturer second. Their CEO is also very astute.
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#35Affordable small cars have never been a thing in the US, electric or not. There's zero reason to believe that this new batch will pose a threat.
> Affordable small cars have never been a thing in the US Why not? Just a cultural thing? Times are tough in America and people are interested in EVs because of gas prices. I see a $10k EV selling like wildfire - small, entry-level and not as big a commitment as a F-150 Lightning.
He was using sarcasm
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#36Affordable small cars have never been a thing in the US, electric or not. There's zero reason to believe that this new batch will pose a threat.
Literally in that article a man who has more stake in the game than you, Elon musk, says it’s an existential threat. This must mean Elon is completely delusional. There is no threat and no market for sub 10k cars because they’re too small for Americans. Elon musk needs a reality check.
Pretty sure if the article was titled "The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring Tesla" the person you are responding to wouldn't have commented, but the US auto industry is definitely not scared by small affordable cars seeing as that market is already dominated by South Korean and Japanese manufacturers in the US.
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#37Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Should be safe to allow imports then, right? Since nobody but me would buy one. :-)
Who says imports aren't allowed?
The article cites the Alliance for American Manufacturing, for one, as warning that if these Chinese-state-subsidized vehicles are permitted for import without trade adjustments correcting for the distortionary effect of the subsidies, then unsubsidized non-Chinese manufacturers will be unable to compete and have to fold.
As the article quotes Elon Musk in his capacity as Tesla guy:
> “The Chinese car companies are the most competitive car companies in the world,” Musk said during the call. “So, I think they will have significant success outside of China depending on what kind of tariffs or trade barriers are established.”
> “Frankly, I think, if there are not trade barriers established, they will pretty much demolish most other companies in the world.”
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#39"The Chinese government wants to wipe out American automakers by introducing competitively priced cars" is a PR scare tactic.
It's exactly what I would say if I were a PR person trying to figure out how to protect my company's interests.
Cars are imported from all over the world, and so long as they meet American safety standards, I think they should be.
Also if I could buy a safe, new EV for $10,000, no matter how small, I would do it tomorrow. Just because Americans have never purchased small, affordable cars _en masse_ before doesn't mean they won't in the future.
Re: The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring the U.S. auto industry
#40Affordable small cars have never been a thing in the US, electric or not. There's zero reason to believe that this new batch will pose a threat.
> Affordable small cars have never been a thing in the US Why not? Just a cultural thing? Times are tough in America and people are interested in EVs because of gas prices. I see a $10k EV selling like wildfire - small, entry-level and not as big a commitment as a F-150 Lightning.
Driving a small car on US highways is like being a deer in the middle of a herd of elephants.