61–70 of 119 posts
'BYD said just last month that it has no plans to enter the U.S. auto market anytime soon'
Done. There is your whole article. The US Auto industry isn't crapping it's pants worried about something that AIN'T HAPPENING and continue to keep regulations in place that make the only affordable vehicle a 3 ton megamonster super extended cab truck.
Nobody in the USA wants that market. There isn’t even an interest in under 25k cars. I don’t see any issues allowing these if local manufacturers aren’t even willing to make products at 2x the price
> I don’t see any issues allowing these if local manufacturers aren’t even willing to make products at 2x the price Because how are GM and Ford supposed to pay UAW wages, return a profit, and make a car for If people have the option, they'll buy the $10k Seagull and not pay UAW wages... It's not like GM has a 60% margin on $25k cars...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Should be safe to allow imports then, right? Since nobody but me would buy one. :-)
I am attempting to import the Seagull currently (experience the pain, see if and how to scale, how to avoid tariff mechanisms, etc), intend to report back with findings. https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/importing-car
Earlier 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…
>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. Do they have little sympathy? The list of protected American industries is enormous, and has been for nearly a century. Tobacco, corn, vehicles, aerospace, the energy industry, oil & gas industry. I could write out a list as long as my ar…
Tobacco, corn and vehicles are the only consumer products on this list. Neither of the former is hosing American consumers. (Just taxpayers.)
The last we allowed to go bankrupt (hosing shareholders) before bailing them out last time, and is the coddled industry we’re discussing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am attempting to import the Seagull currently (experience the pain, see if and how to scale, how to avoid tariff mechanisms, etc), intend to report back with findings. https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/importing-car
This should be really difficult, especially since America and China have high tariffs in place for automobiles between each other as per China's WTO entrance agreement. But if you want to have a lot of fun, try importing (as a private citizen) any kind of car into China. It is virtually impossible, even if the car is old. My boss tried to get his Hummer into China once just for kicks, and the negotiations just went o…
I also have a lot of disadvantaged folks in my sphere who could use cheap, clean EV wheels, and I cannot afford Teslas for all of them.
BYD, NIO and Xiaomi make luxury cars too, at very attractive prices.
Musk is right when he says Chinese carmakers will "pretty much demolish most other companies in the world".
Affordable 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.
As 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.
That car is small, light, has few moving parts, no luxury parts, and the most expensive part is dropping quickly in price. It clearly is below market cost, since it sets a new price record. But subsidized? What makes you think it's subsidized?
They're unlikely to still be subsidized (or if it is it is small) but their subsidies did happen. China's industrial policy play book goes like this:
1. Erect barriers to foreign competitors. Subsidize domestic makers. This creates a chaotic fields of many domestic players that aren't particularly good nor efficient.
2. Remove or reduce subsidies and force the domestic players to fight for survival and thus innovate. The weaker ones will die off or get absorbed until there are only a few major domestic makers.
3. Lower barriers to foreign competitors (ie. invite Tesla to build a factory in Shanghai) to really ratchet up the competition and force innovation even more
4. Start exporting
It's not traditional subsidies but that early governmental incubation phase was a huge help in companies building up their infrastructure (subsidized by government) and know how.
Also, I want to point out this isn't an exclusively Chinese playbook but one that has been used by Japan and South Korea as well. The origin actually goes all the way back to Germany during their industrialization. The US doesn't do this because of our strong adherence to free market capitalism but people, even GOP Senator Rubio, is starting to reconsider this position.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Who says imports aren't allowed?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-22/why-can-t...