21–30 of 68 posts
this seems mostly about VW, a company that is both a huge presence in the EU economy and probably irrevocably f---ed VW is slowly vanishing from US markets (EV or ICE) and tried to enter the Chinese market only to get the crap kicked out of it I'd mention Stellantis which is also mostly an EU company now, but they are so screwed at this point it isn't even sporting
> The skills built up by European carmakers over decades are simply not directly transferrable. Germany does have a giant, excellent chemistry industry. > China's interest in batteries is not a recent trend. It has been investing in their production for many, many years. It has been attempting to dominate not just the production of cells but also of the cathodes and anodes that go inside them - not to mention the che…
> Consistent, long term industrial policy is very effective. Yes. This is what kills the US in rare earths, cobalt, gallium, etc. US mines shut down when the price goes down. Sometimes they restart when the price goes up. Sometimes they don't. All this churn makes the business unprofitable in the US.[1] [1] https://mpmaterials.com/articles/mp-materials-reports-third-...
> The skills built up by European carmakers over decades are simply not directly transferrable. Germany does have a giant, excellent chemistry industry. > China's interest in batteries is not a recent trend. It has been investing in their production for many, many years. It has been attempting to dominate not just the production of cells but also of the cathodes and anodes that go inside them - not to mention the che…
How long until the next shock hits, building cars without a steering wheel, but with a sensor suite and self-driving software?
> The skills built up by European carmakers over decades are simply not directly transferrable. Germany does have a giant, excellent chemistry industry. > China's interest in batteries is not a recent trend. It has been investing in their production for many, many years. It has been attempting to dominate not just the production of cells but also of the cathodes and anodes that go inside them - not to mention the che…
this seems mostly about VW, a company that is both a huge presence in the EU economy and probably irrevocably f---ed VW is slowly vanishing from US markets (EV or ICE) and tried to enter the Chinese market only to get the crap kicked out of it I'd mention Stellantis which is also mostly an EU company now, but they are so screwed at this point it isn't even sporting
> tried to enter the Chinese market only to get the crap kicked out of it That's a massive rewriting of history. VW was one of the earliest foreign automotive manufacturers to enter the Chinese market. In the 1990s and 2000s, the Volkswagen Jetta was China's Model T. And until 2023, VW was the top selling car brand in China. And that was the crux of the issue - VW grew complacent by leveraging "Made in Germany" brand…
> The skills built up by European carmakers over decades are simply not directly transferrable. Germany does have a giant, excellent chemistry industry. > China's interest in batteries is not a recent trend. It has been investing in their production for many, many years. It has been attempting to dominate not just the production of cells but also of the cathodes and anodes that go inside them - not to mention the che…
China is of no concern to Europe or the US. Most of their tech is stolen or trickles down from innovation elsewhere. It is unlikely China will find success in the US given the sentiment (antiChinese sentiment is rampant in most of the US). Also, there are many legislations in place that would prevent it. I will mention though that the US and Europe need to get their act together. Too slow on EVs (it took an outsider…
This is how it always works, until it doesn't. Why is everyone so quick to forget that Japan was the exact same way in the 70s and 80s?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The world knows how to make good cars now. Companies can forget how. Stellantis (which owns Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, and some other forgettable car brands) forgot how. The CEO was fired on December 1st, 2024. His strategy had been to crank prices way up, add on post-sale service charges, and get the biggest bonus in automotive executive pay history (not counting Musk's current litigated bonus.) Sales went down.…
Forgettable as Citroen and Peugeot, for example?
- Abarth
- Alfa Romeo
- Chrysler
- Citroën
- Dodge
- DS Automobiles
- Fiat
- Jeep
- Lancia
- Maserati
- Opel
- Peugeot
- Ram Trucks
- Vauxhall
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes but the level of investment the Chinese have poured into battery production and EVs in general is also completely unparalleled. Industrial policy is nothing new for US and EU but just not at that level. To be able to compete with China the West would need to: - Match generous subsidies to companies, not just through banks but at the government level by building entire towns just for battery production. - Making l…
Western nations have absolutely done this in the past. It’s the reason we are generally the richest and most secure nations in the world. The decision not to do this potentially means we forfeit those advantages for the rest of this century. And China is hugely deploying renewables, which they happen to be able to produce very cheaply due to their industrial policy. The difference is that China is using their fossil…
what a bunch of empty invective