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Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

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Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#141
post #116
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But having my Tesla made in Europe phone the US is totally fine right?

.... but having all of EU defense including F35s calling in home in Trump US before every mission is totally fine right?

There is no such thing as EU defence - EU states have their own forces. The main defensive alliance in Europe is NATO, and the most important NATO country is the US.

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a remarkable opinion. If we have problems with consumer-hostile behaviour like tracking users, remotely disabling vehicles, or other things like that we should outlaw those behaviours in products used in the US. We will never do that because Western auto manufacturers want to be able to behave badly in the same way Chinese manufacturers might and they have a firm grasp on the American governments leash. 'Its…

It has nothing to do with consumer hostile behaviors. Its bad when a hostile foreign government has control over and information about (think blackmail, not ads) your citizens. A junior engineer on the x-500 future fighter jet drives a polestar and seems to be visiting the house of a single woman (which they know from tiktok days) while his family would probably think he would be at work. Will this guy throw away his…

You're being confused by nationalism into not seeing that you're making exactly the point I just did. The bad thing here is not that China knows where you are 24/7. It's that anybody does. Why is it bad for China to be able to spy on you but acceptable that Google can? The US government? How about we just STOP THE SPYING? Regardless of who is doing it?

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a remarkable opinion. If we have problems with consumer-hostile behaviour like tracking users, remotely disabling vehicles, or other things like that we should outlaw those behaviours in products used in the US. We will never do that because Western auto manufacturers want to be able to behave badly in the same way Chinese manufacturers might and they have a firm grasp on the American governments leash. 'Its…

I agree with you that consumer hostile behaviour should be illegal. Realistically, governments want this because it gives them more control so its not going to happen. "its from China" is a good reason for many countries. A lot of countries are currently worried about their dependence on the US. They would have a lot more to worry about if they were dependent on China. Is it a good idea for European countries to put…

I'm gonna blow your mind here... Perhaps we need open firmware in our devices so we know if China, the US government, or Google is adding backdoors to the hardware we own?

Why is it that when we deal with China it's acceptable not to trust the vendor but when we buy from literally anyone else we have to accept the enormous number of backdoors and implicit spying that comes with it?

China isn't the problem. The perverse incentives created when we don't own our own gear is.

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with you that consumer hostile behaviour should be illegal. Realistically, governments want this because it gives them more control so its not going to happen. "its from China" is a good reason for many countries. A lot of countries are currently worried about their dependence on the US. They would have a lot more to worry about if they were dependent on China. Is it a good idea for European countries to put…

I'm gonna blow your mind here... Perhaps we need open firmware in our devices so we know if China, the US government, or Google is adding backdoors to the hardware we own? Why is it that when we deal with China it's acceptable not to trust the vendor but when we buy from literally anyone else we have to accept the enormous number of backdoors and implicit spying that comes with it? China isn't the problem. The perver…

> I'm gonna blow your mind here... Perhaps we need open firmware in our devices so we know if China, the US government, or Google is adding backdoors to the hardware we own?

Yes, dream on. How are you going to politically push through something very few people even understand? I covered this is in the first line of my comment.

> Why is it that when we deal with China it's acceptable not to trust the vendor but when we buy from literally anyone else we have to accept the enormous number of backdoors and implicit spying that comes with it?

You have to accept it from someone. You seem to have missed my point that for many people (and countries) trusting Chinese vendors is worse than trusting the alternatives.

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#145
post #56

I would be more terrified if they didn’t spare a manufacturer who designs and makes cars in Sweden and the US since decades just because the majority owner is Chinese.

Polestar designs cars in Sweden and builds then in the US for many years, it's still strange

I don't think Polestar should be banned, nor any other Chinese car maker for that matter, but I can understand why Volvo gets a different treatment.

Volvo probably employs several 1000s of people throughout the US from decades of dealerships, workshops, second hand sales etc, and they have a relatively large factory in the US.

Polestar OTOH has no factories and use direct-sales instead of going through dealerships.

So it's likely that Volvo generates a lot more value inside the US than they extract, while Polestar probably doesn't.

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#146
post #4

Might it be that one sells EV’s and the other sells ICE cars? Or perhaps stupidity re Volvo’s ownership? Or a missing bribe?

Volvo also has BEVs, which are rebadged Zeekr (Geely) and mainly sold in China.

To be clear - most of Volvo's BEVs are their own designs, including all currently for sale in the US.

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#147

It’s because the Polestar cars have a lot more electronic surveillance than the Volvo models, which have had only minor tweaks and have mostly not been updated for years.

Correction: it is because a major Republican donor wants Chinese cars banned, because they beat the living shit out of his offerings on quality and value. It is silly to credulously pretend that the excuse about Chinese software has even a whiff of legitimacy.

"Silly? Pretend?"

You might want to re-evaluate your political bias.

There is precedent. And it's not just the US that's concerned about Chinese stealth tech.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/ghost-...

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Polestar designs cars in Sweden and builds then in the US for many years, it's still strange

I don't think Polestar should be banned, nor any other Chinese car maker for that matter, but I can understand why Volvo gets a different treatment. Volvo probably employs several 1000s of people throughout the US from decades of dealerships, workshops, second hand sales etc, and they have a relatively large factory in the US. Polestar OTOH has no factories and use direct-sales instead of going through dealerships. S…

The vast majority of the value provided vs extracted, for any business, is related to consumer surplus and gross margins, as opposed to payroll.

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correction: it is because a major Republican donor wants Chinese cars banned, because they beat the living shit out of his offerings on quality and value. It is silly to credulously pretend that the excuse about Chinese software has even a whiff of legitimacy.

Isn't this using Biden administration guidelines?

Yes. Biden did it in his last month.

Disregard this parent's bias.

As I mentioned above, it's not fringe to ban Chinese hardware for security concerns. They've been surreptitiously planting undisclosed control equipment. [0] No company would knowingly add more costs and complexity for nothing in return. And if the Chinese maker didn't know about the trojan tech, then it's even more concerning.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/ghost-...

Re: Feds Killed Polestar and Spared Volvo

#150
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

.... but having all of EU defense including F35s calling in home in Trump US before every mission is totally fine right?

There is no such thing as EU defence - EU states have their own forces. The main defensive alliance in Europe is NATO, and the most important NATO country is the US.

For Northern Europe there's UK led JEF

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Expeditionary_Force

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