The US automaker has weathered a difficult EV transition, announcing US$19.5 billion in charges to overhaul its strategy Read more at The Business Times.
The moment BYD is allowed in the US. American made cars will be officially dead. The only thing keeping the industry alive is lack of outside competition.
I mean, China is just the latest competition, we already have a lot of foreign cars in the US. I still think the government will ensure Ford exists simply for domestic manufacturing and security.
I don’t think they’ll ever let them sell them at those prices in the US. This is actually one of the times where tarrifs are smart economic policy. Both to protect a critical manufacturing capability and also because there is a lot of evidence that Chinas prices arent sustainable longterm (seems like the car industry may be their next evergrande).
You make it sound like the US government has not given Detroit >$100B since 2008.
And America is the land of the free, where Ford and GM and Stellantis are free to make an inexpensive EV.
And that price is fake because the Chinese government is making up the difference between the real price and the price it takes to undercut all the competition. This is how China takes over industries wherever it goes, and once they have control of these industries, the price unsurprisingly shoots up as there is no one left to compete.
In the 60s, US panicked when VW brought in the Beetle, in the 70s, they panicked when Honda brought in the Civic, Etc. etc. it’s because US auto industry shows no innovation and are constantly blind sided by better products made abroad.
There is no affordable EV in North America. If Detroit is worried, make one.
Yeah, I mostly agree. Most Americans will buy an EV as soon as the price is reasonable and the charge anxiety goes away. If BYD made a hybrid that was as cheap as their current cars and performed like a Tesla, I think most new car buyers would forget their qualms with China really quick
I lived in mainland China for a while (Shanghai and then Shenzhen), and honestly I wasn’t impressed with BYD. Felt like a discount Tesla. The name is stupid as hell too: “build your dreams.” It will definitely be popular with people looking for a cheap EV, which is a good thing, but I don’t think it’ll make that much of a dent in the mid-range and luxury markets. But arguably that probably shouldn’t be their target market. I’d love to see what happens if the US actually let them be sold.
That was my impression. I don’t have confidence these cars will last much past the warranty, but it’s very clear BYD had a savvy marketing team to pay of YouTubers who “review” these vehicles.
Nailed it. I rode in one almost daily for the years I lived there, especially in Shenzhen. They felt cheap. Like most things over there (buildings, etc) they looked great from 100 ft back, but up close you could see all the flaws and cheap construction. The “made in China” stamp isn’t usually one associated with quality and BYD isn’t any different. That being said—I’d love for them to come to the US and steal Tesla’s market share. I absolutely loathe Tesla. As for the YouTubers, they are all paid shills. The amount of cheap bullshit YouTubers try to sell on a regular basis is staggering. That’s how they make their money. If you believed YouTubers every dumb product on earth would be “the best ever” or “epic” or “game changing” or whatever hyperbolic superlative.
The problem with the US EV market is that pretty much all EVs you can buy in the US are mid range or luxury. So, if Ford and Toyota don’t want to fill that gap, and Tesla already cancelled theirs, BYD should be able to.
Lack of outside competition? American brands already make up a minority of sales in the US. The majority of sales are brands from elsewhere in the world.
People are just making up talking points at this point.
Nah, Americans don’t want electric cars, they want monster truck sized pickups and that’s what Ford is selling. They’re barely even buying ICE sedans these days which are still more convenient than EVs.
The moment BYD is allowed in the US. American made cars will be officially dead. The only thing keeping the industry alive is lack of outside competition.
I mean, China is just the latest competition, we already have a lot of foreign cars in the US. I still think the government will ensure Ford exists simply for domestic manufacturing and security.
It’s the price that make them a game changer.
I don’t think they’ll ever let them sell them at those prices in the US. This is actually one of the times where tarrifs are smart economic policy. Both to protect a critical manufacturing capability and also because there is a lot of evidence that Chinas prices arent sustainable longterm (seems like the car industry may be their next evergrande).
You make it sound like the US government has not given Detroit >$100B since 2008. And America is the land of the free, where Ford and GM and Stellantis are free to make an inexpensive EV.
And that price is fake because the Chinese government is making up the difference between the real price and the price it takes to undercut all the competition. This is how China takes over industries wherever it goes, and once they have control of these industries, the price unsurprisingly shoots up as there is no one left to compete.
In the 60s, US panicked when VW brought in the Beetle, in the 70s, they panicked when Honda brought in the Civic, Etc. etc. it’s because US auto industry shows no innovation and are constantly blind sided by better products made abroad.
There is no affordable EV in North America. If Detroit is worried, make one.
Yeah, I mostly agree. Most Americans will buy an EV as soon as the price is reasonable and the charge anxiety goes away. If BYD made a hybrid that was as cheap as their current cars and performed like a Tesla, I think most new car buyers would forget their qualms with China really quick
If that were true, Germany would’ve killed American cars a long time ago.
If that were true, Korea would’ve killed American cars a long time ago.
If that were true, Japan would’ve killed American cars a long time ago.
Which is why it will never happen
I lived in mainland China for a while (Shanghai and then Shenzhen), and honestly I wasn’t impressed with BYD. Felt like a discount Tesla. The name is stupid as hell too: “build your dreams.” It will definitely be popular with people looking for a cheap EV, which is a good thing, but I don’t think it’ll make that much of a dent in the mid-range and luxury markets. But arguably that probably shouldn’t be their target market. I’d love to see what happens if the US actually let them be sold.
That was my impression. I don’t have confidence these cars will last much past the warranty, but it’s very clear BYD had a savvy marketing team to pay of YouTubers who “review” these vehicles.
Nailed it. I rode in one almost daily for the years I lived there, especially in Shenzhen. They felt cheap. Like most things over there (buildings, etc) they looked great from 100 ft back, but up close you could see all the flaws and cheap construction. The “made in China” stamp isn’t usually one associated with quality and BYD isn’t any different. That being said—I’d love for them to come to the US and steal Tesla’s market share. I absolutely loathe Tesla. As for the YouTubers, they are all paid shills. The amount of cheap bullshit YouTubers try to sell on a regular basis is staggering. That’s how they make their money. If you believed YouTubers every dumb product on earth would be “the best ever” or “epic” or “game changing” or whatever hyperbolic superlative.
youTube has always been about informercials. The trick is the fake sincerity, i.e. Marques Brownlee.
The problem with the US EV market is that pretty much all EVs you can buy in the US are mid range or luxury. So, if Ford and Toyota don’t want to fill that gap, and Tesla already cancelled theirs, BYD should be able to.
Lack of outside competition? American brands already make up a minority of sales in the US. The majority of sales are brands from elsewhere in the world.
People are just making up talking points at this point.
Nah, Americans don’t want electric cars, they want monster truck sized pickups and that’s what Ford is selling. They’re barely even buying ICE sedans these days which are still more convenient than EVs.
This thread seems to think Americans will embrace small efficient vehicles suddenly.
Chinese EVs will be a punchline on TV comedies.