Led by the automaker BYD, China has established itself as the main car supplier in Mexico. The US worries China could use Mexico as a “back door” to sidestep tariffs and gain footing in the US market.

Foreign investment would be an economic boost for Mexico. The company has claimed that a plant there would create about 10,000 jobs. A Tesla competitor, BYD markets its Dolphin Mini model in Mexico for about 398,800 pesos—about $21,300 dollars—a little more than half the price of the cheapest Tesla model.

    • mommykink@lemmy.worldEnglish
      578·
      2 months ago

      Said it a while ago, the US is losing at capitalism for the first time in modern history and doesn’t know how to cope

      • arin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        101·
        2 months ago

        Yes we do, we ban their sales here in USA! And add tariffs!

        • SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.worldEnglish
          16·
          2 months ago

          China builds the cars in Mexico, that forms a tariff free zone with the USA. And USA can’t exactly just ban sales from Mexico because a lot of USA companies moved their operation to Mexico for cheaper labor.

          • Kaboom@reddthat.comEnglish
            56·
            2 months ago

            Yeah. The real issue is passing safety standards. Which I’m doubtful China can do.

            • Aceticon@lemmy.worldEnglish
              31·
              2 months ago

              Somehow the likes of BDY manage it in the EU were they are selling their cars just like all other car companies (including TV adverts and everything)

              Last I checked the EU invariably has tighter regulatory standards when it came to consumers (not just on safety but also in terms of consumer rights) in just about everything than the US.

              It seems a little strange that “safe to drive cars” per EU regulations wouldn’t be “safe to drive cars” per US regulations.

              Granted, plenty of Chinese companies (basically the poky little manufacturers) might not manage to fullfil Western Auto Safety Standards, but some of the bigger one already have overcomed that hurdle.

              Lets not have certain Prejudices cultivated for Political Reasons blind us to hard-nosed Business and Technical Facts.

      • RangerJosie@lemmy.worldEnglish
        73·
        2 months ago

        It’s glorious to watch. Even from within. Even knowing I’m boned when this house of cards finally tumbles.

        I’m sure there’s a German word for that.

        • DMBFFF@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
          33·
          2 months ago

          Even knowing I’m boned when this house of cards finally tumbles.

          You probably have time to prepare. 🙂

    • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
      214·
      2 months ago

      Is it a better product? How is the quality, the maintainability? How do they treat the environment and their workers? These are all factors I think about when considering a purchase.

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
        81·
        2 months ago

        Is it a better product? How is the quality, the maintainability?

        I’m guessing it’s like 80% as good for half the cost. That’s usually how it goes with Chinese stuff.

        How do they treat the environment and their workers?

        Now that’s just commie talk. /s

        • naturalgasbad@lemmy.caEnglish
          13·
          2 months ago

          The Teslas from Shanghai are straight up better than the ones from Fremont… And if we’re being honest Shanghai probably has better quality of life than San Jose.

          • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
            3·
            2 months ago

            Teslas are anomalously bad to start with, so I can’t write that possibility off. I would definitely buy BYD before Tesla just as a consumer.

            Shanghai being better than San Jose seems unlikely, though. America is definitely a lot richer, despite the warts.

            • naturalgasbad@lemmy.caEnglish
              21·
              2 months ago

              Wealth does not necessarily improve quality of life.

              Notably, electricity (among other things) is substantially cheaper in Shanghai.

              • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
                2·
                2 months ago

                On an individual level, sure there’s sad rich people, and happy slum refugees. On a population level it makes a huge difference.

      • eskimofry@lemmy.worldEnglish
        93·
        2 months ago

        Why won’t the Americans let in the chinese manufacturers to find out? Surely if the cars are trash they have nothing to worry about?

        • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
          6·
          2 months ago

          That’s the thing about economics. Humans are not rational actors. And even if they were, they don’t have perfect information.

          For example, there’s a thing going around in the US right now about raw milk. It’s not allowed to be sold because of the risk of disease. But people are idiots and seek it out anyway, and get themselves sick.

          For cars, assume one of them is an absolute lemon and deathtrap. It constantly needs maintenance, and if you get in a crash, you die. You won’t know about the former until a few years after you’ve bought it, and if the latter happens, you can’t seek any recourse because you’re dead.

          Now, I’m not saying that this applies to the Chinese EVs, exactly, but we haven’t seen them shaken out in the US yet, and China doesn’t have a very good track record with consumer safety in the recent past.

          • Aceticon@lemmy.worldEnglish
            93·
            2 months ago

            To counter those vague negative “maybes” of yours, I just want to point out that the EU, which have much more tight regulations on just about everything than the US, especially when it comes to consumer protection, allows the sale of BDY cars.

            If a regulatory regime which is more strict when it comes to consumer protection than the US allows such cars to be sold, then claiming or implying that the reason for the US to block their sale there is that they might be dangerous is quite the flight of fantasy.

        • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
          51·
          2 months ago

          I mean, it’s not what OP was arguing, but the main reason they don’t want the cars let in is just to stop China from becoming more powerful. It has little to do with the products themselves.

      • naturalgasbad@lemmy.caEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        In Canada, Teslas from Shanghai are by far preferable to the ones from Fremont. Something about those Chinese factories man

      • RatherBeMTB@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        64·
        2 months ago

        It is much better. US car brands look like they are stuck in the 90s. Still, I don’t get the preoccupation from the US, almost all cars in Mexico have been from Asia for at least a decade or maybe more. And before that it was all Volkswagen.

    • ms.lane@lemmy.worldEnglish
      173·
      2 months ago

      I was going to say something about Chinese vehicles not entirely being the greatest quality, but then I remembered we’re comparing it to American vehicles.

      Better product, half the cost. Can’t go wrong.

  • Beaver@lemmy.caEnglish
    192·
    2 months ago

    The west needs to take the hint and ditch the fossil fuels and legacy automaker excuses.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
    172·
    2 months ago

    China Conquers Mexico

    …’s Automotive Market, and the US Is Worried

    Give me a heart attack this morning, why don’t you?

  • Doom@ttrpg.networkEnglish
    91·
    2 months ago

    Lol capitalists are stuck with cars and malls and dozens of dying industries they gon have a bad 30 years as new infrastructure becomes a necessity

  • naturalgasbad@lemmy.caEnglish
    4·
    2 months ago

    To get an idea of margins:

    The BYD Seagull sells under the Dolphin Mini name in South America. The Seagull (see specs) is the BYD’s cheapest electric car launched in April last year. Its price range initially lay between 78,800 – 95,800 yuan (10,850 – 13,200 USD)