Except it’s rarely the “same car”. For example a Tesla Model 3 manufactured in China has an LFP lithium-ion battery, while the US manufactured ones use an NCA lithium-ion battery.
Comment on Fear of cheap Chinese EVs spurs automaker dash for affordable cars
Treczoks@lemmy.world 11 months ago
If you see that European car makers sell the same car in China for less than half than they charge at home, you know they are basically milking us just for extra profit.
abhibeckert@lemmy.world 11 months ago
weew@lemmy.ca 11 months ago
actually they’ve been selling the LFP version in North America. Even with the extra import costs and reduced government grant due to a Chinese battery, it still ends up cheaper.
Obi@sopuli.xyz 11 months ago
Sounds like what I’d like is whatever options or differences that make the car half as cheap.
Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 11 months ago
But with the American version you can have a janky mounted door and someone that forgets to install the brake disks
lolcatnip@reddthat.com 11 months ago
I think their implication is that whenever they’re selling in China is kind of trash, and you wouldn’t think it’s a good deal if you looked closely.
iegod@lemm.ee 11 months ago
Furthermore regulations would prohibit said trash from being available in certain areas.
buzz86us@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Not true… The lower trims so in fact use LFP
Daiken@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Not true. Most products aren’t the cost of the materials. There are a lot of included expenses in the price of a product like the cost of labor. They’re also not the same cars.
Treczoks@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I am well aware that there are costs beside materials and labor. In my company, I’m part of those other costs - I’m R&D. The point is still: Why shall we bear all those costs and others don’t? Don’t expect people being happy about being handled gross unfair.
Yes, there are differences. But they are small, and could be incorporated in a low-cost version of European cars, too - if they actually want a low cost version here.
iegod@lemm.ee 11 months ago
That sounds like standard supply demand. If you can bear it, and there is no alternative, you will. But moreover as was mentioned there are reasons that may require a product being different prices in different markets as operating expenses are not the same. The simple cost of launching a product in different markets incurs different costs, and thus different prices. That’s a trivial example, and with vehicles it gets really complex at the regulatory level.
Treczoks@lemmy.world 11 months ago
And that is the point that will break the European car makers necks. The Chinese just start being alternatives, just like Japanese cars were in the 80s and 90s.