Comment on US to impose tariffs on Chinese EVs next week
Buelldozer@lemmy.today 6 months agoI want a $10000 car that would normally be inflated to $30000 in the US.
You can’t make that same car in the United States for anything like the same price. Even ignoring the Chinese Governments heavy subsidies there’s still a massive cost gap due to worker compensation, cost of compliance with safety regulations, cost of compliance with environmental regulations, and a whole host of other things.
The cost of manufacturing in the United States is radically higher than it is in China and that simply isn’t fixable unless you’re going to unwind Union pay deals, remove environmental laws, and reduce safety restrictions.
You cannot have both, so which are you choosing? Are you going to go with your wallet like a self absorbed capitalist or are you going to support union workers, stronger environmental laws, and more worker safety?
so which are you choosing?
I think most people will choose what they can actually afford. The fact that things cost so much and people aren’t being paid anywhere near enough to compensate for the skyrocketing price of consumer goods, including vehicles.
Maybe the problem is our lifestyles. I’m unaware of any long term studies suggesting that in a situation in which the population increases and the resources and land are fixed, that it gets cheaper for anyone wanting anything.
Have you read Ishmael?
Nope. This just seems patently obvious to any but the dull-witted or anyone whose paycheck depends on denial of some fairly basic facts.
Thatsthething.
Everyone talks about how shitty the environment is and that we’re going to get burned alive in our lifetime…but at the same time, fuck the environment if it means cheap goods.
Mexico is just across the boarder, and US car makers already make their stuff there to save cash. Mexico has a pretty low unemployment rate right now, so pushing even more labor demand their way would help improve a lot of peoples’ lives by lifting salaries.
But a lot of the cost is in battery manufacturing, not assembly. We need to experiment with sodium-ion batteries to bring those costs down for economy-class cars, just like China is. Maybe $10k is too little, but $15-20k should be feasible for a very basic car.
The Bolts were 25,000 before GM discontinued them.
Yup, and I’m looking at them. But it’s important to point out that they’re not really discontinued, Chevy said they’re planning to upgrade the battery packs and relaunch, but they’re currently focusing on other car offerings. So I’m guessing it’ll relaunch in a year or two.
They weren’t meant to come back. It was one of those cases of customers complaining enough.
While I can’t say any of this is wrong, you’re missing likely the single biggest component inflating the cost of US manufacturing: profit margins. Every step of the supply chain has a profit margin attached. Sometimes just a few percent, but often double digits. These compound, so a 5% margin on a simple component will see an additional 15% when sold as part of an assembly, which is then marked up another 20% when sold as part of the finished good. There’s also financialization which burdens US companies. Companies generally need to take loans to fund their operations, and end up having to pay heavy interest fees and rent which also drives up cost. Workers and environmental protections are more expensive, but in practice they are relatively minor compared to a lot of other inefficiencies US industry struggles with.
Every step of the supply chain has a profit margin attached. Sometimes just a few percent, but often double digits.
That’s true in China as well. The only difference is in the price of what is being marked up.
Well, there’s also less corruption and more free competition to lower pricesin the US.
Bless your heart, sweet summer child.
Sure we will take the sacrifice… I’m sure this time capitalist will get the message and start behaving reasonably
It’s like that time thousands of us reduced or eliminated meat intake and suddenly the Kardashians realized taking private jet flight to avoid a few minutes of traffic was bad and stopped doing it
You do understand they have to comply with our safety and environmental standards to sell here right?
karpintero@lemmy.world 6 months ago
This is what I try to tell people who just want the cheapest things possible. We’re voting with our dollars what kind of world we want.
Also, shipping things across the sea burns some of the worst fuel for the environment so I’d rather buy things made here and support the local economy whenever possible.
fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee 6 months ago
Love seeing people spread awareness of bunker fuel. It’s absolutely terrible and would be illegal if humans were rational and wanted to survive as a species
A single large ship burning that shit pollutes as much as many millions of cars.
exanime@lemmy.today 6 months ago
Ok, please tell me where can I buy <insert anything here> that’s wasn’t totally or partially made in China??
I’m an avid learner and DIY, I try to only buy raw materials and tools to make everything I can myself … I have yet to see standard basic tools that were not made in China…
I understand your point, but to expect that “voting with your wallet” will cause change, is like hoping we can turn around a cruise ship by blowing at it
Just look at the enshitification of everything… Did people vote that in with their wallets? Or all services decided that on greed and left us no choice but to hold our noses or give up the last few vestiges of entertainment that we could still afford?