Just producing EV versions of Honda Fit or Ford Fiesta like what the Chinese EV makers do is enough. Instead, they keep producing EVs with luxury features (and high price tags) then surprised people won’t buy them without subsidy.
Comment on Biden really, really doesn’t want China to flood the US with cheap EVs
credo@lemmy.world 5 months agoTo that end, this means we would need to lower standards, use some forced labor, and increase taxes to increase subsidies in order to compete.
Republicans would shoot down the subsidies.
redcalcium@lemmy.institute 5 months ago
ShepherdPie@midwest.social 5 months ago
You’re describing the Bolt and it sells terribly here. The Model 3 outsells it 20:1 in any given month.
redcalcium@lemmy.institute 5 months ago
The Bolt isn’t cheap though (almost 2x of Honda Fit price), and wasn’t produced in sufficient quantity. The Chinese EV companies are somehow able to produce entry level EV models with minimal features at a price cheaper than Honda Fit and they’re selling like hot cakes both domestically and in neighboring Asian countries.
ShepherdPie@midwest.social 5 months ago
With the $7500 credit, the Bolt is the same price or slightly cheaper than the Fit when you account for inflation.
China is able to sell these vehicles for this cheap because the government is giving these companies cash to sell them at these artificially low prices. That’s the whole point of this discussion and the proposed tariffs as none of the competition will be receiving subsidies at these levels in order to compete. China is also known for lax worker protections which helps to drive the costs down further at the expense of the workforce and is not something they’ll be able to do if they manufacture here.
Maggoty@lemmy.world 5 months ago
We already use slave labor in the guise of prisoners. How low do we need to go?
Eldritch@lemmy.world 5 months ago
No it literally wouldn’t. It’s absolutely possible to produce smaller lightweight vehicles with the exact same standards. But unfortunately we’ve all been pushed towards larger vehicles. Simply because they make more money on them.
ozymandias117@lemmy.world 5 months ago
The push towards large vehicles was due to the fact that they used a truck chassis, and were exempt from safety and emissions requirements of a “car”
potatopotato@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Not if it’s electric
Alto@kbin.social 5 months ago
While true, the general cultural preference for larger vehicles will inherently carryover to when people are deciding what EV to buy.
andrewth09@lemmy.world 5 months ago
Unfortunately producing a smaller affordable car for the average person would fall under “lower standards” 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Amoxtli@thelemmy.club 5 months ago
It doesn’t matter what size car Americans build, they simply can’t compete. Larger vehicles are a cultural preference and fits the American environment.
GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca 5 months ago
If this was true, the Chinese EVs could be allowed in and no one would buy them. I personally want a smaller car that can comfortably seat 5 and has additional safety and comfort features (backup cameras, lane assist, heat pump climate control, etc.). This could easily be done with a sedan, hatchback, or station wagon. The only cars that have these features that I know of are SUVs.
ShepherdPie@midwest.social 5 months ago
Not exactly true when they’re selling them for $10k-$15k. The Bolt is comparable to a Chinese EV and they only sell around 2k per month while something like the Model 3 sells 50k per month.
If you lowered the price of the Bolt to the price of a 10 year old used Camry, I’m sure it would sell a lot better but this is an artificial price that completely distorts the market and puts a lot of people out of work for what amounts to a temporary savings. This is the whole point of tariffs. They level the playing field for everyone.
prole@sh.itjust.works 5 months ago
Nah
Blackmist@feddit.uk 5 months ago
I think they’re a preference of the motor industry who want you to buy more expensive cars.