• ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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    1 month ago

    What a crock of shit. They’re $15k because the government is paying for the rest of the car, they control the lithium, they don’t give a shit about environmental regulations, and they use slave labor to produce these materials and cars. The only way any other manufacturer in the world can compete with this is if they also do all those things too. If they choose not to commit such atrocities, they’ll go out of business, leaving us completely reliant on Chinese auto manufacturers for all our needs with millions of Americans out of work. This isn’t a “US car” thing. No other country is producing cars in such a manor. US manufacturers only make up 30% of the market here.

    This is just a bunch of vapid influences being manipulated and then spreading it to all their followers like a virus. They won’t see anything past the fake cheap price and demand the Walmartification of ever more US manufacturing jobs.

    • PuddleOfKittens@sh.itjust.works
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      1 month ago

      They’re $15k because the government is paying for the rest of the car, they control the lithium, they don’t give a shit about environmental regulations, and they use slave labor to produce these materials and cars.

      Hey, maybe it’s because:

      1. They put heavy emphasis on EVs since 2009
      2. They don’t kowtow to ICE car companies; ICE cars have a cap system that makes them expensive, every ICE car has one day of the week they aren’t allowed on the road (determined by number plate)
      3. Their car companies aren’t all pre-invested into massive ICE car factories
      4. The govt has very consistently supported EVs - western countries tend to flip-flop, e.g. when a conservative govt is elected
      5. They’ve more extensively vertically integrated their EV manufacturing (which to be fair, is an extension of point 3)

      The industry experts have done teardowns of chinese EVs, and concluded shortcutting and labor abuse alone can’t explain the low pricepoint. As shitty as the CCP is, if we don’t recognize that China is ahead on EVs then they’ll eat our lunch. EU/US tariffs on Chinese EVs won’t stop them, because they’re selling to the entire world, not just the EU/US. It’ll be Harley Davidson all over again (who received protectionist tariffs against japanese motorcycles until Harley Davidson could “catch up” on affordability - and the rest is history).

      Even if Chinese labor standards were the problem (and people don’t mention that US/EU cars have plenty of Chinese components, made by Chinese workers with Chinese wages - Ford, Tesla etc have ), the result of the tariffs is that they’re setting up factories in Mexico (just like Ford/etc) where they’ll be bound by the same labor standards as everyone else. And they’re still undercutting everyone.

    • ltxrtquq@lemmy.ml
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      1 month ago

      Say what you want, but it’s undeniable that electric cars are being pushed and marketed in a certain way. Just look at Car and Driver’s Future Electric Vehicles: The EVs You’ll Soon Be Able to Buy and notice how many of the cars are SUVs, pickup trucks, or cost over $50,000. Or look at Edmund’s Best Electric Cars of 2025 and 2026 and see how many of their categories are “luxury” or “super luxury.”

      There just aren’t a lot of smaller budget options being made, for whatever reason.

      • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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        1 month ago

        It’s because companies typically create high dollar/high trim items first in order to use that money to develop these new products. China is paying all these development costs for Chinese manufacturers.

        We could do that here if you don’t mind a tax increase and cuts to government services so that more of your tax dollars can be funneled to Tesla, Ford, and GM and all the other more popular foreign manufacturers like Hyundai, Kia, Dodge, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, etc but I don’t think that’ll go over well once people actually see how the sausage is made.

        Furthermore, this will likely lead to a lot of people hopping from car to car to car when they’re selling so cheap new (especially for those who are buying these higher priced trims currently) which completely negates the environmental benefits that EVs offer. China is already seeing this with “car graveyards” full of nearly new EVs since there is no incentive for anyone to buy them over the newest model. https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2023-china-ev-graveyards/

    • Dragon Rider (drag)@lemmy.nz
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      1 month ago

      They’re $15k because the government is paying for the rest of the car

      The only way any other manufacturer in the world can compete with this is if they also do all those things too

      How about just that one thing?

        • PuddleOfKittens@sh.itjust.works
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          1 month ago

          Depending on your definition of “possible”:

          1. Unban kei cars. Cars are cheaper if there’s less car.
          2. Build more public transport (particularly trains, electric of course) so more people don’t need cars, then tax ICE cars heavily
          3. Make all greenfield street grids use narrow streets (that means a max width of 6m(20ft) wall-to-wall, for 80% of streets) and over time convert existing grids likewise, which (strongly increases pedestrianism and) encourages any urban car drivers to drive kei cars.
          4. If most drivers of big cars are rural, then let the big ag subsidies cover it. Although honestly, if urban drivers stop driving cars (and ~80-90% of people are urban (that includes suburban)), then we’re 80-90% of the way there anyway, and the last 10% doesn’t matter.

          Point 2 and 3 would require major political buy-in (and they’re also sort of the same step anyway), which strains the definition of possible. But it’s quite financially feasible.