US Car Buyers Envy What They Cannot Have: Affordable Chinese EVs (reuters.com)
- Reference: 0181087828
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/03/23/1829217/us-car-buyers-envy-what-they-cannot-have-affordable-chinese-evs
- Source link: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/some-us-car-buyers-envy-what-they-cannot-have-affordable-chinese-evs-2026-03-23/?taid=69c10cca7f3b6800019df95c
> While Chinese autos hit the highways of Europe, Latin America and even Canada, the U.S. government has effectively banned the cars with tariffs exceeding 100%, out of concerns over data security and protecting American jobs. In places like Europe, a number of Chinese EVs sell at prices under $30,000. Some of those cars include amenities like advanced driving assistance software, a built-in mini fridge, and the option to sing karaoke with your fellow passengers. "The technology they offer for those lower price tags was astounding," said Clint Simone, senior features editor for car-shopping website Edmunds, who drove several Chinese vehicles while at the CES trade show earlier this year. [...]
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> Consumers have some concerns over allowing Chinese car imports, though, including over data security and protecting U.S. businesses, survey results from The Harris Poll as well as Cox show. Rhett Ricart, an Ohio car dealer who sells several brands, including Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai, said he has no doubt customers would snap up Chinese models if they became available. He and other dealers don't want that to happen yet, according to a recent Cox Automotive survey, which found that just 15% of dealers supported the entry of Chinese auto brands into the U.S., and just 26% trust that they would comply with U.S. safety standards.
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> Not meeting U.S. safety standards is one reason Chinese EVs cannot yet be owned permanently in the U.S. But those obstacles haven't quieted the buzz. The Cox survey polled 802 U.S. consumers who expect to buy a car in the next two years. Nearly half -- 49% -- rated Chinese cars as having very good or excellent value, and 40% say they support the idea of Chinese auto brands in the U.S. market. Rich Benoit, a car enthusiast whose YouTube videos reviewing Chinese models garner millions of views, said the most compelling feature is the price. "That's what a lot of people are looking for: efficient, quiet and low cost," he said. "They want to 'get to work-- not everyone is a car enthusiast." He's considering buying a BYD model in Mexico and driving it across the border. "That's the only way to get one," Benoit said. "They've been selling in Mexico for years... "I want to own a Chinese EV in America."
[1] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/some-us-car-buyers-envy-what-they-cannot-have-affordable-chinese-evs-2026-03-23/?taid=69c10cca7f3b6800019df95c
NO we dont (Score:2)
What we want is cost effective cars.. Dont need 60 computers running to make my car work. Its lower cost cars, not chineese boxes.
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A lot of those computers are necessary to squeeze out the required efficiency of the car, both in mileage and in reduced exhaust pollution. It would be far more expensive to try to recreate the same with purely mechanics and fluid dynamics. Imagine recreating the functionality of the motor chip with something else! You would either have a very simple setup, which can only be tuned for a narrow range of conditions, and everything else sucks. Or what you need in a car would dwarf anything in a mechanical cloc
Re: NO we dont (Score:2)
"A lot of those computers are necessary to squeeze out the required efficiency of the car"
False. Literally only one computer is needed for that.
Re: (Score:2)
There's basic engineering concepts such as "separation of concerns" and "redundancy", which the average Slashdot reader should be aware of.
Re: NO we dont (Score:2)
How about basic concepts like you don't know how cars work and I've had my ASE in automotive electrical systems and aced the class for that?
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Here you go [1]https://www.slate.auto/en [slate.auto]
[1] https://www.slate.auto/en
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Good luck with that. By the time they are actually in mass production I'd be very surprised if they sell for less than $50k. They definitely won't hit their original goal of $20k. Not even close.
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My current daily driver is a 1996 Honda Civic (the base model with a 5 speed manual transmission, no AC, and manual windows). I say this to say that I really like the idea of the Slate. What I want is a basic electric vehicle without frills, and without extra technology that does nothing but break and drive up the price. The problem with the Slate is that it is not yet available, nor is it likely to be available in any numbers for a couple of years. What's more, there are already more capable Chinese ve
Re: Don't need 60 computers. (Score:2)
In the 1980's one of the things that came out of the changes Demming brought to the U.S. auto industry under the quality improvement efforts at that time was a reduction in part count. Back then, dealers made all of their money at the time of the car sale. Today cars are sold at little to negative profit so that the dealers can make money in many other irritating ways. So, your car has a different board for controlling the passenger window on the left and right and crazy unnecessarily different parts lik
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I just sold a 10 year old car of mine for way above what I thought I could get it for. If US car buyers were hungering for EVs, there wouldn't be such a healthy market for completely ICE cars
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Indeed the biggest turn off for me for any electric vehicle and most ICE vehicles now is the need for lots of computers, stupid large screens, and always-on data connections. Do not want any of that. There's no reason an efficient EV can't operate without all that intrusive technology. I don't want or need a big screen. I don't want to have to use GPS navigation for every drive (and to condition the battery for fast charge, Kia).
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For every person like you, there is someone else who claims they need an EV that do 600 miles (or more) on a charge and be ready to do another 600 miles after a 5-minute charge.
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Chinese vehicles, both EV and ICE, are selling like crazy in every market where they can legally be sold. I've spent some time in Latin America recently and have ridden in several of the various models, and the reality is that they are all quite nice. The Uber drivers driving them invariably think that they got excellent value for their money.
In the United States we don't have access to these inexpensive brands. We can either buy expensive ICE vehicles, or even more expensive EVs where you pay a premiu
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You think the cheap Chinese vehicles are doing excess amounts of stuff? They are cheap - the low cost BYD Seal can't even do any connected car stuff because it's so cheap, BYD didn't include a cellular modem or service with it. Instead the infotainment will do Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
That's why US automakers are scared - they've been chasing profits by getting people to buy bigger and bigger SUVs for 30 years (that cost more money), while the Chinese have been refining their vehicles.
The early Chinese
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I'm in Canada too, and approximately none of the people I know who own pickups and SUVs (which is most people actually) wish they could have a small Chinese EV instead. Most manufacturers don't offer small cars here because they don't sell well. If these are cheap enough they may sell better, but i would not expect to see the streets flooded with them anytime soon.
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There are countries out there that manufacture the same type of car for 50 and more years, with only minor updates. I guess that's what you want.
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> Dont need 60 computers running to make my car work.
Those 60 computers aren't used to make your car work, they are used to compensate your inability to safely drive a car (as seen by literally all road safety statistics around the world).
You absolutely should have 60 computers in your car. You need it when you're chasing the cheapest thing you can find. Your life may literally depend on it.
yeah until.. (Score:1)
Until their loved one gets killed and then it is right back to how come it did not have 15 airbags, advanced safety cage, stability control, and ABS!
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Question is do they *not* have those? Looked up a couple and they seemed to be equipped on that front...
I think the expense is more like the long standing manufacturers accustomed to charging a boat load of money for a resistive heat loop in the seat. Then optimizing it so they *always* ship that loop, but enable/disable it to still charge a boat load of money for it. Then when they realize they can turn it on/off at will, then they want to charge *monthly* for it. All for a resistive heating setup that
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> Until their loved one gets killed and then it is right back to how come it did not have 15 airbags, advanced safety cage, stability control, and ABS!
If you go all the way down the affordability rabbit hole, you end up at "bicycles", which have no safety features whatsoever. Of course, I realize why automotive safety features are mandated, but they only benefit people who can actually afford an automobile in the first place.
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Generally speaking US requirements are stricter than the EU.
There is are a lot stupid corner cases where US rules lag modern tech in areas like lighting where EU rules are not exactly stricter but probably better.
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Bullshit. Plenty of countries in the EU won't allow the cybertruck due the ability to injure pedestrians.
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> Plenty of countries in the EU won't allow the cybertruck due the ability to injure pedestrians.
Not that I'm defending Musk's gargantuan drivable refrigerator, but I don't see how it'd be any worse than the other various massive pickup trucks sold by US auto manufacturers at unaliving pedestrians. If anything, I'd figure the multitude of cameras it is equipped with would make it slightly easier to see what's around you.
There's a few people in my neck of the woods that have Cybertrucks, and at least anecdotally I've yet to see one in a parking lot where someone did the usual "asshole parking job" typi
Two faced bullshit (Score:3)
While I fully agree that Chinese cars are insecure and will used at the very least in the same way other Chinese apps are used to spy on the public and gain information that even extends into true cases of national security (I'll cover ways below just in case people are unaware), but this is two faced bullshit when the American market is spying on us just as much. EV's are connected in ways that the companies will not allow the users to have any semblance of security from the owners standpoint. Things are locked down to protect them from the users, not us from bad things. The governments own guidance for connected things is that they be sandboxed at least, if not airgapped when there is no documented need for anyone to get in. That even means locking out the manufacturers. The lockdowns are used as a way to keep you using cellular connectivity that they control in a way that prevents you from locking them out. It keeps you using apps that connect to servers you dont control to ask permission from someone who does not own your thing to control that thing that exists (preferably behind your firewall). But we are not allowed that. These systems are weaponized against the users of the systems so that they can datamine everything about you and deny you services that would work on other networks but instead keeping you on a network they fully control. So to non Chinese car makers.... with that said, give us the keys to our security destiny or let loose the Chinese EV's and die. Things attached to infrastructure should not be connected all the time and should at the very least be firewalled and opened ONLY WHEN NEEDED. Local API's to control your things should be forced and cloud based systems that require full time connectivity should only ever be an option, and not the only one.
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I forgot to add how Chinese apps have been caught spying even when the code itself is benign. I'll use TikTok as an example. TikTok has been caught providing GPS feedback in NEGATIVE back to the CCP. Here is what I mean by negative. Certain areas in the US are tightly controlled with no access allowed. Usually government issues phones or things like that explicitly are denied to have those apps, but what they search for is in aggregate data where they can look for places where they know there are buildings
For the People (Score:2)
The government's need for secrecy trumps (pun intended) the public's need for affordable, efficient, non-polluting vehicles? This is straight-up astroturfing by Ohio car dealers who are afraid they will not sell a single Ford or Chevrolet if the Chinese enter the market.
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I would rather see Chinese vehicles at a price point that erases US car makers off the map if they refuse to allow us the ability to secure our things against THEM. At least we know right from the get go that the Chinese are going to do it so at least we can get help from the government in securing the Chinese crap. But the American makers, like how GM got busted selling everyones non-anonymized data and how GM encrypted the canbus to keep them from having to compete with anyone for add ons. All current EV'
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I have no doubt China is using apps to spy. But I don't its any different for X, Google, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn etc. They all gather data and they will all give it up to the US government either willingly or if the government goes through the motions of obtaining a warrant.
Bada-boom (Score:1, Informative)
Yes they envy POS Chinesium e-waste that blows up on the road or loses an axle or spontaneously combusts. At least in China these vehicles come with the scene management crew that surrounds grisly accident theaters with a barrier to prevent social media posts and scrubs all online info about these fatality machines. You don't get that in other countries for free.
I strongly support (Score:2)
...allowing Chinese EVs to be sold in the US
Strongly
You can take the word "Chinese" out of it... (Score:2)
Not hating on Chinese goods, people just want things to be affordable and not complete shit. We're not going to get it from pseudo-domestic brands because "Geld über alles" is the "American way!â"
Re:Genuinely interested to see where /. goes here (Score:5, Insightful)
China is offering a better product at a better price and it's scaring the shit out of the domestic auto makers. Expect more fear mongering and lobbying to remedy those precious profits. Just a repeat of when Harley Davidson was getting crushed by Japanese bikes and went crying to daddy Reagan. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_motorcycle_tariff
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> ceaselessly toxic Chinese behavior, industrially, economically, commercially
There's nothing toxic about having government subsidise an emerging industry for the purposes of building it up to become an economic powerhouse. It's literally how every western industry was born.
You could voitw with your feet (Score:2)
if you have dual citizenship. But the pesky US tax law which taxes all foreign income, and the dual reporting of all of your taxes to both the US and the country you emigrate to make yearly tax preparation a nightmare.
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it's a little price to pay for a much improved life balance.
Affordable my A** (Score:1)
Just because the Chinese government has implied "maximum wage' laws that limit the cost of labor does not make them "low cost". It makes them heavily subsidized and exploitative. Which is exactly the way the Chinese government wants it. They want us to buy the rope for our nooses when we can't build anything anymore. The PRC should be considered the adversaries that they are.
Re:Affordable my A** (Score:4, Informative)
The US government already gives subsidies to auto makers and oil companies to the tune of billions.
Chinese cars welcome in my driveway (Score:1)
Cars with Chinese Communist Party spyware or the means to remotely install it are not.
Net result: I'll welcome a Chinese build of a totally disconnected,* manually controlled car if it met US safety standards and was cost-effective to own and operate. "Totally disconnected" pretty much rules out modern EVs.
* obviously connecting to the power grid is allowed, and I'll want to add an aftermarket AM/FM terrestrial radio.
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> Cars with Chinese Communist Party spyware or the means to remotely install it are not.
This ship has already sailed. [1]The company that manufactured my current EV got in hot water for selling driving data to a data broker, which in turn sold the data to insurance companies. [edmunds.com] Did I mention they are an American auto manufacturer ?
I've said something similar when the issue was Chinese control of TikTok - if the CCP really wants to know how often I go to Walmart, the fuck if I care. I'm not a politician and I don't hold a security clearance, so there's nothing about my daily goings on that would b
[1] https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/gm-killed-program-that-sold-driving-data-to-insurance-companies.html
I want a 1994 Honda Accord (Score:1)
I want dependable, I want dials, I want a slider for heat, I want 30 MPG, I want low-cost repairs, I want metal and not plastic, I want a computer for the fuel injection and brakes (only), I want boring.
I don't want having to find charging stations, glass control panels, unavailable parts, non-owner serviceable junk. I remember the Yugo, LeCar and all that crap. I have no interest in Chinese cars without a support and parts network that I can tap for repairs and service.
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Nowadays: 30 miles per gallon is pretty pathetic. You should expect about double that from any decent car nowadays. (at least in Europe...)
Unless of course: you put it into sports mode and drive it as if you stole it.
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Okay, so imagine gas doubles in price. Still happy with your 30 MPG vintage ride?
Nio in Norway (Score:1)
I was driven in a Nio SUV in Norway last year. It's a Chinese EV made for the Norwegian market. Smooth, quiet, plush and $40K in US dollars. If you buy it with an exchangeable battery--it works like a propane tank on a gas grill, and Norway has the infrastructure for it--it's $30K. I'd do it in a heartbeat.
No you can't just buy one in Mexico (Score:2)
Unless it's 25 years old, the non-US-compliant car will be untitleable, unregisterable, uninsurable and subject to being impoounded and crushed. Yes, there is a black market for import paperwork and so on - and in some states it's easier than in others - but driving it is a constant risk.
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So how come you can build a custom kit car and drive that legally? Maybe the Chinese can sell their cars here as kits comprising a car and a decal that you stick on yourself.
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Because the kit requires an MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin) that identifies the kit. The process of registering a kit car requires an inspection and a VIN assignment (if the kit didn't include a VIN). At that point it's identified as a noncompliant imported vehicle and off to the crusher with it. Technically whaat you are talking about here, if they did sell it as a kit, would be what's called a "component car" because all the parts would come from a single manufacturer. As far as the NHSTA is conc
American car manufacturers need to die (Score:1)
The greedy, lazy American car manufacturers who give you a choice of stupidly-large gas-guzzlers or stupidly-large EVs need to die.
Tariffs are going to make Americans be a captive market to these rapacious corporations, who will pretty quickly discover they are unable to sell their expensive and crappy products anywhere outside the USA. The rest of us, in freer markets, will have more choice and better value.
The CCP is disgusting. But if cheap Chinese cars is what it takes to make other manufacturers
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While I agree with the sentiment....
I'd be happy for American manufacturers to succeed. But they need to do it by being better. If they can't compete, they need to die and make room for someone who can compete.
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Dude, American cars are big due to the change in CAFE standards for fuel efficiency that have been pointed out for over 15 years (https://me.engin.umich.edu/news-events/news/cafe-standards-could-mean-bigger-cars-not-smaller-ones/). The Ford Focus is a great little dependable car- but one that couldn't meet the 52 MPG required of it so the model was discontinued. Same thing with the Honda Fit, the Toyota Yaris, etc. The MPG requirements for a small ICE vehicle in the US became unattainable and were all disco
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Yes, I know that part of the problem is misguided government incentives with the "light truck" loophole. It would be much better to close that loophole and specify realistic efficiencies for gas-powered cars.
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In the future, the American car industry will be a case study in business schools. It will be presented as a classic example of disruption from new technology.
This happens over and over. Some big established companies are making a lot of money. A new technology makes their products uncompetitive. Instead of adopting the new technology they fight it. They try to keep their existing business going as long as possible. Their products become increasingly uncompetitive, and they get replaced by other compa
First of all .. (Score:2)
> He and other dealers don't want that to happen yet,
... I don't care what the dealers want. They can all go die in a fire. An EV battery fire, preferably.
I'd like to buy a 75 series Landcruiser. I don't care about US safety standards. Just put a sticker on them that says "Does not comply. Drive at your own risk." Or emissions. It's got to be better than the 1968 Dodge Powerwagon it will replace. Until then, suck on my pickup truck fumes.
If the Chinese don't like your country (Score:2)
They'll shut your car down. I'm already worried that they'll start my robot vacuum on fire if they don't the geopolitical climate.
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Sure, but I live in Canada and the Trump has threatened us economically as well as threatened to annex us, and the USA could equally shut down American cars here, so... *shrug*
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Trump is not just threatening Canada economically, he's actively taking steps to destroy Canada's auto sector.
Why Canada should tie itself to an American industry that is actively hostile to innovation and increases prices for Canadians, while the US itself is hostile to Canada is beyond me.
Buy Chinese... better, more appropriate options and you're not giving money to a country that wants to annex you. When the US sorts its shit out, the auto industry can try and win the market back.
No thanks (Score:2)
Cheap is exactly what you don't want, even if it's inexpensive.
-m
~dealerships (Score:2)
They should persuade a west coast state to allow their import and sale without involving dealerships. And optimise their product for maintainability by independent mechanics.
bypassing the dealerships alone will make them a country wide favorite even if you have to fly to the west coast and drive it home yourself
I miss this option (Score:1)
the option to sing karaoke with your fellow passengers. how could I live without it my whole life ?
safety standards? (Score:2)
> Not meeting U.S. safety standards is one reason Chinese EVs cannot yet be owned permanently in the U.S.
Doesn't Europe almost always have higher safety standards than the US?
Kia EV3? (Score:2)
The smallest Korean/European brands aren't much more expensive than Mexican build BYD. They aren't marketing them in the US, but EV3 is one step up from the EV2 and coming to the US for 35k ... I doubt it will sell well.
Compete on product, not politics (Score:2)
If the Chinese product is competitive, consider it. If the American product is better for the same cost, decline the Chinese product. When the comparison changes, re-evaluate which is better. Doesn't sound that difficult to me ... but I'm not American or Chinese.
Marketing Hype (Score:1, Insightful)
This is marketing hype. I've yet to meet one person who has even heard of, let alone wants a Chinese EV.
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I'm one. I see a lot of announcements of cheap Chinese EVs, only to inevitably be met by the disappointing "Not available in US" footnote. Try watching the Electric Viking's YouTube channel, he likes a lot of what the Chinese are doing, and apparently they are available in Australia.
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Same here.
I keep seeing really affordable EV cars as well as Toyota's Hilux Champ, that we'll never get in the states.
Heavily Subsidized by CCP (Score:5, Insightful)
These vehicles have been heavily subsidized by the Chinese government to win market share in markets long dominated by other countries.
Just like everything else from China, it's meant to kill domestic manufacturers and make the world reliant on China and subject to the whims of the CCP.
It's not in the interest of anyone living outside of China to buy these cars. China doesn't care about you. The CCP doesn't care about you. It doesn't care about making a good product. They only want your money. The CCP is perfectly happy to lie, cheat, steal, and fuck over your country to make money, obtain, and hold power.
Re:Heavily Subsidized by CCP (Score:5, Informative)
> The CCP doesn't care about you. It doesn't care about making a good product. They only want your money. The CCP is perfectly happy to lie, cheat, steal, and fuck over your country to make money, obtain, and hold power.
Of course you also just described most corporations too...
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“perfectly happy to lie, cheat, steal, and fuck over your country to make money, obtain, and hold power.”
Also like the current configuration of the US Government
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> China doesn't care about you. The CCP doesn't care about you. It doesn't care about making a good product. They only want your money. The CCP is perfectly happy to lie, cheat, steal, and fuck over your country to make money, obtain, and hold power.
How is this any different than Ford/GM/Stellantis/Tesla/etc... ?
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I wouldn't know, I buy affordable Japanese cars that get great gas mileage and run for 200K miles minimum. Maybe if the US auto manufacturers would still produce a 90s era Ford Ranger or more options for 4 door sedans, I wouldn't have to buy Japanese. Now, even if they did, I still would buy Japanese. I see no reason to go back to US auto at this point.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
"US vehicles have been heavily subsidized and favorably regulated by the US government to win market share in the US markets long dominated by other countries.
Just like everything else from the US, it's meant to kill small manufacturers and make the world reliant on a small handful of corporations and subject to the whims of the US Government.
It's not in the interest of anyone living outside or inside of the USA to buy these cars. The US government doesn't care about you. The US carmakers don't care about y
Re: (Score:3)
Well your argument is weak if it is principled in CCP doesn't care about me. Trump doesn't care about me, gm doesn't, ford doesn't, toyota doesn't. It is capitalism, care is not part of the equation, profit is.
The second part is also a fail, that China is heavily subsidizing. I don't think they are. Razor thin margins yes, cut throat competition (ironic eh, real capitalism in China) yes, with too many brands and not enough sales. Their latest thing is actually boosting the price to the EU to satisfy the EU'
Re: Heavily Subsidized by CCP (Score:2)
"China doesn't care about you. The CCP doesn't care about you. It doesn't care about making a good product. They only want your money. The CCP is perfectly happy to lie, cheat, steal, and fuck over your country to make money, obtain, and hold power."
Explain how that is different from any other automaker
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What does the CCP have to do with KEI trucks and the Toyota Hilux?
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Chinese EV's.
They are like 8lb fake gold chains.
Looks like you are a fashionable fool. In reality though it is just cheap trash.
The only difference is that the Chinese EV can set fire to your garage, and will.
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More F150s burn every year.:-)
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Are there Chinese cars that are junk? Yes. But there are a number of Chinese brands (BYD and MG for example) that are actually making decent cars (EV and otherwise) now. No they aren't as good as a Toyota but they are better/more reliable/etc than many things sold here in Australia by western auto companies...
I have family that bought an MG EV and they LOVE it.
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Oh and these cars almost all get 5 star ANCAP safety ratings (the highest possible) so they are just as safe as anything from Japan or elsewhere.
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you are wrong they are all over the world and in more demanding safety environments that the US. the US safety requirements are profit driven not safety driven.
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Chinese autos have had a chequered history for safety and maybe the domestic market is different. But export EVs typically score 5 stars for safety in Euro NCAP tests and are as good as anything produced in the markets they compete in. China has also begun banning things which are proving dangerous to drivers, like electronic latches and popout handles in doors so in some ways they're setting the pace for vehicle safety.
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I've seen the low quality of Chinese motorcycles and ATVs. I'll pass on a Chinese car. There are plenty of good used cars if price is the issue.
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Apparently, the quality of Chinese EVs is quite o.k.. I've recently seen several Chinese EV converted into cabs, and those get high mileage and high usage. If the base car was crap, they won't last long.
Re:Marketing Hype (Score:4, Interesting)
I have spent some time recently in Latin America, including several countries where Chinese imports are absolutely dominating. The local Uber drivers like their Chinese vehicles. They are quick to point out that they don't measure up to Toyota, but that, for the money, they have been an excellent value. They invariably would buy the vehicle again. Every time I get into a Chinese vehicle I ask the driver what he thinks about it, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive.
I haven't driven any of these vehicles, but as a passenger the various Chinese vehicles look pretty well made. For the price I am definitely interested.
The reality is that the entire U.S. auto industry has been chasing the luxury, and large vehicle segment of the market, and I am not interested in those types of vehicles. I want a vehicle that replaces my current daily driver, a 1996 Honda Civic. I don't want someone else's clapped out SUV. I want an inexpensive basic small electric vehicle. The Nissan Leaf is closest to what I am looking for, but in countries where Chinese imports are allowed to flourish the Leaf isn't even a contender. It is simply outclassed by the Chinese offerings.
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"The reality is that the entire U.S. auto industry has been chasing the luxury, and large vehicle segment of the market...."
That isn't just the auto industry. It is true for most purchases in the USA dominated by buyers with loans. It is more pronounced the bigger the loan. Housing for example. As a percentage in the last few decades almost no single family homes under 1500 square feet have been built. Most apartments/condos not heavily subsidized with taxpayer dollars likewise chasing the higher end. If
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The housing market is definitely another place where things have become ridiculously expensive. Fixing that issue is more difficult. Everyone is in favor of low cost housing, until they are building it in their neighborhood.
On the bright side, there is a ready source of inexpensive vehicles already for sale. The only problem is that, in the U.S. at least, our politicians won't let us buy them.
In the case of both cars and houses the solution is to remove existing barriers to supply. Right now it is i
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The housing market is working just as the people that write our laws want it to work. A lot of countries don't just let anyone in the world with enough money buy up their residential real estate but here in the USA, if you got the cash, you don't even need to be a resident of the country to buy the property.
There should be a blanket ban on foreigners (individuals and companies) from buying residential homes unless they actually reside in the United States, say on a work visa. Otherwise, why does someone tha
Re: (Score:2)
> I've seen the low quality of Chinese motorcycles and ATVs. I'll pass on a Chinese car. There are plenty of good used cars if price is the issue.
I've seen he low quality of American cars, which is why I bought a Chinese EV. EVs built for the western market in China are anything but low quality, and able to punch their weight along with luxury European brands while the world collectively laughs at American rubbish.
Time to update your prejudices.
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> I've seen he low quality of American cars, which is why I bought a Chinese EV.
Many American cars are often "American" only in branding. My Bolt is technically a mostly Korean car, with a Chevy bowtie slapped on the front. The battery and most of the drivetrain are all from LG, and design of the vehicle itself was done by GM Korea.
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> I've seen the low quality of Chinese motorcycles and ATVs.
You know those dockless rental e-scooters that you see in every major city? Those are all Chinese-made. I'd say they hold up surprisingly well considering that people beat the crap out of them.
Re: (Score:2)
I have a Chinese EV and it drives great. Its 3 years old and I haven't had any trouble with it aside from a slightly crappy infotainment system.
People want something that doesn't suck... (Score:2)
A number of years ago, I would scoff at a Chinese EV, for a few reasons (all IMHO):
1: China watching where I am 24/7.
2: Parts/service? What's that?
3: Kill switches built in.
4: Oddball or worthless UI/UX.
Well, as time has gone on, IMHO, the companies have lowered stuff. Watching where people are going is now common across makes. Same with kill switches to disable vehicles. Parts? One specialized board is the difference between a working vehicle and scrap metal. UI/UX? A number of makes refuse to u
Re: Marketing Hype (Score:2)
> I've yet to meet one person who has even heard of, let alone wants a Chinese EV.
Hello there!
Now you have.
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> This is marketing hype. I've yet to meet one person who has even heard of, let alone wants a Chinese EV.
Right before gas prices went nuts, my younger brother bought a used Volvo SUV with a massive gas guzzling V8 because it was the only thing he could find within his budget. He'd actually mentioned to me that if there had been any cheap EVs available that weren't Nissan Leafs with shot batteries, he'd have preferred an EV instead. The best I could find at the time was a used Bolt for about $9.5k.
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> This is marketing hype. I've yet to meet one person who has even heard of, let alone wants a Chinese EV.
Quoted against the censor troll, though I don't know what the troll was trying to censor. Complaining about your Subject?
Anyway, I'm not in the states now and I've seen some BYDs on the road. Only know one local owner of such. I did visit the local BYD dealer a while back and was quite unimpressed, but maybe they've ramped up the operation since then.
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Many CN EVs here, in Europe.
Re: Marketing Hype (Score:2)
I agree. The last thing I want is a 0 rated death trap made with Chinese cells parked right next to a wooden structure.
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Hi sir, long time Slashdot user here. I have a Chinese EV (Geely Group, manufactured in Luqiao Super Factory in Zhejiang), I would buy a Chinese EV in a heartbeat. Great car, far better fit and finish than a crappy Tesla, Oooodle's of power and grunt, luxury interior, Google Built-in infotainment system which is far better than any other first party infotainment system I've used, buttons on the steering wheel unlike shitty touch sensors as used by VW, and the self driving system makes going to work a breeze
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I want one. Thank you for your attention on this matter.
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The CEO of Ford bought a Chinese EV (Xiaomi SU7) and after driving it for 6 months said he "never wants to give it up". Check out Marques Brownlee's review of it. Not cheap at $40K, but apparently equal in quality to US cars at $75-100K price.
Re: (Score:2)
The Leapmotor T03 in Italy.
With Italian government incentives, it can cost as little as €4,900.
To access this price, you need to scrap a Euro 5 vehicle and have an ISEE (household income indicator) below €30,000.
Even without those requirements, the price sits between €15,000 and €18,000.
Making it the best-selling electric car in Italy.
Among private buyers specifically, nearly 1 in 8 electric cars sold in Italy was a T03.
So the subsidised €4,900 price is clearly working - the growth