Inside EVs: I Saw The Affordable Slate Truck In Person. Now I’m Worried

[moondawg]

Sounds like the same consumerism here in the USA, too.

It's similar, but not the same. It might be tempering now that there are more local Chinese brands to choose from that are of increasingly better quality. In China, "consumerism" is one of the only widespread freedoms available to the general populace... so being able to purchase "status" carries much more weight than it does here.

 

[KevinRS]

This takes some understanding of Chinese consumers. They are *exceedingly* brand-conscious: they fairly consistently buy sub-optimal products *if* they are perceived as a "good brand." And their perception is based on cultural factors that are somewhat inscrutable to western consumers. When I worked in Beijing in the mid '10s, my company car was a Buick minivan. It was essentially a Pontiac Montana re-badged as a Buick. My co-workers were extremely impressed. I told them Buick was a dying brand in the US and was basically for old men. The look on their faces was priceless. My boss drove a little Buick wagon about the size of a Jetta wagon. He drove it purely for the status.

So, it would be a mistake to jump from "Tesla does well in China" to "Chinese EVs ain't all that." BYD is probably going to eat western EV makers' lunches in any market they are allowed to compete. They make good vehicles and have been at it for a long time.

BYD has been making electric busses in California, not far from me.

 

[ScooterAsheville]

When it comes to Chinese BEVs in the USA, you don't even have to look at the China market. Just look at Europe. The Chinese are growing EU market share so rapidly that multiple countries are putting up barriers to protect local OEMS. Autoline Daily had a snippet about this just this morning.

Jim Farley was quoted just yesterday saying the Chinese are the 700 pound gorillas of the global auto market, and that they will decimate any unprotected market to which they gain access.

In fairness. I'm the first one to say the Chinese make world class product. But I need to qualify that as "the best Chinese OEMs make world class product". There are 700 Chinese auto makers. More than a few of them make a lower quality product. Anmd almost without exception, Chinese OEMs lose money - a LOT of money - on every vehicle they sell. There are exceptions that are making profit - but that is in a heavily subsidezed and supported ecosystem.

I have a Volvo XV40 sitting in my driveway. Volvo is owned by Chinese Geely. A gazillion Americans are right now driving Buicks built in China. They don't have a clue.