"American companies are scared of the open market when it works against them, yet refuse to make better products"

"Americans Are Open To Cheap ~~Chinese~~ Cars"

The issue is that there aren't low cost cars anymore. Everything is over 25k and the used cars market is insane.

So yeah, no shit we want cheaper cars.

People will be Open to affordable cars from anyone if the traditional makers don't start offering affordable vehicles.

Shocker. People don’t want to pay $40k + to commute to work.

A lot of people want a reasonably priced car that can commute, have enough range for something fun on the weekend, and have a stereo that isn’t total shit.

Whose fault is it?

Chinese EV manufacturers, on the other hand, are already five to 10 years ahead of their American and European rivals, Kumar said. A lot of that is thanks to aggressive investments in the EV industry from the Chinese government.

I’ll pay extra for three things: efficiency/electrification, longevity/repairability, and a UAW sticker. What I won’t pay extra for is a giant car, executive bonuses, and car salespeople.

Apparently when everything's made in China, it gives China a bit of an advantage...

.... who'd have thought, except everyone who said so when the west started outsourcing all their manufacturing work there.

Is it possible that Americans just don't have any good domestic options for an adorable EV....

Make small trucks you stupid pieces of shit! Make them SMALL.

Fuck the chicken tax, I want my Toyota helix.

Capitalists hate competition.

the U.S industry has up to the time when BYD finishes its factory in Mexico to design more sub 20k vehicles.

If our domestic market won't give us the cheap EV we have been begging for, then I'll take a cheap Chinese car.

Sounds like Ford might be the answer here if they release a cheap car.

Tesla all but cancelled their cheap EV by firing the whole new car development teams yesterday.

We will eventually have a golden age for cheap EVs, it's just too bad the domestic market is going to be so far behind.

I'll buy a new electric car from anyone. It just needs:

• Over 175miles on a charge
• To cost less than $30K
• To not collect any data on me

My longest regular drive (few times a year) is around 75 miles each way. I just want to be able to do that without worrying about charging.
I could afford something that's $45K, but I don't want to, I don't need that much car.
And not data-mining everything I do to sell to my insurance company, is really a standard thing that should never happen.
Just about anything else I'm flexible with. And from what I've seen, it should be relatively easy to build that car.

Bonus point if I can get an actual color!
Something that's not black, white, or grey.

Most Americans are open to cheap anything without caring about quality, or slave labor, or giving their money to people who will use it against them. See also WalMart and Dollar General.

This reminds me a lot of how American car companies built giant land yachts until the Gas Crisis, and then had to compete with cheaper, more efficient, and more reliable Japanese car brands. Car companies know that we need to maintain a certain level of industrial output to stay competitive geopolitically, so they know they'll get bailed out if they fail. So they're gonna keep making these mistakes.

Is there a Chinese electric hot hatch or roadster that doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles?

They should do what meta did and lobby for a competition ban. Oh wait I am positive they are already.

Yes I want a cheap EV. I don't need all that infotainment garbage, I don't need to have a machine too big to park. I want a small fuel efficient car that just works and just works off electricity instead of gas. Not freaken hard

Cheap EV coupe.... gimme! Anyone? Bueller?

What ever happened to the whole competition thing, ya commies?

They should be scared. Its their policies that drive the shift. Stop giving outrageous monetary rewards to management and put that money into r&d and try to actually produce things people want

It’s my understanding that they’re approved for sale in Europe, who I assume are fairly competent in testing things like cars. If I could get a dirt cheap electric as a city only runabout (which is 95% of my driving) I’d probably jump on that.

To play devil's advocate, it's not the slightest bit hard to see why. I'd almost be curious to see it happen.

The concerns of data collection and privacy are 110% valid, but it's not like domestic cars are any better. It's a Facebook/TikTok situation, do you want American companies doing super shady shit with your data, or do you want Chinese companies doing super shady shit with your data?

Do you want GM doing shady shit with your data or do you want BYD doing shady shit with your data? Either way, one data leak is all it takes for everyone to have access to your data.

The difference between the two scenarios is that you don't need to use social media. Many Americans need a car due to our garbage public transport and non-walkable cities.

If actual competition is what it takes to make the American auto industry give a shit, then fuck it, let's see what happens. If they can't compete on price, then compete on privacy. Sell a dumb EV with physical dials and switches. I'd buy the more expensive car that doesn't track everything I do.

Is this an irresponsible take that ignores long term consequences? Probably, but that's the strategy for most companies nowadays and we need more EVs on the road ASAP (among a million other things to slow climate change).