• ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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    5 months ago

    This opinion is ridiculous as “the big 3” doesn’t even exist anymore and hasn’t for over a decade. Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep is owned by a Scandanavian company.

    Also this isn’t written to protect the few remaining American companies, it’s to protect the entire auto industry in the US including Kia/Hyundai, VW, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, BMW, Subaru, etc.

    China selling vehicles with massive subsidies that allow them to undercut everyone else in the market isn’t good for anybody but China because as soon as they put their competitors out of business, they will jack the price of their cars up as high as they want.

    This is the same reason why when Walmart comes to a new town, all the similar local businesses shut down because it’s impossible to compete with their deep pockets, but now you’re advocating for it on a national scale which will potentially cost hundreds of thousands of domestic manufacturing jobs.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      isn’t good for anybody but China

      It’s good for all the Americans who want an EV but can’t afford any of the few models that are out there that you can legally purchase in the U.S.

      • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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        5 months ago

        There are dozens of models out there already and the used market is growing day by day. Why does everyone need a brand new car and how does building a brand new car for everyone while scrapping every existing car reduce emissions?

        At what point in history have brand new cars ever been obtainable for the masses?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          We’re talking about new Chinese EVs vs. new American EVs. So obviously we are talking about new cars here. As the article says, you can get a brand new Seagull in China for around $12,000 and around $21,000 in Latin America. I can’t think of a new American EV that comes even close to that price point.

          • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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            5 months ago

            You were talking about Americans who can’t afford to buy the new EVs currently on the market here in the US. Again, I’ll ask when were new cars ever obtainable for most people and why can’t a used car fill that need like it always has in the past? Seems preferable to decimating the entire industry and all those union jobs just so that China can dump a bunch of their inventory here at artificially low prices.

            A Leaf is $29k before the $7500 in federal credits, which puts it pretty close to that $21k price point you mentioned and the Bolt EV was going for $26k before the $7500 credit. Seems like there are options available in this range but the people buying these cars are going for more expensive options based on sales numbers.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Seems preferable to decimating the entire industry and all those union jobs

              Oh, look what I predicted when this thread was initially posted. I just didn’t know people would be doing it on their behalf in this very thread:

              On top of the other things people are saying, I guarantee that the U.S. automakers will do a “China will take your jobs” thing if this happens.

              https://lemmy.world/comment/10862165

              If you don’t want to lose jobs because of this, nationalize the auto industry. It sucks that workers could lose their jobs because of this, but your reasoning is some “too big to fail” nonsense, especially when it includes federal credits to buy a car. That’s not going to keep auto jobs in America. Getting with the modern era rather than trying to sell everyone giant, polluting cars and trucks they don’t need will do that. If you want this to remain a capitalist enterprise, it’s no one’s fault but their own if they get out-competed by China.

              • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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                5 months ago

                I really can’t comprehend why people think this is protectionism for US automakers as there are very few of them, GM, Ford, and Tesla. There are over a dozen more that aren’t US companies that still manufacture here that such a tariff would also protect, which is why people are talking about protecting the market not a couple of US companies.

                How does nationalizing the auto industry fix anything and what companies are you even talking about here?

                You talk about the modern era and what people want but this is in stark contrast to what these same people actually buy. You act like people are forced to buy the vehicles that sell the best when in reality it’s a voluntary decision and they sell the best because that’s what people want.

                What you’re arguing for here is exactly the same thing that companies like Walmart do to small towns when they move in. Suddenly every local competitor is out of business, their employees wind up working for Walmart and spending their Walmart pay on items from Walmart. The town suffers while the owners prosper. This is like the textbook definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face all so you can selfishly and ignorantly buy a new car at a discount price.

                This isn’t “out-competing the US market,” it’s the Chinese government decimating the US market and then controlling it. Your solution seems to be raising taxes or cutting services in order to funnel taxpayer money toward automotive companies. Sounds like something Trump would come up with. Why don’t you stop beating around the bush and just say you think we should bust up the unions and slash worker pay so that we can have cheaper cars and win this race to the bottom?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  If there are good American EVs which are just as affordable, how will the Chinese government decimate the U.S. market?

                  You want it both ways.

                  • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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                    5 months ago

                    Again, I don’t know why you’re so fixated on the few American companies on the market when this is about the entire industry in the US, of which American cars make up maybe 25%. This protects that 25% plus the other 75% of non-American companies.

                    You’ll have to point out where I made the argument that there are equivalent new American EVs selling for the same price as these highly subsidized Chinese EVs. I don’t recall ever saying that since this is the whole crux of the argument. If everyone were able to sell their cars as cheap as these highly subsidized vehicles, the US and EU wouldn’t even need to impose tariffs nor would China need to subsidize their offerings. This is a complete strawman.

                    If you care about the environment and want a cheap EV go buy a used Nissan Leaf for $7k. It has already been built and won’t generate new emissions in order for you to purchase it.

    • schizoidman@lemmy.mlOP
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      5 months ago

      At this point I believe its the international market that is subsidising Chinese EVs. Take a look at the byd dolphin mini / seagull. It is priced starting at $21,000 in mexico while the price in China is from $9700. You find many other examples of the same car models sold at much higher price overseas than locally in China.

      • Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip
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        5 months ago

        for some of the vehicles its due to car saftey regulations, so modifications are needed to legally be sold in some regions. the regulations on vehicles in china are less strict than some other countries.