• Mrkawfee@lemmy.world
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    3 个月前

    So free markets are a terrible idea now and countries practicing import substitution weren’t impoverishing their people.

    US hypocrisy at it’s finest.

    • latenightnoir
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      3 个月前

      Our free market’s good, yours is the problem! Gotta read the fine print!

    • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      „Free market“? Speaking of hypocrisy. Chinese car brands are so heavily subsidized they probably cost the Chinese economy more than they make selling them at the moment. China is clearly trying to drown the global market with cheap cars so they can ramp up prices immensely once they have killed the competition and have become a monopoly. China hasn‘t been the extreme low income country to produce super cheaply for a long time and they couldn‘t produce cars this cheap in a free market situation.

      Many countries and the EU have measures against such practices because state run operations with the sole purpose to destroy an industry (which this is) undermine the very idea of the free market or even trade relationships.

      Alternatively we could start subsiding local car makers and play the same little game China is playing but more cars is honestly the last thing we need right now. Tariffs are a much smoother option to deal with this even when they have a bad rep.

      Ideally we use that generated money from tariffs to subsidize public transport so we don‘t get cheaper cars but cheaper alternatives but that‘s still just a dream I‘m afraid.

      Whatever the case, one should look at super cheap cars and what that means in the long run more critically.

      • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
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        3 个月前

        Alternatively we could start subsiding local car makers

        We have been. Bailout after bailout. For the longest fucking time, and have had insane trade rules and tarrigs in place for decades and decades. I’d argue this is what it looks like to have another country finally being able to play on a level playing field.

        • Optional@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          After the auto industry intentionally killed public transport.

          The fact that one of the most powerful monopolies in the world went bankrupt and was forced to be bailed out by taxpayers more than once should really be a disqualifier for any future endeavors.

          • witchybitchy@lemmy.world
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            3 个月前

            you accidentally forget to pay ur credit card minimum for one month and you’re docked so many credit score points that you’re ineligible for being given a loan.

            but we bail out these megacorps time and again and just keep letting them operate like nothing’s amiss

            shit’s borked (intentionally, to favor those with means)

        • BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
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          3 个月前

          GM received more than $7 billions of subsidies and around $50 billions of “Federal loans, loan guarantees and bailout assistance”.

          US auto manufacturers are getting their fair share of subsidies.

          • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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            3 个月前

            To be fair GM sold or closed a lot of its brands and foreign subsidiaries, and paid back the loan.

            I fucking hate what the US auto industry has historically and is currently doing (making constantly bigger and more expensive trucks in a time we need smaller lighter EVs), but it’s actually a bit different from the SpaceX or EV credit subsidies and more of a low interest loan.

            The US has far too many dispersed rural towns for public transit to cover. Yes we need more high speed rail and light rail, but we’re gonna need personal cars because of distances, weather and employment practices for a long time still. And there’s no reason they need to be 3 ton high speed blind spots.

        • 418_im_a_teapot@sh.itjust.works
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          3 个月前

          Is it a level playing field? In China workers rights are pretty non-existent and there’s no OSHA equivalent, at least not to the degree we have in the US. Then add in government subsidies, lower worker pay, reduced R&D costs because they pilfered the engineering from a US company, and you end up with a very lopsided market.

          To be clear, I am in no way defending the US auto industry. They have little customer loyalty for a reason – low quality, overpriced, subscription dependent vehicles with terrible warranties, expensive service requirements, and invasive telemetry. They need more competition to force them to make more consumer-friendly decisions, but China is hardly a fair competitor.

          • wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works
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            3 个月前

            In China workers rights are pretty non-existent and there’s no OSHA equivalent, at least not to the degree we have in the US

            How much maternity leave d’you get in the US? Cause in China it’s a minimum of 90 days up to 180. And an extra 15~30 days of pat leave. Mandatory paid holiday? US: 0 China: 11. Sick leave? US: 0 China: months (at reduced rate). Vacation? US: 0, China: 1 to 3 weeks.

            An employer that fails to allow an employee to take annual leave must pay that employee 300% of the employee’s daily wages for each unused vacation day

            The work sfatey certainly remains an issue, like any developing country, but things are rapidly improving.

            Efforts at work safety shall be oriented around people and reflect the principle of people first and life first, with top priority given to people’s life safety. The philosophy of safe development shall be adhered to and the principles of safety first, prevention as the main target as well as comprehensive administration shall be followed to forestall and resolve major safety risks at the source.

            http://en.npc.gov.cn.cdurl.cn/2021-06/10/c_786248.htm

            Things aren’t all roses in China, but y’all have to get off of your high horse when you know fuck all other than bland ass propaganda.

        • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          You can‘t compare a bailout with an aggressive offensive. Especially since western car makers and many other manufacturers outsourced to China in the process. There are few to no parallels to be drawn here. A more accurate, albeit tasteless comparison would be the China opium wars. Because that‘s essentially what they‘re aiming to do: Making us addicts to their product. They‘re selling us the stuff at a loss because they know we‘ll come back for more and before we know it we‘re completely hooked. It‘s the exact same thing they‘re doing with Temu and TikTok.

      • Tiger666@lemmy.ca
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        3 个月前

        We have subsidized the big three many times, and they return nothing back. At this point, they should be nationalized.

        You have a very simple way of looking at things and are part of the problem that is going on.

        Your ignorance is showing. Tuck it in.

      • BB84@mander.xyz
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        3 个月前

        If something is being so heavily subsidized, the correct market response is to buy as much as possible, and resell once the prices ramp up.

        Setting up tariffs and complaining about subsidies? 100% not the “free market” response. It’s cope.

        • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          True, even Milton Friedman (barf) said we should be thankful if someone wants to subsides our lives. Besides these market extremists say all government intervention is bound to fail, so they should have nothing to fear letting the BYDs in. The socialist subsidy of BYD will collapse and we don’t want the government distorting our market either.

          This isn’t really my personal take, but i like using their own logic to reach a conclusion they will hate.

        • CosmoNova@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          Are you trying to be funny or something? Used electric cars aren‘t exactly going up in price. What a bunch of nonsense. Talking about cope.

      • Boomer Humor Doomergod@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        They don’t compete here either.

        They’ve stopped producing passenger cars, and the Chicken Tax means they don’t have to compete on trucks.

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      Detroit is easy to hate but there’s more wrong here than how much can-do energy they wake up in the morning with. If they competed on features and quality they could never compete on price. Everything we do to keep the dollar strong makes it impossible to manufacture here.

    • NotBillMurray@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      Nah man, that’s not the purpose of unrestrained capitalism. The point is to get big enough that you can buy out all the competition, then make your product cheaper and cheaper once there’s no one to compete against. It’s a bit like an economical algae bloom.

  • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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    3 个月前

    Oh no! The type of capitalism where we have to compete!

    Make it go away, Daddy Trump!

        • cuteness@sh.itjust.works
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          3 个月前

          Sadly, ever since “too big to fail”, any large corporation is now nearly indistinguishable from the federal government. Just another example of socialism for the rich, capitalism for the rest of us.

      • BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        What do you think Walmart does when they enter a new market, the eat losses till the local competition folds and they are the only option left

        • Zink@programming.dev
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          3 个月前

          Well don’t forget that Walmart itself is literally government subsidized when the people employed there still need food stamps or other welfare programs.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          A lot of these subsidies (both in the US and China) are implicit. Chinese state rail networks operate at cost, allowing cheap transportation of materials and labor. American borrowing is heavily subsidized through the Fed Credit Window, which keeps rates in the low single digits while corporate bonds and consumer loans can be 2x-30x as high. Both countries cut corners on environmental enforcement and subsidize waste management. Both countries subsidize education and incentive R&D through their university systems.

          The real benefit BYD enjoys - even above its Chinese peers - is vertical integration. They own everything from mining interests to technology patents to dealerships. This is a deliberate consequence of Chinese trade policy, which requires foreign investors to partner with Chinese nationals in order to own and operate capital. Consequently, Berkshire Hathaway - a large early investor in BYD - cannot dictate Chinese vehicle manufacturing policy from a private office in Omaha. Chinese locals benefit from the innovation, the domestic capital, the experienced labor force (which can migrate to local competitors), and the increased economic activity it produces.

          China is insourcing it’s wealth aggregation, which has a cyclical compound benefit over time.

          • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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            3 个月前

            requires foreign investors to partner with Chinese nationals in order to own and operate capital

            this also means that chinese companies are notorious for stealing IP. it’s easy to be cheap when you don’t do the R&D - you just fast track to producing the product

            • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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              3 个月前

              chinese companies are notorious for stealing IP

              American companies sell the ip to China in exchange for access to capital and labor, then claim they’ve been robbed when the Chinese firms innovate and expand on the patents they’ve acquired.

              The end result is a car company that produces better vehicles than anything an American or Japanese or German company can manage.

              Curiously, these superior vehicles are “stolen” while the Teslas keep exploding under home grown technology.

      • theonetruedroid@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 个月前

        It’s state sponsored capitalism and China has pumped a ton of money into BYD to get them to where they are.

        I can see them giving larger tax breaks to companies in the US, but current administration is all in on tariffs as the way to increase our domestic production. It doesn’t make ours any better or cheaper, just everything else more expensive.

        • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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          3 个月前

          It doesn’t make ours any better or cheaper, just everything else more expensive.

          it also makes your domestic products more expensive because cars etc still have to source components and industrial machines from internationally so it’s tariffs all the way down

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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            3 个月前

            And if they didn’t source internationally, they’d have to pay local labor prices, so it’s more expensive regardless of the direction they choose to go. If you make imports expensive enough, local goods will become more attractive, sure, but not cheaper.

      • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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        3 个月前

        So do a lot of other governments, to be fair. It’s one of those industries that employs a lot of people, and it’s always bad press to close it when a bit of money could have kept it. Certainly cheaper than putting thousands of people on benefits.

        Plus there’s subsidies for domestic sales as well. The UK at least had a grant for plug in cars that they ended a few years ago, presumably just to get the infrastructure up and running.

        But then the new vehicle price is neither here nor there in the long term, since most people drive used vehicles anyway. What matters is how many vehicles trickle down to the masses, and whether wear on the battery is a concern. Some of the early smaller models didn’t have great batteries to start with, but as a daily driver to the shops and work it’d probably be fine. For some reason the conversation always drifts over to “but what about that one time you drove across the state” or “remember that time you transported a fridge”, as if that’s something people can’t work around for the once a year they do it.

    • Lukas Murch@thelemmy.club
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      3 个月前

      Sadly, I think it was Biden that put a 100% tariff on Chinese EVs. Fuck Trump, but come on, Biden, don’t do this shit for them. I really like that new Xiaomi YU7.

      • III@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        The issue is not so simple. Blocking BYD has a lot to do with protecting American manufacturing jobs. That’s not to say Biden’s tariff was the right answer. But it is a more complicated problem to solve than it appears from the perspective of a single car buyer.

        • Zetta@mander.xyz
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          3 个月前

          Sucks to suck, our car companies suck and they absolutely should loose and be forced to fire people if they can’t compete. Give me my cheap and decent Chinese cars please. I live in a capitalist country so lets act like it instead of being fucking pussys

          • network_switch@lemmy.ml
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            3 个月前

            It the country wasn’t so hostile, also pretty racist when talking about Chinese (99% of the time people say Chinese not CCP as an insult to anything about creativity, invention, culture, whatever), to Chinese consumer big ticket goods, I’d imagine BYD and other would build manufacturing plants in the US. If things weren’t so hostile, the Chinese battery companies like CATL may be willing to build batteries in the US without major concern of a hostile nation stealing their battery tech

            It isn’t even a truly political idealism conflict that causes the split. Americans were fine with South Korean and Taiwanese products when those countries were military dictatorships. Vietnam has the company VinFast selling cars in the US and it’s political structure is a lot closer to China than the US. Americans have never shown appetite for reigning in how American companies treat labor in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Really not even domestically like in makeshift housing that American farmers pack migrant workers into or meatpacking plants. So it’s really just rich/powerful people not liking to see non-European descendants take the leading role in global trade of high margin goods and services that are often cutting edge technology

            If China was still primarily a labor country, damn near no one would care about Chinese domestic issues like famines. In my mind the inevitability will be another wave of xenophobia that will eventually target India and the Indian diaspora as their military and domestic military and technology companies develop

      • buddascrayon@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        But the Chinese government could be spying on you if you bought a Chinese manufactured car!!

        P.S. for bonus points, does anyone know where most GM automobiles are currently being manufactured?

  • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works
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    3 个月前

    If you’re one of the largest and oldest car manufacturers in the world and the most “innovative” thing you’ve managed to do in the last 20 years is rebrand Buick into a young family brand, then you probably need some good competition.

  • gizmonicus@sh.itjust.works
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    3 个月前

    Good. Fuckem. They make shitty, oversized trucks that are a danger to pedestrians and people who drive reasonably sized cars anyway.

    • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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      3 个月前

      My boss in the UK got one. In bright red. It looks like he’s driving a fucking fire engine.

      • GingerGoodness@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        My old boss was a huge man who went around in a little yellow convertible. We called him Noddy.

        May I suggest calling him Fireman Sam?

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          3 个月前

          Yeah, our VP rides around in a 2-door coupe and he’s very tall, while my coworker (who is shorter) drives a big SUV because “he doesn’t fit in smaller cars.” I’m also tall and drive a Toyota Prius, which is small.

          At the end of the day, none of that’s legitimate, it’s just an excuse to buy the car you prefer.

          Larger cars should cost more because they take up more space, wear out the roads faster, and impact the environment more.

          • Oderus@lemmy.world
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            3 个月前

            At the end of the day, none of that’s legitimate, it’s just an excuse to buy the car you prefer.

            Since when is buying what we prefer considered negative? Calling it an excuse seems short-sighted.

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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              3 个月前

              Buying what you prefer itself isn’t an issue, but that should be the reason instead of “I need it because X, Y, Z.” Most truck/SUV owners don’t need a truck/SUV, they just want one.

              My issue with trucks and SUVs are that they make the road more dangerous, since there’s only so much a car manufacturer can do to protect against a vehicle more than twice as massive. That, and they’re artificially cheap here in the US because of stupid regulations intended for farmers that got applied to them to reduce emissions standards.

              • Oderus@lemmy.world
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                3 个月前

                Some people don’t need a car but will buy one anyway, not sure what point you’re making there. I see no problem in people buying what they want over what they need. Choice is good and if you want to spend more on a vehicle for any reason, that’s OK.

                Buses, dump trucks, ambulances, 18 wheelers, tow trucks etc. are all heavy and dangerous. The focus should be on better designed roads and better driver training, not limiting what people can drive.

                • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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                  3 个月前

                  I see no problem in people buying what they want over what they need.

                  Neither do I, I just don’t like it when people excuse their choices by using terms like “need.” People make a lot of silly choices because they claim to “need” something.

                  I just want people to be more honest with themselves and others about needs vs wants. If we classify things properly, I think people will naturally be more efficient with their resources and we’d have less consumer debt and whatnot.

        • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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          3 个月前

          His old one was very similar, but a darker colour so we called him The Fall Guy.

          Or rather the few of us in the office old enough to remember that show did.

  • markovs_gun@lemmy.world
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    3 个月前

    American cars have sucked compared to Asian cars since the 1970s. I don’t understand why people are acting all surprised that this is true in respect to BYD. Sure in the past products designed in China were stereotyped as poor quality knock offs of western designed goods, but in the past decade Chinese engineers have increasingly proven themselves as perfectly capable of making solid, innovative designs that improve upon those of their competitors. I think it’s kind of fucked up that everyone is so suddenly upset about China’s role in the world economy since everyone was completely fine using them for cheap labor over the past several decades and are just mad that Chinese companies are beating them at high skill labor and technology. Chinese companies do have an “unfair advantage” given how much they are backed by the Chinese government but American companies receive all sorts of money from the government for all sorts of things as well.

    • dirthawker0@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      Americans have come to think of Chinese products as bad quality because of the American companies who engage them for cheaper labor. Walmart was known to order products made to a certain spec one year, then the next year demand the company increase production, but for the same amount paid as the previous year. The Chinese company, not wanting to lose the contract, obliges, but corners have to be cut. It should be called Americanesium, not Chineseum.

      Derek Guy (Die, Workwear!) posted a thread a while back (I think about 6 months ago) about how the Chinese can and do make great quality products, pointing out high quality fabrics. Give them money to buy good raw materials, give them a decent wage, and they’ll put out a good product. Honestly, they probably have a more fair work ethic than some American companies that just feed their CEOs massive salaries or are owned by private equity.

      • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        Its largely american cope that they are not that good at manufacturing anymore. Chinese factories build things to spec, and the customer asks for cheap, so they get cheap.

        • Dave.@aussie.zone
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          3 个月前

          They also iterate very quickly.

          First car design - “functional” is being polite about it.

          Fifteen years later when they are on their tenth revision - pretty damn good.

          Meanwhile US car manufacturers can squeeze in a revision/refresh every 5 years if they’re lucky.

      • Duamerthrax@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        Honestly, there’s a wide range of quality of stuff produced in China, but the expensive stuff isn’t getting brought over. The better stuff is either being used domestically or exported to India/SEA. From my limited experience importing stuff, the biggest common factor is the lack of final quality control. I ordered some small diesel engines because no else makes those but Yanmar and Yanmar prices themselves way out of my range. Even Yanmar doesn’t sell a 5hp engine. The 196cc Chinese diesel was well designed, the parts well built, but final assembly lacks consistence on the bolt torque spec and there was metal shaving left in the crank case. The bigger, more expensive diesel made by a different company had much better quality control, although it’s still necessary to flush the crank case. No one over there seems to do that.

    • mostlikelyaperson@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      The “unfair advantage” bit has been incredibly funny to me ever since I sat in a call to prepare a joint research proposal and the representative of a certain large euro automotive supplier told us that their company would only participate in any project if they got at least a certain amount of government funding.

  • CameronDev@programming.dev
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    3 个月前

    I am pretty sure there is some financial fuckery going on with BYD. My parents own two, and they are very nice, but way under priced compared to every other EV manufacturer.

    Can’t prove anything of course, but there is something odd going on when everyone else is 20-30k more expensive.

    Hard to feel sorry for GM though, they suckled at our governments (Australia) teet for decades before giving up and leaving entirely. At least if BYD is being propped up we are at least getting good cheap cars from it.

    • Ulrich@feddit.org
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      3 个月前

      The financial fuckery is that they’re very heavily subsidized by the CCP. It’s not sustainable.

      • einkorn@feddit.org
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        3 个月前

        I’d argue it is.

        Just look how Amazon got where it is now: Sell way under market price, till local competition closed shop, then squeeze.

        • Frezik
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          3 个月前

          It’s unsustainable to keep prices lower than costs. The Amazon example didn’t have low prices forever.

          • einkorn@feddit.org
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            3 个月前

            Yes, I know. That’s why BYD is going to then squeeze the customers once they are locked in.

              • Taldan@lemmy.world
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                3 个月前

                It worked for Wal-Mart

                Which isn’t really a sustainable business model, but it’s quite successful

              • Tiger666@lemmy.ca
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                3 个月前

                What is sustainable in today’s economy?

                Really, what Western corporation actually base their policies on sustainable growth?

                Take your time. I’ll wait.

                • Ulrich@feddit.org
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                  3 个月前

                  All of them that I know of. Which corporations do you see running unsustainable business models until they fold completely? Take your time, I’ll wait.

                  The point is that they eventually change their tactics. In this case, they’ll have to eventually increase their prices.

        • CameronDev@programming.dev
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          3 个月前

          I think your muddying sustainable and successful. It definitely can be successful, but its not sustainable.

          Its also high risk, especially if you can’t crank up the prices enough later

            • CameronDev@programming.dev
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              3 个月前

              Sustainable implies that they can keep doing it forever without changing. Switching later means what they are doing is not sustainable. It might be successful, but its not sustainable.

              • Optional@lemmy.world
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                3 个月前

                There’s sustainable practices and sustainable businesses. The latter is what others are arguing. Undercutting competition to take over a market is a sustainable practice IF you can hold out long enough. I’d wager the country of China can hold out longer than General Motors.

                • CameronDev@programming.dev
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                  3 个月前

                  But the business model has to change in order to survive. The company cannot undercut forever, it actually needs to change in order to survive. The business model of today is not sustainable. They may have a large warchest, they may be able to crush GM, but once they do, or the warchest runs out, the business model must change.

                  If you want to make the argument that their overall plan with the later change is sustainable, thats fine, but this current phase is not sustainable.

        • jaxxed@lemmy.ml
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          3 个月前

          BYD is already facing scrutiny for running Evergrande like accounting, and a lot of political pressures from other Chinese manufacturers. The risk is that they collapse like Evergrande, and that they drag public debt into it. The CCP might prop them up, so it light be safe. A car is different from a book, because you need lifetime service for it. If they go under, you might lose access to parts.

      • Greyghoster@aussie.zone
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        3 个月前

        While they are subsidised, the Chinese are really good at low cost manufacturing. It’s not the cheap labour anymore but factory automation and robotics. They really outclass anyone else.

        • Ulrich@feddit.org
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          3 个月前

          the Chinese are really good at low cost manufacturing

          They’re not “good” at it, they just have no minimum wage and no semblance of annoying things like worker protections or unions to be concerned with.

      • CameronDev@programming.dev
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        3 个月前

        My only point of confusion is that a 20k loss on every car is insane. I’m guessing its a bit of BYD is subsidised somewhat, and everyone else is price gouging somewhat. No idea the ratio.

        Also odd that other Chinese brands (really only tried MG) dont seem to have the same high quality, high pricing that suggests the same level of crazy subsidies.

        Honestly, there is just so much fuckery going I just have no idea what is what.

            • antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              3 个月前

              Rivian’s financial statements provide insight into its per-unit losses, though calculating an exact figure requires analyzing multiple variables. The company’s cost of goods sold (COGS), which includes direct production expenses, regularly exceeds revenue, leading to negative gross margins. According to its latest SEC filings, Rivian reported a gross loss per vehicle of approximately $39,000 in 2023, though this figure fluctuates based on production volume and operational efficiencies.

              Not exactly a number they put in a press release, but as a publicly traded company it is published quarterly.

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      3 个月前

      China subsidises industries it wants to dominate in, allowing them to sell for less than cost. It’s why the EU also tariffs Chinese cars.

      Also for anything the big 3 make in the US, I believe they use union labor? Not sure if they did for Aussie market cars.

    • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      As an European living in Asia and can’t help but cringe at American cars. They’re so far behind. And it’s the car country. Japan has better cars and better rail. Embarassing.

      • fishy@lemmy.today
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        3 个月前

        Agreed. I’m American and think American manufacturers make the ugliest and worst cars. Outside of the Corvette, which remains the best spots car in it’s price range.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      Targeted tariffs and protectionism can help a situation like this, combined with subsidies like the ones Trump cancelled, to give legacy manufacturers a temporary respite to retool and innovate. However backtracking on your transition, reverting to the tried and true short term profits is just hiding your head in the sand. GM will find itself increasingly marginalized and more years behind. You can’t hide behind trumps skirt forever

  • Fair Fairy@thelemmy.club
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    3 个月前

    So here is the thing.
    U lost. The moment I need American people to bail you out, you need to treat American people way way the fuck better.

    Worker rights, mandatory vacations, work protections, pensions, guaranteed healthcare etc.

  • thann@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 个月前

    So they dont care about making cars for the world market, they just want regulations to allow them to milk the american market…

  • MrSilkworm@lemmy.ml
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    3 个月前

    Former GM Executive: BYD cars are better and cheaper than American. If we let BYD into the U.S. Market, we wouldn’t be able to be greedy and enshitify our products any more, which would end up destroying american car manufacturers. FTFY.

    P.S. Actually the average american would be benefited from that

    • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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      3 个月前

      Well, nearly half a million mostly union jobs would also be lost, causing a minor recession at the very least. Even if the jobs partially come back in the form of BYD plants, they probably wouldn’t be union jobs.

  • wosat@lemmy.world
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    3 个月前

    I don’t disagree with the criticisms of American cars – overpriced, uninspired, unreliable, over-engineered, etc. – but to everyone saying “we should just compete”, do you realize the realities that Chinese workers experience? Have you heard of 996? It’s shorthand for a common work schedule in China: 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week. Benefits that are common in the U.S., even in non-union shops, like retirement plans, PTO, worker’s comp, and overtime pay are rare. So, yeah, things can be made much cheaper if you are willing to feed your workforce into the grinder.

    • jarmitage@mander.xyz
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      3 个月前

      And that’s exactly what is coming to the US, since they think workers rights and unions are the problem.

        • Komodo Rodeo@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          Not an American, but it’s worth saying that despite their labour market’s galling shortfalls, they don’t have a culture of 12 hour days for 6 days per week. Many work much less, and those who do pull those kinds of hours are typically tradesmen/women who make pretty good bank. Those types of jobs are being systematically eliminated by corporations, but I digress.

          • Bloomcole@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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            3 个月前

            "12 hour days for 6 days per week. "
            So you believe this baseless garbage statement that Chinese generally have these work hours? Right.
            If you compare it to nonsense then the US is less bad, but those are not the facts.
            retirement age 63 years old for men, 58 years for women, US: 67/66
            paid holidays, not even a right, they maybe get 6, China:13
            US: no paid sick days, China: they get 100% to 60%
            The US is a joke.

    • Jhex@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      So we should then let American oligarchs drive American workers to the same but slower? because that is what has happened so far

    • Horsey@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      I will strongly disagree with “over engineered”. Why a car company with all their money and bailouts that they can’t compete with Apple/Android on touchscreen features and responsiveness is the whole reason why Chinese cars will kill American car companies. Chinese cars support Android auto even when Google play services isn’t even available in China (last I checked).

      • wosat@lemmy.world
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        3 个月前

        Okay, I’ll concede that point to you. U.S. carmakers suck at software. And, even on the hardware, they’re resistant to change and slow to innovate.

        • Horsey@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          Software is the answer to many of the mechanical issues too though. Granted, the physical engineering is definitely over engineered, but would they really need to have 6 different taillight frames when LEDs can be multicolor and just tuned with software for each market? I also see zero reason why manufacturers can’t start from a base and tweak for different market configurations. You also see car companies complain about complex regulation, but then in this day and age when east Asia can make you anything, that’s not an excuse I’m willing to be fed. I fucking hate Elmo like everyone else here, but why the hell is the Model Y the most popular car in the world. None of the other companies want to copy Tesla? They don’t want to compete? We’ve gotten to the point where it’s ludicrous that they’re not competing.

    • InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      but to everyone saying “we should just compete”, do you realize the realities that Chinese workers experience? Have you heard of 996?

      I get what you are saying, but sometimes I think we should in a way, or at least we should get republicans exposed to it, so they can live their hogwash ideas of free markets.

    • pup_atlas@pawb.social
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      3 个月前

      I’m not sure I see a connection between the working conditions, and the quality of the car. I don’t think anyone is advocating for adopting those bad conditions, but they also seem unrelated to the quality of design, and parts that go into it. That purely seems like a question of paying for good high-quality parts, and not skimping out on the design phase.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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      3 个月前

      Exactly, which is why I’m left scratching my head why the US wants to bring manufacturing back to the US. We’re much better of growing the well-paying jobs where our education systems can compete favorably vs bringing back jobs that compete with low-paying jobs…

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          3 个月前

          Sure, but the US has a lot of well-educated people (e.g. see the Education Index), as well as a lot of opportunities for well-educated people to get in-demand jobs that pay well.

          Literacy rates are interesting, but they don’t translate to well-paying jobs like education attainment rates.

          • Jhex@lemmy.world
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            3 个月前

            Sure, but the US has a lot of well-educated people (e.g. see the Education Index), as well as a lot of opportunities for well-educated people to get in-demand jobs that pay well.

            There are more Indian Engineers in the USA than American ones… and Trump is destroying all of it

            The way things are going for you, nobody with a half a choice would decide to migrate to the USA for work

            • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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              3 个月前

              Right, and that’s completely brain-dead. We should be wanting to attract more talent, because more people able to take high-end jobs usually ends up creating more high-end jobs. We want more immigrant engineers, doctors, etc, because that encourages greater investment since the labor pool is deeper.

              But no, we’ll instead block cheap imports and encourage more blue-collar work, and if we take that too far, we’ll end up in a similar situation as we did back in the Great Depression when demand just evaporates.

              We should let developing countries develop and focus on what developed countries are better at: innovation. Attract top talent and keep investment dollars flowing so the R&D jobs stay.

              • Jhex@lemmy.world
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                3 个月前

                and Trump is destroying all of it

                The way things are going for you, nobody with a half a choice would decide to migrate to the USA for work

                Adjust to your new reality pal

      • Bloomcole@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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        3 个月前

        LOL losers, your education is shit compared to Chinese.
        You’ve got nothing to offer to the world.

        • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
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          3 个月前

          Hold on, in advanced education here in my area of the states, almost half the population of students in classes I see are of Chinese or Indian backgrounds and most are here on foreign visas.

          If the education is so shit, why are there so many foreign students studying here and paying insane amounts of money to do so.

          • cyberwolfie@lemmy.ml
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            3 个月前

            I’d think enrollment rates would be a severe lagging indicator of education quality. Institutions could likely coast on reputation for quite some time after education quality tanks. Inertia is powerful, and some could even knowingly decide to go to poor educational institutions just for the status it still gives among peers and in their community.

            That said, I have no first hand experience with US higher education, and wouldn’t know what the quality really is, just saying that enrollment rates probably aren’t a great indicator of it.

            • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
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              3 个月前

              True, I would argue though that after a certain amount of time, nobody even cares about the quality, it’s the university name on the degree that is truly important.

              You can go anywhere on the planet even decades from now and say you’re from Harvard (take your pick) and you’ll be regarded as a knowledge god even if you were the last in the class to graduate.

              Educational quality isn’t everything for getting into a good career, it’s the reputation, and that is what schools in the US (and a few abroad) have in spades.

          • Bloomcole@lemmy.worldBanned from community
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            3 个月前

            ‘Chinese or Indian backgrounds’ so not Chinese.
            China leads in 95% of STEM and they’re only getting better and widening the gap.
            The US has a handful of good Ivy league institutions (invariably using foreign professors and braindrain), the general level is mediocre at best.

                • Hardeehar@lemmy.world
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                  3 个月前

                  Apologies if English isn’t your first language it’s called reading between the lines.

                  Ill draw it out for you: If people would pay that much (yes insane) money to go to “shit” and mediocre institutions here in the states, what does it say about the options they have locally?

    • da_cow (she/her)@feddit.org
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      3 个月前

      Well yes, but actually no. BYD has quite of an advantage (also because China subsidies it), but american (and also European) companies have no incentive to actually design good quality products if BYD gets left out. At the same time CEO will try (and currently do it) to force us into working more and more for less money with less benefits while swimming in billions of dollars.

    • TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com
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      3 个月前

      So then why do so many US companies have the CSRs in places overseas ? And manufacturing overseas ?

      Why did so many US companies decide to utilize those working conditions for labor for US companies ?

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      3 个月前

      Have you heard of 996? It’s shorthand for a common work schedule in China: 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week

      So a typical American teacher’s schedule?

  • zeca@lemmy.eco.br
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    3 个月前

    So when can we stop with this “free markets” nonsense in the third world aswell??