Isn’t the staying power of Toyota vehicles their build quality and longevity, not their cheapness? Wouldn’t this be a Kia killer?
Definitely. I would be surprised if this car maker can compete toe to toe with Toyota on quality but they can slay when it comes to price.
They took off because they were maintainable, reliable, and cheap. All three attributes were important for them to disrupt the space.
The Chinese automaker BYD reminds me of the famous phrase attributed to the sci-fi writer William Gibson - “The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.”
Future EV cars will be cheap to own and run. Self-driving tech will lower insurance costs. You can charge them with your home solar setup if you want. They’ll last far longer with lower maintenance costs thanks to simple electric engines with few moving parts. As their construction gets more roboticized it will lower their costs further. The batteries that make up a huge chunk of their current costs are falling in price too. CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, is set to cut costs in half by mid 2024.
Some people still think gasoline and ICE cars have a long life ahead of them, and don’t realize the industries behind both are dead men walking.
If future means public subsidies, I’m all for it.
Chinese EVs are cheaper because they are prepaid by Chinese tax payers. That also includes taxes levied from our internet purchases for products made in China.
The secret ingredient is
crimeslave labor.hired by the west in droves
No, the way this usually goes is that a Western firm will order parts from a company in China, which then subcontracts to a firm that uses slave labor. This obfuscation isn’t always easy to find out about, especially if you don’t have knowledgeable people on the ground.
if you are telling me they use slaves, then its pretty naive to think they don’t know.
could have been you know, not outsourcing their shit to bangladesh or other east asian places known for their sweatshops, thats always an option.
Sent from my iphone.
The whole industry lives off subsidies, regardless of the type or where they are manufactured.
Is there any evidence for this?
It’s very public knowledge. China doesn’t hide it.
https://www.npr.org/2024/02/18/1225653773/china-electric-vehicles-byd-nio-geely-vw-europe
ETA: you’re right to ask for a source
Right but if they’re made in Mexico? Maybe?
In a funny way this sounds like prescription drugs, cheaper for the world due to US tax payers.
…the sci-fi writer William Gibson…
For those who dont know:
If the quote sounds very cyberpunk (techno futuristic corporate dystopia) it is because William Gibson is the father of the cyberpunk genre.
And did it by boldly having no understanding of computers at the time which is why all the tech is so different from a lot of other scifi. I recently got through my decade long Asimov kick and am slowly working through Gibson now
I’m an ev fan but I don’t agree that they have more longevity than ICE cars. The current battery chemistries simply don’t allow for it.
Either battery chemistries with 20 years of guaranteed performance would have to be developed, or battery replacement and refurbishment costs will need to come down to say the cost of replacing a head gasket.
This will eventually happen, but current generation of EVs are essentially a recyclable consumable compared to their ICE counterparts.
Current cars are not scrap because of the moving parts. It is rust on the body that kills them.
Not everywhere. Where I’m from it’s definitely not because of rust that the cars die. But they last for longer maybe.
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“Today, most buyers want a good, solid reliable car that has some nice features and doesn’t cost too much,” he wrote.
Wow a car manufacturer that finally speaks some sense.
And that isn’t connected to the Internet please
…and no subscription fees.
If this makes it to American shores they will not be able to keep up with demand.
I do not think this will ever make it to the USA.
Thought i read somewhere that BYD or another manufacturer was looking to build manufacturing in Mexico to take advantage of the NAFTA agreement…. If that’s the case then it’s a question of them meeting US standards. I just remember the hilariously bad crash tests where that cars were the crumple zones.
I thought there were no standards for car manufacturing in the US (isn’t that the reason Muskrat is able to sell the trucks without crash-testinh them ?)
There are no standards for hitting pedestrians, who don’t exist in the u.s. There are plenty for car on car collisions cause that’s all that matters.
Thank you for clarifying :)
I want an electric Subaru Outback or Forester. Something that can be driven off road to a campground, pull a trailer if needed, and has enough range to get me from Ann Arbor to the upper peninsula with minimal charging. Seats and trunk that I can hose out after a muddy dog park excursion would be great too.
It’s going to be a little while before we get realistic options for outdoorsy uses of BEVs. If you want the range to get there AND get back (or even just to a charger) then they’re too dang heavy for offroad use. If you want to pull a camper, then the range absolutely tanks.
Airstream is trying to address this by making a $120,000 (lol) camper that has its own battery and traction motors to assist the pulling vehicle. I think its a pretty good idea but of course they’re going to lock it down in patents for 20 years and prevent anyone from offering something affordable.
Maybe we’ll get lucky an a revolutionary battery technology like those frequently talked about glass batteries will come out and just outperform the status quo by every metric.
Thank you for the informative comment, much appreciated!
Aren’t there already electric SUVs that would do all of that?
Not for the cost of a Subaru Outback, i think.
Cost didn’t seem to be mentioned as a factor.
Subaru is launching the hybrid Forester this year. Might be something to consider.
Do a search for “unexpected acceleration”, there are some serious surprises in the gas/hybrid vehicles in both drive and reverse.
Edit: This is not to imply all gas/hybrid cars are vulnerable, but it may be well-worth the time to check the vehicle brand/model/year of interest. A more specific search term is: brand model year “sudden unexpected acceleration”
If I can get easy replacement parts access and a Hayne’s manual for one of these, I’m all for it. I have both of those for my current car, along with a full toolbox for basic mechanic work.
Can you tell me please, does a Hayne’s manual exist for a 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero V60?
oh no, this only ships to US+AUS. I’m in Europe, so maybe I can find some mail-forwarding service…
Oh look, more cheap Chinese shit. Let’s stop manufacturing toilet paper and buy it from china anyway. Im sure it wont be carcinogen laced slave labour funded lowest quality crap,
Sent from my iPhone
iPhones are cheap?
Cheaper than a car.
Also cheaper than an American made version.
I’m curious how much a similar vehicle would be in North America. Could BYD import it directly?
It would be considerably more expensive. Safety standards are much higher in Western countries. Also, they still need to build up a sales and maintenance organisation there, that takes a lot of capital. It’ll be interesting to see where they land in their price points, though.
BYD sells their cars in Australia and we have high safety standards, I don’t think they’d need to change much for the US
But how are the prices compared to China?
I did some very quick searching, according to this https://carnewschina.com/2022/12/29/new-2023-byd-dolphin-launched-in-china-price-starts-at-16700-usd/ the Dolphin launched in China for ~AUD$25,400 and you can currently buy it in Australia from AUD$38,890.
So it’s obviously more but they have their government discounts. Depending on the state here you can get rebates too.
Given the rough relationship between the US and China and the potential national security risks, I highly doubt this will ever make its way into the US. May make its way to Europe though.
Already there. They also own the former UK manufacturer Morris Garages (MG) which have made some semi popular models recently, including EVs.
MG6
Aaaaand it’s on fire.
From the video “but Europeans would rather buy a BYD than an American car”
Really? I’ve never seen a BYD in Europe, but Teslas are around every corner
Tariffs on Chinese vehicles in the US are 25+%, but even with that, this would be a bargain. I’m sure there’d be even more costs added bringing it over, but if it can stay under $30k, I think it’d sell a lot, especially if it’s closer to $25k or less.
Just wait until you learn its cloud based
Airbags are on a subscription basis.
Brakes too
That’s about 261 miles
Capitalism at work.
If it ever gets sold here
