[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Iron Lung Jimmy

Instinctively, everyone knows it is governments and governmental agencies. But there is enough plausible deniability to allow arguments such as you make.

Or maybe, just maybe I’m actually right about this. Remember, US government has no say on the transition of auto markets in China or Europe. And yet, both of those regions are headed in the same direction, but even faster. So maybe the same responsible players are operating in each region? Who are the common players? The automakers.

Originally Posted by Iron Lung Jimmy

So lets just say that it is the automakers. Maybe they all looked at Tesla and said "WTF! Here is a company making a relatively few shitty (at the time they were) electric cars and they are already valued higher than us". So they all decided to mortgage their futures in pursuit of that market.

Or maybe not, who knows.

Regardless, even if, for the sake of argument, it is the automakers, forcing is forcing and lots of people don't like it.

Every time an automaker makes a portfolio decision they are “forcing” something. US automakers turned everything front wheel drive for a while. They did away with station wagons. They did away with most minivans. They’ve done away with coupes (except Mustang). Every portfolio decision forces some buyer somewhere to do something different. This is the same thing on a much larger scale.

You’re on to something with the Tesla line of thinking. When I was at GM, this was the progression of thinking on Tesla:

• Pffft! What a joke. They’ll never make it.
• Wait until they realize how hard it is to actually assemble a car.
• How is it that they get away with things we would never be allowed to do? (No dealer network, direct sales, various shenanigans with the display screen)
• Ok, but it’s only fast in a straight line.
• We need to tear some of those down and see what the deal is.
• We need to develop a car that out Teslas Tesla
• How do we shift our business model to compete with Tesla?
• Maybe we need to take Tesla head on.

I’m sure similar conversations were had in Dearborn, Auburn Hills, Munich, and Stuttgart. And they all arrived at the same answer. Imagine that. Meanwhile, and I’ll say it again for those who haven’t heard me say this in this and other threads…

Best selling passenger vehicle in THE WORLD in 2023? Tesla Model Y.