Quote:
Originally Posted by detamble13
I listen to Autoline after Hours and they were talking about a potential cap to the amount of Automotive brands people can stomach. As we've seen some EV manufacturers already come and go, do you think that BYD will gain a strong foothold in North America based entirely on affordability? I've read their build quality is decent as well.
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Poeple said the same thing about the Japanese in the '70s, and then the Koreans in the '90s. Now the same consideration is being given to the Chinese over the past decade. There are already a slew of Chinese suppliers serving the industry across manufacturers with facilities in the US in addition to the small handful of vehicles sold under non-Chines brands that are manufacturered in China and shipped here for sale. It's only a matter of time. I've seen comments on this very forum speaking the praises of the Kia Stinger. Who would've thought that people would be cross shopping MB, BMW and Genesis? We're going to sit here and deny that BYD and their ilk could be a game changer?
So yes, gm and Ford need to be prepared for what could be a wave of Chinese EVs entering the market. These will be cheap enough and optioned enough with sufficient quality to capture appreciable quantity of consumers. Once the footprint is established, it'll be difficult to regain those sales. They start out small and cheap, add more size and luxury over the years, just like the Koreans have. gm cannot continue to market vehicles that have small market penetration and nil profit margin. Camaro somewhat defines this statement
The only saving grace (if it can be considered as such) is that US/China relations continue to be somewhat sour, and the Chinese economy is volitile enough that manuhfactureres there may not be ready to make the investment right away. But if Cali continues to push, they will welcome and even court BYD as much as any other manufacturer domestic or otherwise.