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Post-Brexit watchdog ‘ready’ to investigate flood of cheaper Chinese electric cars (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Oliver Griffiths, the chief executive of the UK’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), which advises the government on trade defence, said it was keeping lines of communication open with ministers and had been in close contact with the car industry. “We’ll be ready to go if anyone does come to us,” he told the Guardian in an interview.

The European Commission also launched an anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) late last year after warning that global markets were being “flooded” with cheap imports from the world’s second largest economy.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (5 children)

What is there to investigate?

They're cheap, they get the job done, and the Chinese will absolutely sell them at a huge loss until they dominate the market.

Why is this happening? Because the West hasn't made an actual cost effective electric vehicle, while the Chinese focused on that almost exclusively over the dumb nonsense of building massive SUVs or luxury sedans as a premium item.

So, investigate the Chinese or whatever, but why don't we try to build a consumer electric vehicle that's actually affordable instead of bitching that China did it first and are using their advantage to demolish the competition.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago

Spot on. China is completely outmanoeuvring the west on affordable EVs. Personally I'd rather have one made by a well known brand, but if I'm in the market for an EV none of them would be affordable, so I will get a Chinese one.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

I agree with this 1000%, can't let us poors have anything useful and nice it seems.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago

My fear is that unless they're made of all commodity parts, what is a good deal today may be a massive ballache to get spares for in 10 years.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You said it in your first line... They're selling them at a loss to try and dominate the market.

Even if the government only think it's only anti-competitive when foreign companies do it, the truth is it's anti-competitive as fuck regardless... I'd much rather have both local and international producers producing things at a reasonable price and fair profit level than losing a bunch of money to dominate the market then taking huge profits later on but you do you I guess.

If it were me I'd also be wanting to know how many slave labourers are getting poisoned by toxic fumes to produce them, as while China is great in some respects, the work environment and culture is undeniably Victorian workhouse level.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

There is no competition to be anti-competitive on the EV market. You can't tell me that a 40k+ EV from any manufacturer is remotely comparable to an 11k BYD. A 30k difference is not a competition it's a slaughter.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 7 months ago

Anticompetitive practices don't exclusively crush existing competition though? It's even more prevelant in high start up cost industries that the anticompetitive practices are just shutting out competition before they even enter the market.

If you could sell EVs and break even at maybe 15k and someone else is already selling at a loss for 11k, you'd be wasting your time and money even starting R&D on one...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

I think the problem is that the Chinese government subsidized the production. It makes the cars cheaper than they should be which can hurt local industry.

Relevant https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-launches-anti-subsidy-investigation-into-chinese-electric-vehicles-2023-09-13/

[–] [email protected] 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Yes, but the local industry already hurt itself by having not focused on the correct avenue for electrics.

There is no entry-level electric car as far as I'm aware. Everything is incredibly expensive because they are all priced as luxury items. China has made this no longer the case. It's kind of immaterial how they did this, if it's government subsidies or actually budget effective designs. The point is they did it, and nobody in the West did.

Somebody was trying to pitch me a 45k BMW as an "entry level" electric. Until last year, the Chevrolet Volt which is the closest thing I can find to entry level was also similarly priced around 42k until they dropped the price more than 10k for the 2023 models. From what I saw, all the Kia models are similarly priced around the 40k range.

We focused entirely on making premium luxury vehicles, as if cutting emissions is a luxury solution and not a necessity.