this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
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The Chinese car thing is 'funny' in a glib way to me.
Neolibs can't admit that unionized auto-manufacturing is one of the few well-paying factory jobs that still exist and need some sort of protectionism to still exist, because protectionism is bad.
Chinese phone companies collaborating with car companies to make a product that has a UI people like is actually because the Chinese are nefarious.
If there was a Chinese company 1/5th as evil as Nestle we'd never hear the end of it. American car companies have been purposely evil in the past in not fixing stuff to be recalled because the loss of life was less expensive than fixing stuff.
I'm not really hyped on these Chinese cars because of the union jobs that would be lost, and I'm automatically distrustful of cars that are more iPad than car (I don't think I'd like Tesla's even if they didn't kill people because repairability is important).
Even taking the union jobs factor into account, (were I medically able to drive) I'd still go for the most reliable model on the market that isn't going to cost a foreclosure on my house; and ain't no Amerikan or allied import manufacturer currently filling that gap. If my (hypothetical, mind) ability to navigate my city, drive cross-country when necessary, or even so much as have a whip to get to the nearest grocery came down to an Amerikan manufacturer that still had union jobs, or a Chinese manufacturer that all I know is a reputation for quality and affordability, I'm taking the latter every time.
These union boys need to be striking again to drag the price of any vehicles currently roadworthy back into affordability before that metric changes.