cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/15089465

Americans Are Open To Cheap Chinese Cars. That’s 'Scary' For The Rest Of The Auto Industry

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[–] 121 points 2 years ago* (5 children)

Everyone is broke as fuck we are open to cheap everything. People are living in literal sheds

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    [–] 97 points 2 years ago* (11 children)

    Yes I think that's the part where you have to, you know, compete or whatever.

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  • [–] 38 points 2 years ago

    They’ll just ban them from being imported. Far cheaper to pay off some politicians than it is to compete or whatever. Kinda like the tariffs on the solar panels ‘flooding the market’ they just announced.

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    [–] 78 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Don't cram touchscreens and smart features into every fucking aspect of your car. Keep your costs low, keep prices low, and believe it or not, you'll tap into the "bottom" 60% of the market that has been forced to buy used for the last 10 years. I don't want a base trim 10 year old Honda Accord with 150k miles, but it's all I can find for under $20k.

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  • [–] 19 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    I keep getting shit on for wanting an EV with manual roll-up windows where you have to use your hands, a super basic FM stereo kit, and a dash clock being the most advanced shit inside. I don't need rear-view cameras and sensors and other shit that complicates and increases repair and insurance costs. I don't get it. Give me dead simple, please and thank you.

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  • [–] 43 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (9 children)

    Back up cameras are mandatory in the US, and apparently Automatic Emergency Braking will be mandatory starting in 2029, so you'll be stuck with some sensors whether you like it or not.

    But otherwise I agree that buttons and dials are better for controlling AC and radio than a touchscreen ever will be.

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    [–] 76 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    Maybe make affordable cars here then?? Dumbasses

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    [–] 64 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    The industry should meet the needs of the consumer, not the shareholder.

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    [–] 59 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    I mean fuck, if only we could get shit like kei trucks.

    Some of us have been open to foreign vehicles you can't really get in the US for a long time. Oh well.

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  • [–] 52 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    The massive size of vehicles in the U.S. is ridiculous. I think a lot of people would buy smaller, cheaper cars if they were on the market.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago

    The EPA makes really tight emissions targets for vehicles under a certain size or the auto makers have to pay a fee iirc. Pretty sure they the medium sized stuff out of existance, an unfortunately I'm guessing the same fees would apply to imports too.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago

    I think folks bought into SUVs since they were bigger & selfishly less likely to take more damage in a crash. As such, with SUV tanks everywhere, being a pedestrian or in a small car on the road on in an SUV’s trajectory can often lead to lethal injury.

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    [–] 48 points 2 years ago

    Auto industry looking at their overly inflated prices, "well well well, if it isn't the consequences of my actions."

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  • [–] 48 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Well too fucking bad for the auto industry? Just because it’s an American industry doesn’t mean we should give a fuck about it. If they want our loyalty, make fucking better cars.

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    [–] 42 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    80s: You wouldn't buy a Japanese car!
    90s: you wouldn't buy a Korean car!
    00s: you wouldn't buy a small Italian car!
    ....

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    [–] 41 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    There's all kinds of wacky taxes, regulations, and barriers to prevent the US industry from having to compete with the world. One such example is the Chicken Tax:

    https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/chicken-tax.asp

    That one keeps the Toyota Hilux out of the US.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Toyota Hilux: the middle-east terrorist's truck of choice.

    But seriously, those things are everywhere in the Middle East and Africa.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I guess you need a cheap, reliable, relatively high performance truck with good off-road capabilities with a large bed to mount weaponry on.

    What else would they use?

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (1 child)
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    [–] 27 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    Yeah, I'm a weirdo with a cargo e-bike. Love it, except when it rains or snows.

    I'd love a sub-$20k street legal EV that skips the entertainment system and most other features. Just give me a weatherproof cabin with comfortable seats and a modest cargo capacity for groceries and small appliances. I'm only ever going to drive it for at most an hour around town and back. Maybe listen to a podcast from my phone. Stick solar panels on the roof and it'll probably always be topped off for how infrequently I drive. I'll rent something if I take a longer trip.

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    [–] 26 points 2 years ago

    Not scary for the auto workers who want to work on them, build them, supply parts for them, etc or the families who want affordable EVs. More scary for the wealth class who didn't reinvest enough into updating their facilities and processes to stay competitive businesses. The government already gave them extra time with the embargo but that isn't going to last forever.

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    If it pass safety standards without all those smart and data collection bs and being reliable for 7+ years with easy part sourcing I might give it a try.

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    [–] 11 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    What's their e-bike situation like? Are there good ones or will they blow my nuts off?

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    [–] 11 points 2 years ago*

    Even Xiaomi has released the SU7, a real Tesla killer and also way cheaper. But not for the US market, but for the EU.

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