The China-built BYD Seagull, a compact all-electric hatchback, starts at just 69,800 yuan (or less than $10,000).
  • Fake4000@lemmy.worldEnglish
    534·
    8 months ago

    I absolutely hate Chinese car manufacturers, but they made it clear that western car makers don’t want to create affordable EVs.

    • bilboswaggings@sopuli.xyz
      153·
      8 months ago

      Well R&D costs a ton of money

      The reason why Chinese ones are so cheap is that the government is subsidizing them

      • umbrella@lemmy.ml
        171·
        8 months ago

        thats the correct thing to do if you want to transition away from oil fast.

      • LumiliasEnglish
        13·
        8 months ago

        BYD also owns the entire supply chain, from lithium mines to battery manufacturing to car assembly to sales. Nobody else can do that right now.

        And China has the overwhelming advantage in lithium supply to the rest of the world.

        IIRC it’s not R&D that is the main cost of EVs these days, but the cost of the batteries themselves is still absurdly high. It’s down to $139/kWh as of Nov 2023, but keep that in perspective of an EV: a 72 kWh battery is $10k in raw material costs alone. I think I remember seeing a quote that affordable EVs (unsubsidized) can’t become a realistic goal until lithium prices break the $100 threshold.

      • YeetPics@mander.xyz
        1·
        8 months ago

        It’s almost like the US has spent billions developing electric cars that the Chinese manufacturers don’t have to spend on.

        🤔

        • 4am@lemm.ee
          185·
          8 months ago

          Literally almost everything you own or purchase was manufactured in China, and has been for 30+ years. They’ve risen most of their population out of poverty and have been stringently educating their youth as well. “Ghost cities” are becoming populated urban centers, as they planned.

          They have the manpower, infrastructure, and smarts to absolutely beat us at our own game, and our rich, Republican billionaire elites fucking sold it to them for the chance to lower labor costs and keep more of the profit themselves.

          And you’re still like “hurrr durr Chinese shit cheap” like dude you’re typing on a device made in china, even the most top of the line shit. You’re already IN China, my man.

        • C126@sh.itjust.works
          62·
          8 months ago

          Based on what though? Any hard facts or is it just like racism or xenophobia or something?

        • Grass@sh.itjust.works
          3·
          8 months ago

          Dunno about cars but generally this is outdated. So many times I have bought all sorts of things from china that end up being the exact same as the local stuff minus the brand name for like 2% of the cost. A lot of things end up being at best “assembled in the USA” with china parts and sub assemblies too.

        • polygon6121@lemmy.world
          53·
          8 months ago

          China have become very good at manufacturing, thanks to all the western companies outsourcing over the years. Nowadays Made in china means reasonable quality at a good price, they are amazing at hiting certain privepoints with as high of a quality you could expect. Give them a high quality pricepoint and they outdo any western company. I think that is what is happening here

    • adude007@lemmy.ml
      31·
      8 months ago

      The sales price for the thing is supposedly going to be around USD 20,000 in Mexico. If the car doesn’t meet standards for crash in the US I would expect the price to go up a bit from there.

        • adude007@lemmy.ml
          2·
          8 months ago

          Seagull isn’t rated on NCAP and I don’t think it’s certified for sale in EU either. Not saying it doesn’t meet but it’s not rated either.

  • Killer57@lemmy.ca
    5·
    8 months ago

    If these are allowed by the Canadian government, I will sell my BMW and buy a Seagull.