The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP ) premier automaker, BYD, is selling a$ 12, 000 Electric Vehicle ( EV ) that” could be a nightmare” for the United States auto industry without an all- out ban or steeper tariffs on such cars made by Chinese companies.
A report from the Detroit News, which interviewed many industry insiders, details the impact that BYD’s all- energy Seagull— which sells for merely$ 12, 000 in China and about$ 21, 000 in Latin America— may have on British auto workers without harsh trade protections.
The only reason BYD and other Chinese automakers have n’t flooded the U.S. market with cheap EVs to sell to American consumers is that former president Donald Trump’s 25 % tariffs on Chinese-made cars are currently the only reason they have n’t.
AutoForecast Solutions Vice President Sam Fiorani told the Detroit News that” BYD’s entry into the U. S. market is n’t an if, it’s a when”. The findings, the Detroit News information,” could be a problem for the U. S. car business”.
President Joe Biden announced more than 100 percent tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles ( EVs ), 50 percent tariffs on imported solar cells, 25 percent tariffs on some imported Chinese steel and aluminum, and 25 percent tariffs on imported lithium-ion batteries for EVs after receiving fierce opposition from Democrats and Republicans.
The taxes, though, does not affect Vehicles made in other countries by Chinese manufacturers. For instance, BYD plans to build a shop in Mexico to develop its affordable electric vehicles. Now, those cars may be sold in the U. S. marketplace facing barely any tariffs.
Trump, who has called for across- the- table tariffs on all imports, said Biden’s raising tariffs on China” may include ]been ] done … a long time ago” to protect American car employees from unfair trade practices.
” It should have been done three and a half years ago”, Trump said , Wednesday.
Trump vowed to stop any such plans in March, warning that Chinese automakers ‘ attempt to sell their vehicles in the U.S. market tariff-free would be” a bloodbath” for American auto workers.
Trump said:
If you’re listening to President Xi, who you and I are friends, but he understands how to deal with those large, monster car manufacturing plants you’re building right now in Mexico, you’re not going to hire Americans, you’re not going to sell the cars to us, no. ]Emphasis added]
Every car that crosses the line will be subject to a 100 percent tariff. And if I win the election, you wo n’t be able to sell those cars. Now if I do n’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole, that’s going to be the least of it, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the country, that’s going to be the least of it. ]Emphasis added]
Industry experts, auto executives, auto workers, Democrats, and Republicans agreed with Trump at the time. For instance, a study from the Alliance for American Manufacturing suggested that” the introduction of cheap Chinese automobiles could turn out to be an extinction-level event for the U.S. auto sector.”
One Chinese auto executive was open with his employees this year when he claimed that 2024 “marks the start of a fierce competition that may culminate in a “bloodbath” (or, as I prefer to call it, the brutal “knockout round” ) between Chinese automakers and the American auto industry.
While not yet in the U. S. market, BYD is already flourishing around the world. For instance, the Chinese automaker sold three million vehicles last year, and it has already identified Thailand and Brazil as its top markets this year.
Today, China has become the world ‘s , top , exporter , of cars — surpassing Japan— while BYD has become the world ‘s , biggest , seller , of EVs, beating U. S. based Tesla for the top honor.
For Breitbart News, John Binder is a reporter. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter , here.
