this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2024
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cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/40688586

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 54 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Because god forbid North America have affordable EVs.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 27 points 2 months ago (4 children)

The bigger issue is the bottom of the barrel prices making domestic competition impossible.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 25 points 2 months ago (5 children)

Sounds like a good reason to nationalize the car industry and not worry about making a profit.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 21 points 2 months ago

We Canadians are in a weird place - socialism isn't a dirty word up here (except as imported from American culture)... but we're still deep into neoliberalism with both the LPC and CPC being strongly neoliberal parties... the only national party arguably opposed to neoliberalism is the NDP.

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 6 points 2 months ago (11 children)

Nationalize who? The only domestic companies are GM, Ford, and Tesla. This isn't about protecting those three companies, it's about protecting all of them.

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[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 9 points 2 months ago

Domestic competitors aren't producing affordable vehicles. They are producing oversize, overweight, overcomplicated, overpriced crap.

They aren't competitive primarily because they are focused on a low-volume, high-margin luxury market, and avoiding the high-volume, low-margin utilitarian market. It is their abandonment of that market that provided China with the opportunity to corner it.

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 months ago

Lmao no. That is not the bigger issue compared to literally continuing to poison the planet with fossil fuels.

That's North American governments' stated reason for imposing the tariffs, but that could also be addressed by matching industry subsidies. But I think government understands that the North American auto-makers are intentionally sabotaging the EV market and subsidies likely wouldn't produce a vastly different result.

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 5 points 2 months ago

If the Chinese government wants to subsidize my next car, fucking let them.

[–] Blackout@fedia.io 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I would love it but I don't think the economy could handle the 100,000s of jobs that would be lost. The big 3 can't compete and China charges a similar tariff on our vehicle exports. Only theirs isn't a single fee. They charge a tariff, plus additional taxes and fees, the price can double by purchase depending on the vehicle. China can always start making them here and get around it.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If they nationalized the auto industry, why would jobs be lost?

[–] Blackout@fedia.io 14 points 2 months ago

They don't nationalize anything. Not healthcare, energy, higher education. Lots of things that would make sense to and would benefit us all. Taking over the auto industry feels impossible. Besides I'd rather the government go all out on rail which has more benefits for a greater number of people.

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 9 points 2 months ago (9 children)

We do have affordable EVs. Go look at the used market or a new Leaf. PHEVs are plentiful too. This is about preventing China from putting everyone out of business because the Chinese government has deeper pockets than any of the global auto manufacturers that would be affected by this.

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[–] nondescripthandle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 49 points 2 months ago (10 children)

The environment will always come second to the interests of organized capital I suppose.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 39 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Somehow I doubt the Chinese mining and manufacturing is environmentally friendly.

[–] WanderingVentra@lemm.ee 34 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Transitioning to EV's is still good for the environment in the long run. It's not like getting gas and coal is environmentally friendly. China didn't cause the Enron scandals, BP oil spill, the pipeline shenanigans, etc.

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 27 points 2 months ago

Nor is building cars in China and shipping them across an ocean and half a continent.

Show me a lithium mine that is. Less oil is consumed when a consumer switches to EVs

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[–] kaffiene@lemmy.world 35 points 2 months ago

I'm always impressed how capitalists love markets until other people get good at it

[–] yesman@lemmy.world 27 points 2 months ago (5 children)

China wants to subsidize the transition to EVs in N America. N. America would rather tax their own citizens and risk inflation to protect the profits of capitalists.

And don't fucking dare tell me this is about jobs. Because if we were on better terms with China, the capitalists would move the factory there.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 27 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (2 children)

China wants to subsidize the transition to EVs in N America.

No they don't, they want to dominate the next generation of the global automotive industry and their plan involves killing all of the competition in both North America and Europe. It is literally impossible for western auto manufacture to compete because of the pay, worker safety, and environmental regulations that they have to comply with.

If China gets its way every place in North America and Europe that used to have auto manufacturing will look like Detroit.

And don’t fucking dare tell me this is about jobs. Because if we were on better terms with China, the capitalists would move the factory there.

You are attempting to use an argument that is objectively incorrect based on empirical evidence. Auto manufacturers could have moved production decades ago when relations were friendly but they mostly didn't. The vehicles they built in China were for the Chinese market. The vehicles they built in Europe were for the European market, and the vehicles they built in North America were for the North American market.

[–] archomrade@midwest.social 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The US could subsidize their own ev production if they really cared about their automotive industry.

Consumers want EVs but us auto manufacturers (and us govt) aren't interested in making them cheaply

[–] MisterD@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Where is that money coming from? Oil subsidies? Exploration writes? Bail outs?

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[–] hark@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If China gets its way every place in North America and Europe that used to have auto manufacturing will look like Detroit.

How did Detroit end up looking like Detroit, was that China too? A big portion of auto manufacturing for American vehicles is already outsourced to places like Mexico anyway.

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[–] Tja@programming.dev 2 points 2 months ago

Well, China can move the manufacturing here. Ez.

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[–] febra@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

The free market in a nutshell.

[–] MajorSauce@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

5$ on the US meddling again with other countries' policies to protect their capitalist interests...

[–] hark@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The little dog following in the footsteps of the big dog. How cute.

[–] doodledup@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Big dog is apparently not the biggest dog if this is necessary.

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago

This does not seem like a good idea to be honest

[–] Camzing@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Even at 100 percent tarrif, I wonder if they will still be cheaper than ours.

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[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago

So helpful...

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