A group representing American automakers sent a letter (PDF) Thursday to congressional leaders asking for a "permanent ban" on Chinese-made cars in the U.S. John Bozzella, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's CEO and president, described in the letter China's manufacturing industry as "rooted in a well-documented pattern of unfair trade, subsidies, intellectual property theft and surveillance." Bozzella addressed his request to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) -- urging them to back a "permanent ban on the sale, import and manufacture of Chinese connected vehicles," before the 119th Congress concludes in January.

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[–] 19 points 2 months ago

The freeer the market, the freeeeeeeer the people 🤣

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  • [–] 16 points 2 months ago

    rooted in a well-documented pattern of unfair trade, subsidies, intellectual property theft and surveillance.

    Why are they describing the US auto industry?

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  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago

    Congress needs to make a law/bill instead to require stringent checks that verify zero remote telemetry, crash testing/safety scores and equipment, fuel efficiency requirements, lighting/functionality requirements, etc.

    Then if the Chinese ones pass, cool. If they don't then the "ban" is in place like they wanted.

    My guess is they won't because the "big three domestic" manufacturers won't pass either.

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  • 37 comments in c/technology@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 47 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    Maybe if the US auto industry spent the last 10-15 years innovating and reinvesting instead of paying dividends and stock buybacks, it'd not be dying on its arse right now.

    Made their own bed, and expecting the US consumer to keep buying overpriced swill.

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  • [–] 22 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    What are you talking about? The American auto industry has done plenty of innovations over the past decades. They've innovatively made trucks that are 6' tall at the hood, and also have turned every brand of car into a SUV.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    un-friendshape-maxxing

    I do not know where all the friendly bubble-shaped cars went. I don't want an angry cube shaped like a battering ram, I want 4 armchairs with the most smooth, slick shape for low drag and impact softness wrapped around it.

    If I could just buy a chinese EV I'd buy the Li Mega but its simply not allowed.

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  • [–] 40 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    So car manufacturers want to block their competition?

    I am shocked I tell you, shocked!

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  • [–] 74 points 2 months ago* (8 children)

    Or you know, the government could just match Chinese industry subsidies so they're competing on level playing fields.

    China's government is using government power to invest in critical and necessary industries that benefits everyone, like renewables and EVs, driving down their costs.

    The US instead spends it's money investing in fossil fuel companies, and letting billionaires hoard it, and then complains when Chinese EVs are cheaper. You're the richest fucking country in the world. Stop fucking whining and start using your wealth to produce competitive EVs. It's not that fucking complicated.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    They would have to go back in time and apply those subsidies 15 years ago. Chinese are so far ahead at this point, US stands little chance of catching up. Couldn't hurt though.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (1 child)

    So far ahead in what way? We're talking about powering electric motors not building pico-scale computer processors. The difficult advancements in EVs is with the battery technology and battery technology is not specific to EVs themselves. We've been building cars for over a hundred years at this point so the rest of the car building process is already well established here.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    Just like every other manufacturing industry where China has come to dominate, a big part of their strength is also developing the supply chain, suppliers and to foster competition. There’s an entire web of industry to support car building and scaling demand to make it work.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    Or you know, the government could just match Chinese industry subsidies

    The problem is we did. The last 2-3 decades had billions in subsidies toward battery technology and battery electric vehicles. Then they got canceled. Then reinstated. Then canceled. At this point Chinas biggest advantage is being able to stay the course

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  • [–] 43 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    Such a commitment to the Free Market.

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  • [+] -24 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    You think that nationally subsidised and otherwise loss-making companies is the free market?

    I appreciate capitalism isnt popular on lemmy but let's at least base the discourse in reality over propaganda.

    The free market is about having little to no government control. Therefore any market that includes the Chinese market can not be described as a free market.

    I would argue that banning Chinese companies would demonstrate more, not less, commitment to a free market.

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  • [–] 23 points 2 months ago

    Pretty much most if not all major US corps are being nationally subsidised.

    From "bail outs" to tax breaks to grants where the company doesn't do what they are supposed to for said grant, but also don't have to pay it back.

    It's just like how lobbying is just "legal" bribery.

    It's all just bullshit.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 months ago

    ... Are you stupid? A free market allows for ANY competitors regardless of how the company is run or its location. By banning an entire countries products you are making the market less free for the buyer by lowering the competition for American cars.

    And let's be honest US cars suck dick. I'm driving a fucking Dodge Laramie and its a piece of shit, the tech is all over the place with no normalized menus and and annoying as fuck central IPad for a dash.

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  • [–] 20 points 2 months ago*

    Screw these guys. US automakers have basically abandoned any attempt to build an affordable, small, electric car leaving a giant gap for the Chinese to fill, and we would all be better off if they did.

    I've owned a Chevy bolt for 4 years and love it, but Chevy/GM keeps trying to kill it (2nd cancellation in mid 2027) and move everybody to an electric Equinox. If they don't want to build small affordable (hopefully electric) cars, screw them, no sympathy. They clearly know people would buy these Chinese electrics.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 months ago

    Capitalists when there's capitalism

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  • [–] 11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    The beatings won't stop until you buy an American car.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

    Goat calls for more cabbage. And to not let other goats in the garden.

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  • [–] 19 points 2 months ago

    rooted in a well-documented pattern of unfair trade, subsidies, intellectual property theft and surveillance

    I have faith in America, there's no way we're losing to china in patterns of unfair trade, subsidies, IP theft and surveillance.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 months ago

    The CEO of Ford publicly keeping his Chinese car tells you everything you need to know. They’re afraid of the competition

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  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago

    People call for reasonable Healthcare and an end to fascism. Guess which of these calls is more likely to get answered.

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  • [–] 6 points 2 months ago

    Yeah I bet they did LOL

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Skim read that as 'cheese made cars'. That was a confusing couple of seconds.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago*

    Probably just as long lasting as your typical American car with innovative ideas like a wet belt system (known bad design seen as planned obsolescence by any mechanic with more than 0 days of experience).

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago

    People rinsing you for cash call for expulsion of fair trade

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    “How long until you’ll be able to compete?”

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    Let them have Jeeps

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  • 10 comments in c/technology@midwest.social view that post
    [–] 11 points 2 months ago (8 children)

    lol how about y'all actually make competitive cars people want to buy first?

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  • [–] 8 points 2 months ago (7 children)

    it's easier to bribe governments then it is to actually make something that isn't pure trash

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (6 children)

    But but but non-chinese automakers aren't evil like China is and surely they won't shove their vehicles full of spyware crap!

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (5 children)

    They are still evil but some are still better. Subaru has one of the better privacy policies, though still sucks. At least they don't sell your usage to insurance companies so far.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    At least they don’t sell your usage to insurance companies so far.

    What a grim sentence

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago (3 children)

    That's the state of our privacy laws or the lack of them. The talks of telemetry in cars are starting to be discussed in politics though I have low expectations on any positive outcome lol

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago* (2 children)

    I mean look of course I don't trust China blindly to sell me an electric car that doesn't have some kind of privacy invading aspect to it.. that is why you have good cybersecurity regulations with agencies focused on maintaining a high level of standards in domestic markets... but I ALSO sure as hell don't trust US or "western" automakers to not do equally evil shit with privacy invading crap and unlike China.... there is much more of an economic incentive to invade my privacy by domestic interests.

    I also for the record don't trust the US government or other "western" governments to properly penalize automakers for invading my privacy, to the point that even if it is "illegal" international corporations surely just see it as a minor cost of doing business.

    so shrugs my opinion is do better "western" car companies

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  • [–] 3 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Yeah IMO if I had choice of US made car that sucks and has a ton of telemetry versus a Chinese car that is better but has telemetry and cheaper well why not get it and disable the telemetry lol.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago*

    Also there is a frustrating lack of nuance here, if you are a US senator or maybe like an Admiral in the US navy maybe you shouldn't drive a modern foreign car... whatever that means (which itself is a question that needs to be reflected on critically, does it matter where the car is made vs. what open and inspectable standards it is built to?) but if you are an average person a foreign government gains virtually nothing by obessively surveilling you, whereas corporations and entities within the domestic sphere of influence of your country ABSOLUTELY do gain from it.... they are gaining from it this very moment by surveilling all of us.

    All this panic about Chinese electric cars is completely centered around the perspective of the first category of people... which isn't to say that this isn't bullshit anyways the computers that run internal combustion engine cars are MASSIVELY complicated with an absolutely UNFATHOMABLE amount of code, this idea that eletric cars are some "new" threat vector is insulting to the intelligence of human beings.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago

    "Chinese-made". We had this exact conversation over 40 years ago. The result was Honda opening their factory in Marysville, OH. Under the laws at the time, cars manufactured at this factory were American-made, and not covered by any trade restrictions.

    Now you might be thinking they'll use a different definition, like company ownership. Except Chinese companies already own minority stakes in several western brands. And since companies can own other companies, or stakes in other companies, it's trivial to setup a chain of shell companies. Chinese brands can own a company in Sweden that owns a stake in (e.g) GM.

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