Yes, I fear those SUVs but not because that one is cheap, for an SUV but because oversized SUVs kill people (at a much higher rate than regular cars, even those with comparable loading volume).
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In my experience Chinese cars have loads of cool features that sometimes even work.
They’ll be banned faster than you can memorize the spelling of Xiaomi. At least in the US, where we make sure the old inefficient companies stay afloat despite their incompetence.
So you think the entire world's auto manufacturers outside of China are incompetent and inefficient? People always act like the only vehicles sold in the US are domestic brands when they don't even make up a majority here.
Corrupted by the oil industry and colluding together would be a better term. Someone please stop China, they are destroying the "EVs are luxury vehicles only" gimmick.
Well, in Germany VW (the second largest automobile manufacturer in the world) now is laying off a significant portion of their employees, closing factories and even selling them off to US/Israeli weapons manufacturers. Their head also already signaled VW is being open to switch to weapons manufacturing. Pretty sure other German brands are in similar peril.
Traditional manufacturers are dead.
You mean Volks "we don't even make an effort for our cars to obbey emission rules and instead we cheated" wagen is having trouble staying afloat?!
I wonder how such a high quality company which was not at all doing funny business and using political connections is having trouble competing with those who just offer better products at lower prices ...
Volkswagen has made a ton of dumb mistakes, but among the worst are paying union wages and not getting super cheap lithium batteries from being located in a country that has a well integrated supply chain.
We don't want to mine or refine lithium as much in the EU because "boohoo muh environment" but really, if we want to compete with China we can't let the environment be a deciding factor. Mine and refine all the resources we need instead of buying them from China and letting them dictate the prices. China doesn't give a fuck about small issues standing in its way and neither should we.
"We can't let the environment be a deciding factor" is a preposterous take. There's practically nothing more important that preserving the environment. Even the Chinese are looking beyond their borders for raw materials these days. If it costs more to extract raw materials in a way that doesn't fuck up the environment, then subsidize it and pay for it. We can fund the subsidies with a carbon tax.
It's not a preposterous take for China. They do whatever it takes to win and it shows. Lower wages, less considerations for the environment, etc.
Everything we care about has a cost. If we want the cheapest possible EVs, which most people here seem to want, then we need to ignore everything else. So you decide. Do you want super cheap EVs, or do you want good working conditions and limited pollution? And if it's the latter, tariffs on Chinese EVs make sense because they do not adhere by the same rules.
I want the latter, and tariffs are not the only way go about protectionism. There is also subsidization, which is how the US has maintained its defense and agriculture industries. If we want stuff made domestically, we're going to have to pay for it. Subsidies are generally preferable to tariffs because they can be paid through progressive taxation instead of regressive taxes on consumers.
They chose to actively ignore EV technology. Despite 80-100 years of manufacturing , they got overtaken by China in just 15 years.
Well I wouldn’t say they’re all incompetent but look at how glacial all the “traditional” car companies have become. These guys are innovating at a speed never seen before while your traditional car manufacturers are stumbling over themselves trying to keep up.
On the german side, just take a look at BMW and how long it took for them to come up with a competent electric platform. They just got their first car on a good platform (the new X3). Mercedes still doesn’t have a good EV, and neither does Audi. Their etron is outdated.
Moving to the Japanese brands. I know Toyota isn’t focused on EVs at all and their hybrid is top notch so they’re one of the better ones out there. But no one else is even close. Not in terms of value for money. Not in terms of tech.
The only ones that get close are Tesla because, like the Chinese, they’re running their car companies like tech companies and not car companies.
What innovations are lacking specifically? I dont know of any features unique to Chinese brands. It seems more like you think every company should only be selling EVs for dirt cheap prices, but that isn't realistic becausw those aren't real prices and EVs aren't yet practical for everyone which is why they make up such a small percentage of sales here still (though this number climbs with each quarter).
The thing is, if the American government wants to be protectionist against Chinese cars, IMHO they need to pass legally binding legislation to force US car manufacturers to meet or exceed what the Chinese cars are offering and then directly subsidize the cost of those vehicles to the consumer, freely, with no stipulations. The punishment for failure to meet and exceed those expectations should be bankruptcy through immediate removal of the protectionist mechanisms.
The US is too busy licking other corps boots. They do not have enough funds to do it for everyone.
They'd probably need to tax the rich a significant amount of money to do that.
They tried when Japanese cars became popular for being efficient, the US car companies preferred to pretty much abandon the rest of the world and keep the government money.
Chinese cars are heavily subsidized by the state. The reason they're so cheap is because China bets it can squeeze the competition out of the market before charging basically whatever they want.
I've seen Starbucks do the same thing to independent coffee shops.
Edit: This is a post about real car companies like Nissan, Volvo, Mercedes, Renault, whatever. I don't care about America. Nobody has for decades.
And yet even at 2-3x the price, the Chinese EVs provide a better value than the handful of the American options they would compete against.
This SUV would be competing with the likes of a high end EV option like Lucid or Tesla. The Lucid Gravity starts a around $70k, and the Tesla Model X (now discontinued) was around $92k.
The Xiaomi SU7 (the car the Ford CEO has driven since 2024, despite being banned in the US) starts at $32k and clearly is targeted to compete the Porsche Taycan at $112k.
The vehicle in this article has heated floors, a projector, a pop-up roof, a fridge, swiveling seats, and over 1,000 miles of range. Functions western companies consider "luxury" are basically just standard in the Chinese market like heated and ventilated seats. They don't even bother to advertise things like that because it's a minimum expectation. There are zero western options that come close to something like that. The options available in the US suck, even taking industry subsidies into account.
heated floors, a projector, a pop-up roof, a fridge, swiveling seats,
Never have I once thought I needed any of that bullshit.
And yet there it is, along with basically every other "luxury" feature western companies save for high end models... all for the price of a base model SUV here.
Those aren't luxury car features (minus the fridge), those are camper van features lol
The point is that what western car companies consider "luxury" features they charge extra for, like heated seats and that sort of thing, are basically standard there. So the luxury features they include to separate these models from the pack are these more niche things.
it seems to want it to be like a compact RV rather than a SUV
because all of those does sound like something you want in an RV
High-end EV options
Ok
like Tesla
...fucking WHAT?
I see you forget about the first 3 models that Tesla made that were $70k or higher when they were discontinued, and all launched at $90k+
They were only high-end EVs because the EV market was dogshit then. They've never competed with high-end cars in general.
Unfortunately it's a race to the bottom and high-end cars are doing the same Tesla bullshit of a minimalist interior with a huge display instead of physical buttons with heft like they used to.
Oh yeah, because US car companies are NOT subsidized at all /s
Both statements can be true at the same time. But the scale of one is many times larger.
China’s MO from rare earths and magnets to cars to silicon follows the same plan. Take IP, Subsidize the industry, Research, once you have a monopoly use it to squeeze adversaries.
I will say at least China is willing to kill off underperforming companies.
The US needs to let a lot of legacy companies that aren’t performing die off. It also needs to break up oligopolies in many industries. Why compete when you can buy up the future competitors and set prices with a handful of competitors. The financialization of our economy is choking us.
Sure, but try launching a new auto startup here. It's a lot harder than in China.
Wrong. US manufacturers have effectively been shut out of China. But not before they made investments that China basically stole.
Who would want a US made car?
Even Americans don't want them.
I worked in the government for a bit, national park service if it matters, we were only allowed to use US made vehicles.
Constant recalls, constant breakdowns, overall unreliable. These were all vehicles that were less than 5 years okd
I have a 2007 toyota today that refuses to die and has barely needed any work. I'll probably have it at least another 3 to 5 years at this rate.
American cars are shit
American capitalism has rendered companies incapable of producing anything that's not crap at a scale because they need to maximise profit at all costs, while quality doesn't mean shit. Every company is Boeing.
Worked at an oil refinery in the US. All the company cars were Ford. They all had various issues such as lights not working, the reverse beeper not working, constant engine light. We would get a loaner ford to replace our fleet ford and the loaner would fucking die. It would be comical if it wasn't my safety being jeopardized.
It's very possible your Toyota was made in the US.
Except for the design and almost all the parts. Probably was assembled here
Many GM and Ford parts are made outside of the US. Possibly only the design and headquarters really separates them. It's a global supply chain for all companies.
But Ford is responsible for bad designs like EcoBoost and trucks with plastic oil pans. Peek under a Bronco, many of the steel parts aren't even painted and body seams are not sealed. Peak 1970s manufacturing.
Plastic oil pans save weight, who even uses metal anymore?
The only time I ever got a hole in an oil pan was a metal one and it was my ex who somehow hit a rock and hid it from me. The one car I had with a plastic pan never had any issues, but it also had a skid plate that makes a larger difference than the material of the oil pan itself, since loose debris would just bounce off. Plus the skid plate helps reduce wind resistance so it's a necessity in this day and age anyway.
Where car is made is irrelevant. How it is designed and engineered matters. Toyotas made in North America outlast anything designed in Detroit.
My point is that there's really not much difference now. I'm betting many car manufacturers are starting to have AI design some parts. So where something is designed matters a lot less.
Your point doesn't make any sense whatsoever. Different companies have different approaches to engineering and quality control, and it absolutely makes a massive difference for how long their products last. This is very obvious in the car market.
ML will likely play a massive role for engineering going forward, but again, it's up to each company or organization to decide how to use it. I wouldn't be surprised at all if some companies try to have LLMs weigh in on engineering matters, where they shouldn't. AI will amplify bad engineering.
But responsible companies will make proper use of ML and their cars will be better for it.
Depends on what you mean by American. Most assume you are referring to Ford or GM. But Tesla and Rivian are US made. Many are built in the States by non US companies. BMW, Volvo, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia.
Tesla is a toxic brand due to Elon.
I love the idea of Rivian but they don't want to sell in Australia and the R1/R2 have too steep/bulldozer blade of a front to sell in EU (no pedestrian rollup protection)
Tesla and Rivian are US made
Chinese batteries and many parts from Canada and Mexico.
effectively been shut out of China.
Because Chinese won't buy massive thirsty trucks. Wtf...Tesla was in China before they even started making EVs.
There's a lot of protectionism going on in China, most western manufacturers aren't allowed to sell their own cars without a Chinese company owning the majority of the partnership. Most countries don't really have rules like that, China is kinda unique.
The Chinese actually LOVE big cars. Every other European manufacturer makes long wheelbase versions of their midrange sedans for China exclusively. Space in the back is a status symbol more than comfort up front apparently. And there are a ton of big Chinese crossovers out now. I won't call them SUVs because they're not really off road capable, much like most western "SUVs" aren't these days.
Where does https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tesla,_Inc. say Tesla was in China first?
Chinese cars are heavily subsidized by the state
Detroit has received $88B in subsidies and loans since 2008. That's why we have so many cheap EV options?
Heavily subsidized by misery, as well.
Detroit pays union wages and has to respect worker rights (at the top end of the supply chain). The “communist “ state seems to escape these limited obligations in big parts of their supply chains.
Workers in Detroit might get paid union wages, but many auto factories have relocated to the South where they can underpay and abuse workers much more easily. I just did some quick googling and it seems like being a factory worker in China isn't bad compared to in the US. They work in highly automated, clean, air-conditioned spaces like would be found here. Dirty conditions and manual labor are no longer compatible with today's automotive quality requirements. Low level workers make modest wages, but they employ a bunch of engineers and technicians just like here in the US, and they have subsidized cafeterias and some provide housing or stipends for housing. You might criticize the expectation of working significant overtime, but I've worked in factories which had mandatory overtime in the US, so that sort of structural coercion isn't unique to China. Compared to a "right to work" state, Chinese workers have stronger protections from being laid off or fired. The main downside seems to be lax enforcement of safety standards. If the government doesn't notice something unsafe on its own, there isn't a Chinese version of dropping a hint to OSHA.
Now further upstream in the supply chain? No thanks. That's where you'll find abysmal working conditions. Just remember there are good reasons our government wants us to believe everything sucks for workers in China.
Oh yes, and even plum union jobs for floor workers in Windsor or Brampton can be kind of shit too, especially in some of the parts factories.
I expect that from hypercapitalist oligarch-run societies. I don't expect it from vanguard countries. It's a betrayal.
Frankly, american cars could use a knockdown. Tesla was our only real hope, and we would have glided into a strong Tesla and EV empire if conservative dems didn't bail out GM, Chrysler, and Ford. Additionally, Tesla wouldn't have been in a position to get bought by a dumb nazi.
I'd say, let their stuff in. Lets get some good cheap and subsidizes vehicles from China on the condition that they don't raise car prices by more than 2% a year.
American companies will more than likely fall on their face and hopefully die. Making room for a new american car company to take their place.
American car companies (and American built cars) get subsidies from the US, Canada, and Mexico as all three form a single manufacturing chain. They simply have had a different set of priorities that allowed newcomers to eat their lunch, like it happens to any complacent industry.
Chinese cars are heavily subsidized by the state. The reason they're so cheap is because China bets it can squeeze the competition
Used to be, to get them going, robotics, innovation and vertical integration is most of the reason now. An example, BYD have their own roro ships and have ordered another 10,
https://www.whichcar.com.au/news/byd-orders-10-more-car-carriers-export-push-accelerates
and the new ships will be built in China
they make their own batteries, electric motors etc and have massive robotic assembly plants.
To suggest the reason why is because it's not a level playing field is ludicrous, the US spends many billions subsidizing car manufacturers on top of the billions us consumers spend in subsidizing them. directly.
Can we just fucking STOP doing SUVs please? And huge trucks. And all the rest of that oversized garbage.
But without SUVs, people would be embarrassed driving minivans and without huge trucks, there would be nothing to compensate for small penises.
Gen X shoulda boughta fucking wagon like their parents.
nothing to compensate for small penises.
That's not true!!!!! Just about everything that a mid-life crisis covers, can be a compensation for a small penis.
But I like being able to see over everyone else
- everyone
At this point I'm planning to see under everyone else.
I think people who have never driven one or feel uncomfortable getting one and gets one because they feel they're getting more for their money shouldn't be driving them at all.
I think people who want one should rent one that way they have practice and they have to be careful with the vehicle because it's on loan but the one thing I noticed when just about everyone switched to mini-suv's and full sized ones and trucks, that there's more people who have never driven one in their life and it's noticeable.
I just don't want to be hit by someone who has no idea how to manage driving one because of their size and depth perception being thrown off other than that who gives a fuck what people drive. If someone wants to drop money on something stupidly oversized and uses a fuckload of gas, let em.
You’re welcome.
archive.today link :(
Sorry, what’s the problem?
If you can’t reach that resource, it’s your DNS provider being a limp-wristed dick. Change providers.
Archive today was (is? I stopped following the story shortly after it broke) DDoSing some person's blog. Archive today was also found to be changing some of the content of archived pages.
If this is the biggest shenanigans that the site has gotten into over its entire existence, imma not gonna throw the baby out with the bath water just yet.
Any site owner has a right to remain anonymous. I would also take serious issue if someone started unmasking a high-profile project that I have taken extreme pains to keep separate from my private/meatworld existence. I would likely not behave as badly, but I would certainly pull out as many stops to make their life as uncomfortable/inconvenient as possible.
Not in the US. We have a captive market that keeps us from ever seeing one.
I always love seeing the headlines that say "west should fear when other countries beat them at their own game". It's the same stupid rhetoric that Trump keeps barking about AI and how "we have to beat China".
Mate, you all fucking caused everything to happen. Where do you see anything that says "Made in USA" anymore? Not that that would mean much today anyway given the shit quality the US has, but seriously.
They're just making up hysteria based on nothing. Nobody wants to fucking go to an office 5 days a week just to do remote meetings. Nobody wants to be dependent on cars for getting around.
Nobody wants all this forced AI shit in our everyday lives. Just get over it. The endless conquest of world domination held by a handful of influencers is over. The world must change and to start, it must end all of this greedy ass capitalism which only seeks to cause misfortune for the rest of us.
Western brands don’t care cause they just lobby to ban them from the west.
I've apparently read my limit of Wired articles this month.
What's it say?
If there's one thing that can unite the world in these AI-troubled times, it's everyone's love of SUVs. For decades, the SUV has been the savior of the car world. Accounting for nearly half of all new sales worldwide, this is by some margin the largest segment in the global auto industry.
Sedans? Forget it. Ford doesn't even sell a traditional sedan in the US now. China still likes a sedan. About a third of all Chinese autos are in this form, compared with less than half that for the US. But Chinese carmakers know full well how much we love our chunky SUVs, so they are focusing their efforts to lure the Western world away from familiar marques.
Indeed, Xiaomi has just played its hand in this particular game, revealing the remaining details earlier this month in Beijing—including the all-important pricing—of its coming SkyNomad SUVs. Bentley and Range Rover may well have revealed their flagship electric SUVs, but both will be mightily worried about just how many scalps Xiaomi Auto's SkyNomad SUVs will take from them. If they're not, they should be. Sedan to SUV Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Car Interior Car Seat Chair and Furniture
The new Xiaomi Auto SkyNomad N70 is a five-seat, extended-range EV that has better technology than a Range Rover at half the price of a Velar. Courtesy of Xiaomi
Trucks and SUVs represent more than 80 percent of new vehicle sales in America these days. Marc McGrath, US CEO of the automotive manufacturer Schaeffler Group, tells WIRED that one of the main reasons the company is developing its own solid-state batteries is to properly electrify the power-hungry trucks and SUVs Americans so dearly love. No one wants another F-150 Lightning U-turn.
The shocking success of the Jaecoo 7 is a prime example of SUV supremacy. This Chinese-made ride has enjoyed a staggeringly meteoric rise in the UK, going from an unknown newcomer in 2025 to now being one of the country’s best-selling new cars. Nicknamed the “Temu Range Rover,” it comes in both gas and hybrid flavors, and the company liberally uses the word “luxury” in its marketing, yet the vehicle costs just £29,210 (a little over $39,000).
These 7s are becoming ubiquitous on UK roads. My local Nissan dealer has swiftly dumped the Japanese brand and is now an official Jaecoo dealer, offering not just the 7, but the Jaecoo 5 and 8. I can't think of another auto brand that's enjoyed such a rapid rise.
Other Chinese brands are playing the same tactic in Europe, such as XPeng and BYD, but the big one incoming is Xiaomi Auto, set to launch in Europe in 2027, despite only making its first EV in 2024. Astonishingly, its SU7 Ultra claimed the title of “World’s Fastest Sedan” the very same year.
Far from a Temu pretender, the SkyNomad is not only tech-laden, it's also seemingly high-end, with seating that purports to be “more like an Italian sofa.” The SkyNomad N70 is a five-seater that, especially in its “Stealth Black Edition” guise, looks almost exactly like a Range Rover from the outside, and far more successfully than the Jaecoo. Image may contain Cushion Home Decor Floor and Window Courtesy of Xiaomi
The N90 Max Studio has a pop-up roof that lifts 100 mm to open a sleeping loft. Image may contain Computer Electronics Laptop Pc Accessories Glasses Adult Person Transportation and Vehicle Courtesy of Xiaomi
The SkyNomad floor rail system makes for a super-configurable interior.
The larger N90 is a seven-seater that also comes in a “Max Studio” camper version, complete with a pop-up roof. The second row can transform into a bed with one touch of a button—no disassembly, no mattress needed—just 30 seconds from upright seats to a flat, large bed.
The theme of reconfigurable interiors continues. A flat floor, courtesy of the Kunlun platform, comes with sliding rails built in from the front seats to the boot, meaning all (yes, all) the seat sections can move about. The front seats spin a full 180 degrees to face the second row; floor-mounted tables slot between the rows to make for “living-room-style" layouts; the center console can move forward or back at the press of a button; and rear legroom can max out at over 5 feet. In the N90 Max Studio, the pop-up roof lifts 100 mm to open a sleeping loft with 1.8 meters of headroom, along with heated flooring (!), a built-in projector, and a 30-inch projector screen.
An amazing optional extra for the SkyNomad is Xiaomi's version of in-brand car-to-car communications. Essentially, it's a walkie-talkie that runs on cellular network coverage rather than short-range radio, so it's marketed as having “unlimited range” and looks very similar to tech Xiaomi already ships in its phones.
Just stop for a minute and compare what you've just read with the sorts of interior innovations Western brands deliver on flagship models these days. Power doors, multi-point massage seats, relaxation programs with scent sprays, and a central console that moves maybe 10 cm are the typical cutting-edge fare. The SkyNomad makes US and European efforts look, frankly, lazy—right when they desperately need to stop their decline and show they can compete. Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Car Interior and Car Seat Courtesy of Xiaomi
Despite the price, Xiaomi is offering an aggressively specced SUV. Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Aircraft Car Interior Cushion and Home Decor Courtesy of Xiaomi
Seat rows can move forward and back, allowing floor-mounted tables. Image may contain Chair Furniture Transportation Vehicle Cushion Home Decor Car and Car Interior Courtesy of Xiaomi
The front seats can swivel around 180 degrees to make meeting spaces. Image may contain Furniture Courtesy of Xiaomi
A low-power fridge continues to cool when the car is powered down.
There's more. “Full scenario” voice control; customizable head-up display; lidar units, high-definition cameras, and Nvidia's Thor-U chip for level 2-plus autonomous control. A low-voltage power system apparently keeps “sentry mode” drain to under 5 kilometers of range overnight, so the onboard fridge running on 0.72 kWh a day can offer up to 24-hour continuous cooling.
The extended-range plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged internal combustion generator with battery packs and dual electric motors. This ICE engine never drives the wheels, but the SUV can charge from 20 to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes for a 300-plus-mile electric-only range, or 1,000-mile combined range. Yes, these stats use China’s far more forgiving CLTC cycle, but this converts to about 700 miles using stricter US EPA standards.
Now to the clincher: the price. The maxed-out N90 Max Studio with its camper roof clocks in at RMB 299,900, about $44,700. The entry-level N70 Pro five-seat, rear-wheel-drive model with its movable “Italian sofa” seats, lidar, 14-speaker sound system including subwoofer and headrest speakers, and prodigious range is just RMB 209,900, or just over $31,000—about the same as a 2026 Hyundai Tucson.
Earlier this month, I asked a Western luxury auto CEO what he thought about Xiaomi Auto. He laughed. “They make vacuums, don't they?” he scoffed. I think he'll rue the day he said that. It reminds me of when, in a 2011 Bloomberg interview, Musk laughed when asked if he saw BYD as a competitor. Musk isn't laughing now. Make no mistake, Xiaomi is coming to clean up.
It's not just brands that should fear it, but also people living in cities. Say no to SUVs, even if you "sometimes go to camping, once or twice a year" (yeah, that's the justification for everyone buying them).
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