(Holder USA) A small, low price electric car called the seagull has American car manufacturers and politicians shaking.
The car, launched last year by Chinese automaker BYD, sells for about $12,000 in China, but it drives well and is equipped with craftsmanship that rivals U.S.-made electric vehicles that cost three times as much . A shorter-range version costs less than $10,000.
Rates on imported Chinese vehicles will probably keep the seagull off US shores for now, and would probably sell for over 12 grand if imported.
But the rapid emergence of low-cost electric vehicles from China could shake up the global auto industry in a way not seen since Japanese manufacturers burst onto the scene during the oil crisis of the 1990s. seventy
“Any auto company that doesn't pay attention to them as a competitor is going to miss out when it comes to their market,” said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions near Philadelphia. “BYD's entry into the US market is not an if. It's a when.”
BYD, which stands for “Build Your Dreams,” could be a nightmare for the U.S. auto industry, validating presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump's warning in a rally that his arrival in Mexico, if investors like Warren Buffett continue to support its manufacturing across the border, could be a “bloodbath” for the US auto industry.
Although Trump's comment was widely misreported to indicate political violence, the bloodbath could result in affordable auto manufacturing in Mexico, stealing business and labor from American companies. as well as the ongoing border crisis that has caused several high-profile violent crimes and traffic fatalities at the hands of illegal immigrants.
American manufacturers and politicians on both sides of the aisle already see Chinese electric vehicles as a serious threat. The Biden administration is expected to announce 100% tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China on Tuesday, saying they pose a threat to US jobs and national security.
The Alliance for American Manufacturing it says in a paper that government-subsidized Chinese electric vehicles “could end up being an extinction-level event for the US auto industry.”
At the beginning of this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told industry analysts that Chinese electric vehicles are so good that, without trade barriers, they will “pretty much demolish most of the car companies in the world.”
Outside of China, EVs tend to be expensive, targeting a niche market with higher incomes. But Chinese brands that are not yet global household names are offering affordable options that will appeal to the masses, just as governments in the US, Europe and many others are encouraging a shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles to combat emissions. greenhouse gases.
“Western markets didn't democratize electric vehicles. They gentrified electric vehicles,” said Bill Russo, the founder of the consultancy Automobility Ltd. in shanghai
“And when you gentrify, you limit the size of the market,” he continued. “China is all about democratizing electric vehicles, and that's what will ultimately drive Chinese companies to succeed as they go global.”
Inside a huge garage in an industrial area west of Detroit, a company called Caresoft Global tore apart and reassembled a bright green Seagull that its China office bought and shipped to the US.
Company president Terry Woychowski, a former chief engineer for General Motors' large pickup trucks, said the car is a “clarion call” to the American auto industry, which is years from behind China in the design of low-cost electric vehicles.
After the teardown, Woychowski, who has been in the auto business for 45 years, said he was left wondering if American automakers can adjust. “Things will have to change in some radical way to be able to compete,” he said.
There is no miracle that explains how BYD can manufacture the Seagull for so little. Instead, Woychowski said the entire car, which can travel 252 miles per charge, is “an exercise in efficiency.”
Higher US labor costs are part of the equation. BYD can keep costs down because of its expertise in making batteries, especially for consumer products, that use lithium iron phosphate chemistry. They cost less, but have a lower range than most current lithium-ion batteries.
Americans are still learning how to make batteries cheaper, Woychowski said. Ford is building a lithium iron phosphate battery factory, using technology from China's CATL.
BYD makes many of its own parts, including electric motors, dashboards, bodies and even headlights. It also has the advantage of its large scale: 3 million vehicles sold worldwide last year.
“Having all of this in-house and vertically integrated, there's an incredible advantage they have,” Woychowski said.
BYD designs every aspect of its vehicles with cost and efficiency in mind. For example, the Seagull has only one wiper, eliminating a motor and an arm, saving weight, cost and labor to install.
American automakers don't typically design vehicles this way and incur excessive engineering costs, Woychowski said. The hoses, for example, must meet the long-lasting requirements of combustion engines for strength and the ability to carry high-pressure fluids, many of which are not needed for electric vehicles, he added.
The weight savings add up, allowing the Seagull to travel farther per charge with a smaller battery. For example, the Seagull that Caresoft tested weighs 2,734 pounds, about 900 pounds less than a Chevrolet Bolt, a slightly larger electric vehicle made by GM.
So Detroit has to quickly relearn a lot of design and engineering to keep up while shedding century-old vehicle-building practices. The trick will be determining which procedures should be maintained to ensure safety and quality, and which should be tossed out because they aren't needed, he said.
“You're going to have to come and be extremely serious about this, and you better park your paradigms at the door,” Woychowski said. “Because you're going to have to do things differently.”
Even with its minimalist design, the Seagull still has a quality feel. The doors close solidly. The gray faux leather seats have body color matching stitching, a feature usually found on more expensive cars. The Seagull “Flying Edition” tested by Caresoft has six airbags, rear disc brakes and electronic stability control.
A short drive through some connected car parks by a reporter showed it runs quietly and handles curves and bumps as well as more expensive electric vehicles.
While the acceleration isn't as captivating as other EVs, the Seagull is lively and would have no trouble entering a freeway with heavy traffic. Woychowski says its top speed is limited to 81 mph.
BYD would have to modify its cars to meet US safety standards, which are stricter than in China. Woychowski says Caresoft hasn't done crash testing, but estimates that would add $2,000 to the cost of the Seagull.
BYD sells the Seagull, rebranded as the Dolphin Mini in some foreign markets, in four Latin American countries for about $21,000, twice what it costs at home. The higher price includes transportation costs, but also reflects the higher profits possible in less aggressive markets than China.
In Europe, BYD offers larger models like the Seal, which starts at 46,990 euros ($50,000), in France. The Chinese manufacturer's top two foreign markets were Thailand and Brazil in the first two months of this year, according to the China Passenger Car Association.
BYD builds electric buses in California and told the AP last year that it is “still in the process” of deciding whether to sell cars in the US. It is weighing sites for a factory in Mexico, but that would be for the Mexican market, two company executives said in media interviews earlier this year.
The company doesn't sell cars in the US, largely because of tariffs of 27.5% on the selling price of Chinese vehicles when they arrive at ports. Donald Trump slapped the bulk of the tariff, 25 percent, when he was president, and it stayed in place under Joe Biden. Trump claims the electric vehicle surge backed by Biden will cost jobs in American factories, sending the work to China.
The Biden administration has supported legislation and policies to build an electric vehicle manufacturing base in the United States and has not ruled out more tariffs to keep out the Chinese. The administration is also investigating cars made in china which may collect sensitive information.
Some members of Congress are calling on Biden to ban imports of Chinese vehicles, while others have proposed even higher tariffs. That includes vehicles made in Mexico by Chinese companies that would now enter largely tariff-free.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has seen Caresoft's work in the seagull and watched BYD's rapid growth around the world, especially in Europe, where he used to run Ford's operations. He is moving to change companies. A small “skunkworks” team is designing a new small electric vehicle from the ground up to keep costs low and quality high, he told analysts earlier this year.
Chinese manufacturers, Farley said, sold almost no electric vehicles in Europe two years ago, but now have 10 percent of the electric vehicle market. They will likely export worldwide and possibly sell in the US
Ford is gearing up to counter that. “Don't take anything for granted,” Farley said. “This CEO doesn't.”
Adapted from an Associated Press report
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