Re:How China Built BYD, Its Tesla Killer
by dangus on Tuesday February 20, 2024 @07:49AM
(#39440586)
I was going to reply by saying something similar: BYD sells 90% of their cars in China.
I don’t think their success in China is a guarantee anywhere else, even if they are doing well in Brazil (which is not a very important automotive market, representing 1/10th the sales volume of the USA while having less than half of its population).
It’s also important to remember that BYD sells hybrid vehicles. Granted, they ship more pure EVs than Tesla.
I think it’s easy to see why EVs suit China well. There’s no range anxiety when you have more high speed rail than the rest of the world combined. There’s also no long-existing petrol car culture or infrastructure, China is starting from scratch. Many of their EV buyers could be first-time car buyers. Probably close to 100% of car buyers in the West have owned other cars.
From a policy level, oil is an import product for China, and components for EVs are domestic products, so they have an obvious incentive to electrify.
This goes back to my feelings on why the CyberTruck wasn’t a waste of effort: again, it’s competing with the most popular vehicle in the USA in the most profitable vehicle segment on the planet that is entirely protected by the US government from imports (the chicken tax). Financially think the CyberTruck is almost guaranteed success.
I don’t think their success in China is a guarantee anywhere else, even if they are doing well in Brazil (which is not a very important automotive market, representing 1/10th the sales volume of the USA while having less than half of its population).
It’s also important to remember that BYD sells hybrid vehicles. Granted, they ship more pure EVs than Tesla.
I think it’s easy to see why EVs suit China well. There’s no range anxiety when you have more high speed rail than the rest of the world combined. There’s also no long-existing petrol car culture or infrastructure, China is starting from scratch. Many of their EV buyers could be first-time car buyers. Probably close to 100% of car buyers in the West have owned other cars.
From a policy level, oil is an import product for China, and components for EVs are domestic products, so they have an obvious incentive to electrify.
This goes back to my feelings on why the CyberTruck wasn’t a waste of effort: again, it’s competing with the most popular vehicle in the USA in the most profitable vehicle segment on the planet that is entirely protected by the US government from imports (the chicken tax). Financially think the CyberTruck is almost guaranteed success.