China has positioned itself as the main car supplier in Mexico, with exports reaching $4.6 billion in 2023, according to data from Mexico’s Secretariat of Economy.
The Chinese automaker BYD surpassed Honda and Nissan to position itself as the seventh largest automaker in the world by number of units sold during the April to June quarter. This growth was driven by increased demand for its affordable electric vehicles, according to data from automakers and research firm MarkLines.
The company’s new vehicle sales rose 40 percent year over year to 980,000 units in the quarter—the same quarter wherein most major automakers, including Toyota and Volkswagen, experienced a decline in sales. Much of BYD’s growth is attributed to its overseas sales, which nearly tripled in the past year to 105,000 units. Now BYD is considering locating its new auto plant in three Mexican states: Durango, Jalisco, and Nuevo Leon.
Foreign investment would be an economic boost for Mexico. The company has claimed that a plant there would create about 10,000 jobs. A Tesla competitor, BYD markets its Dolphin Mini model in Mexico for about 398,800 pesos—about $21,300 dollars—a little more than half the price of the cheapest Tesla model.
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That tariff-free access is part of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (T-MEC), an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement that, as of 2018, eliminated tariffs on many products traded between the North American countries. Under the treaty, if a foreign automotive company that manufactures vehicles in Canada or Mexico can demonstrate that the materials used are locally sourced, its products can be exported to the United States virtually duty-free.
MAGA strikes again
The Mazda 3s in the 2010s were cheap and were competitive with the focus sales wise. Kia has sold tons of vehicles and they are piles of cheap garbage yet Americans keep buying their larger vehicles.
So do we have demand for cheap cars or not then? I thought you were arguing the demand wasnt there.
Besides you confirmed by opinion that its common to not trust “piles of cheap garbage”.
In my opinion the ford focus was just as much a pile of cheap garbage as the rest but people think Ford is more reliable or at least wouldnt try to kill its own citizens.
The demand isn’t there for small cheap vehicles, my point was Americans have no problems buying cheap “foreign” cars.
My opnion of does not reflect the opnion of the American population, kias and Hyundai sell well here.
Our opinions on vehicles are not the issue. Americans don’t want cheap domestic small cars which is why they don’t sell well here. Americans don’t want cheap small foreign cars not because they don’t trust cheap foreign vehicles but because they don’t want cheap small cars.
Then why do people want a cheap small electric? It being electric changes the whole equation?
I know a ton of people that won’t buy new cars to begin with too, you don’t think the used car crowd loves cheap small cars?
Is it possible instead of the demand not being there at all, its being diverted to used automobiles and so new car sales are skewed to more expensive cars and luxury cars?
The working class does not buy new cars on the regular as far as I know. The median wage in america is what like 50-55k a year?
Where’s the evidence people want compact electric cars?
They are used cars for financial reasons not for preference. Further many people purchase a larger 3 year old used vehicle for the same price as a new small one.
If small used cars were in demand then wouldn’t they depreciate less? There are fewer used Honda fits then civics yet they depreciate at the same rate. It appears the used car market preference is similar to the new.
Median household income is $75k. Though car size preferences don’t seem to change based on income.
Well per person its 45k per worker but household numbers are fine too, although 35% of houses have two cars so that means they need to double their car budget in most cases.
I’m assuming the demand is there because the federal government has said they are concerned people might buy so many cheap BYDs it would drive american car companies out of business. Why would they care if noone wanted them?
An electric small car still is a small car, which a Ameridans don’t want the sales numbers show that. Further people seeking cheap cars are typically not homeowners which makes charging a problem so there’s even less of a market for cheap electric cars.
No where is it claimed that Chinese vehicles would drive American car companies out of buisness, the article was discussing how China could use Mexico and nafta to side step terrifs.
Okay so maybe I’m misunderstanding thr whole situation. What’s the risk of allowing Chinese BYD imports without tariffs then?
American companies want less competition and certainly don’t want to compete against a heavily subsidized vehicle.