President Joe Biden’s announcement of a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made electric cars may simply replace some automakers’ plans to sell their electric cars in the United States. But you may be surprised to learn that some American and European brands already sell Chinese products. We make cars here and have been doing so for almost a decade.
The Buick Envision SUV (pictured below), the first Chinese-made conventional car sold in the United States, followed by the Volvo S90 and Polestar 2. Production of the new Lincoln Nautilus SUV has moved from Canada to China, and there are more new models. Volvo and Polestar are on their way.
CR reached out to those automakers to see how the new price lists would affect their production plans. Spokespeople for GM, Polestar and Volvo said they are comparing the adjustments lately and that other automakers have yet to respond. We will update this article when we know more. Although the proposed price lists for Chinese-made electric cars will not directly apply to gasoline-powered cars such as the Envision and Nautilus, the accumulation of price lists for steel, semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries, and other Chinese vehicle portions may be just the auto industry in China. Other media.
Even before today’s announcement, Chinese automakers were already facing significant hurdles to enter the U. S. market. Politicians from both parties have accused the Chinese government of illegally subsidizing its auto industry, forcing hard work to make auto parts, and stealing intellectual property. All cars made in China and sold in the U. S. U. S. cars are already subject to 27. 5% tariffs, and bipartisan efforts are underway to absolutely ban the import of Chinese-made cars. Battery-electric cars made in China are also not eligible for federal tax credits of up to $7,500.
Beyond industrial policy, those who headlined Chinese automakers about disastrous crash tests when they began exporting cars to Europe more than a decade ago might already be wary of a vehicle labeled “Made in China. “our early days.
Chinese-made electric cars like the BYD Atto 3 (pictured below), MG4, and XPeng G9 are gaining international popularity due to their state-of-the-art generation and low prices. By 2024, they are expected to account for a quarter of all electric vehicles. vehicle sales in Europe, according to the European Federation of Transport and the Environment.
BYD, a Shenzhen-based automaker, is building a plant in Mexico, where its sleek Dolphin electric sedan, with a range of about 250 miles, sells for $23,600. The small BYD Seagull EV sells for around $11,000 in China and is appropriately popular in other markets as well.
“When it comes to functionality and reliability, where a car is made doesn’t matter as much as it’s designed and manufactured,” says Jake Fisher, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “Our knowledge of reliability has been true for years. »
For example, our verification and reliability data shows that the Chinese-made Envision is one of the most productive small SUVs in its class. The Polestar 2 EV is also made in China, but it’s at the bottom of our rankings. Built Honda and Toyota models have fair reliability, while some American-made Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen models have below-average reliability.
“Some automakers are simply better at setting up new plants and integrating production strategies that solve potential problems,” Fisher says, adding that Toyota is well known for its processes that prevent errors on the production line, while other brands leave more room for skill. the joy of the workers.
Up to this point, CR hasn’t noticed a difference between Chinese-made cars already sold in the U. S. andCars from the same brands made in Europe, Japan or North America are used in the U. S. , says Alex Knizek, CR’s associate director of automotive progression.
“From a build quality standpoint, I’ve never seen anything or another depending on where a vehicle is assembled. I couldn’t tell you that without researching or checking the label,” Knizek says.
If Chinese-brand cars were ever sold here, they would have to meet U. S. protection standards, just as Chinese cars sold in Europe would have to meet strict European accident control standards. Knizek says automakers will most likely tailor their cars to U. S. customer preferences as well.
Although a car’s origin doesn’t expect its quality, CR experts say there is a correlation between an automaker’s experience and the reliability of the cars they produce. We’ve found that new manufacturers, adds Fisker, Lucid, Rivian, and Tesla, are facing an uphill war when it comes to reliability. “Our knowledge has shown time and time again that automakers just starting out in car building have run into a lot of problems,” Fisher says. Chinese automakers have long used established logos, such as Volkswagen, Nissan, Toyota, and GM. This can give them an edge, but building a new logo in a new factory probably isn’t a recipe for success.
“Existing import restrictions mean that if we see Chinese brands, they may just be made in Mexico with tariffs,” Fisher says. “Only time will tell if Chinese production strategies will be implemented in those new factories. “
Many primary automakers have factories in China, the cars they build there are rarely sold in the United States. They are the few who do.
The way is to check the door jamb on the driver’s side, where the manufacturer will indicate in plain language where the final encounter of the vehicle took place.
If you’re shopping for a new vehicle, the most sensitive right corner of the window sticker found on each and every new car shows where the car was built. It can also show what percentage of the vehicle comprises U. S. parts. The U. S. and Canada are the source of most foreign parts and the country of origin of the engine and transmission.
You can also see the first two characters of the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which can be discovered where the windshield meets the dashboard in front of the driver. It is also posted in the name deed and the car registry. Most online auto brokers and marketplaces also include a VIN. The first two characters of the VIN are called the Global Manufacturer Identifier and imply where the final meeting took place.
Here are global manufacturer identifiers for the countries from which automobiles are exported to the United States:
1, 4, 5, 7F to 7Z and 70: United States
2: Canada
3: Mexico
9A to 9E and 99: Brazil
AA to AH: South Africa
J: Japan
KL to KR: South Korea
L: China
MA ME and MY to M0: India
ML to MR: Thailand
SA to SM: United Kingdom
TJ to TP: Czech Republic
TR on TV: Hungary
U5 to U7: Slovakia
VA to EV: Austria
VF & VR : France
VS VW: Spain
W: Germany
YA to YE: Belgium
YS to YW: Sweden
YF to YK: Finland
XL to XR: Netherlands
ZA to ZU: Italy