Auto News Today: Ford's CEO drives a Chinese car?!

Hello! This issue dives deep into Chinese cars and we try not to get too political, but it’s hard.

We’d love to hear from you, so here’s a quick poll: would you drive a Chinese car? Reply to this email with your answer.

Thanks!

Key Takeaways

Don’t have much time? Here’s the summary of what we’re talking about:

• Chinese Cars in the US: Chinese-made cars, like the Buick Envision and Lincoln Nautilus, are already being sold in the US and seeing commercial success.

• Ford CEO Drives Chinese EV: Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, surprised many by revealing he drives a Xiaomi SU7, signaling the rising influence of Chinese EVs in the global market.

• China’s EV Dominance: China’s automotive industry is rapidly advancing in electric vehicles, with 241 automakers focused on EV production, raising concerns about the future of US competitiveness in the EV space.
  

NEWSBITES

Every week, we scour the web for the most essential news. Here’s what you need to know this week:

• German automakers are concerned about the US elections

• Formerly valuable cars that are worth (almost) nothing

• Is now the time to buy, sell or trade your car?

• A North Korean spy worked at Fisker for this long (I love this article).

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LONG READ

Let’s talk about Chinese cars and EVs

Four Wheel Trends will be the first to confess that we're not fans of Chinese cars and EVs.

We prefer other brands and styles (I don't see China producing a Silverado, but one never knows).

However, it can shock us when Ford's CEO openly admits that he drives a Chinese car. 

No, really. He does. Check out this comment:

We must cover what's going on in the automotive world, and such a bombshell where Ford's CEO Jim Farley doesn't even drive a Chinese Ford, but another brand signaled us that it was time to talk about this. 

The thing with EVs and Chinese cars are complex topics.

So, let's start with Chinese cars. 

It's not as easy as saying, "I won't ever drive a Chinese car." 

That's because they're more common than we think. 

Data is key

We all know that autonomous cars are one of the new frontiers in urban mobility.

However, some people don't know they're also a vehicle (pun intended) for information. A lot of it. 

Check out this bit of news. 

It turns out that China has been scanning 1.6 million California roads for driving behavior and usage patterns for years. 

But how?

Have you seen the crusade against TikTok? Well, it's something similar. 

Here's a reminder of TikTok's complex relationship with the US.  

Sure, self-driving cars are an excellent way of gathering data, but apps are also crucial. 

Didi and WeRide, just to name a few, collect crucial data with every shared ride. 

As this article states, it's not the first time Didi has gotten in trouble due to data. 

That's how we transition to cars.

As vehicles become more advanced, they become better at collecting data. Granted, this isn't only with Chinese manufacturers.

We covered the issue of how most automakers are selling our data, and you can read about it here. 

The problem is that cars are involved in the US-China tech war, which muddles the future. 

As this article explains, US lawmakers want to keep Chinese vehicles off US streets. 

But what if you can't?

Chinese cars are selling great in the US

China currently has around 241 automakers. 

Yes, you read that right. 

241.

However, that's a biased statistic. According to this article, 20% of them will produce less than 1,000 vehicles a year.  

It's a complex issue, but what matters to us is that even with 241 automakers, none of them is available in the US. 

That doesn't mean there aren't Chinese cars sold in America. These are three Chinese cars sold in the US: 

• Buick Envision

• Lincoln Nautilus 

• Volvo S90

You can learn about the other two models in this article. 

By the way, Buick sold 44,282 Envision SUVs in the US in 2023. So, they're commercially successful. 

There's no denying China's production capacity, and that's how we get into EVs. 

The truth that shocked Ford's CEO

It's not typical for automotive CEOs to drive the competition, but it's rare to see one import a car that's not sold in the US, drive it, and say he loves it. 

So, when Ford's CEO said that, it took the world by storm. 

He drives this, the Xiaomi SU7. 

It's a looker, and it sets the stage for the future. 

But Jim Farley is concerned about something else. 

Do you remember those 241 automakers? 

They're not focused on internal combustion. 

They're going full-on electric. 

When Farley visited China, this frightened him. As this article explains, there's one clear winner in the EV race. 

But it's the one winner that might be banned in the US. 

So, for me, it makes perfect sense that Farley is driving a Xiaomi SU7.

We are at a fascinating crossroads, and to make matters worse, EVs are still expensive. But why?

If you want to read more about what makes electric vehicles so expensive, you can check out our article here.