On 5 Apr 2023 at 18:17, (-Phil-) via EV wrote: > This doesn't bode well for almost all EV makers outside of China: > https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/world/asia-pacific/20230405-101753/
The sensible ones are already on it: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/china-frictions-steer- electric-automakers-away-rare-earth-magnets-2021-07-19/ or https://v.gd/SnnDcU That said, I expect that before long the Chinese automakers will do with EVs what the Japanese did with small, efficient ICEVs in the 1970s. Back then the big US automakers hardly bothered with small cars. When they finally did, they produced some pretty execrable examples (think Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega). When OPEC turned off the oil tap in 1973, Nissan (then Datsun in the US) put up billboards that read "Datsun saves - about a gallon a day." Their dealers and Toyota's had every 1200/B210 and Corolla sold, with a nice fat dealer surcharge, long before it arrived at the dealership. Today the mainstream automakers push hard on their high-profit big cars, be they EVs or ICEVs. This is true to some extent even here in Europe, where small cars are still popular (and in some cases essential for narrow streets and garages). I expect that the Chinese automakers will quite profitably fill that gap. Just as the Japanese did in the later decades, they'll probably use their low cost small EVs to build loyalty to their companies, and later upsell their customers to their larger EVs. Chinese EVs are already beginning to make significant inroads here in Europe, especially in Norway, where 2/3 of new car sales are now EVs. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular. -- Adlai Stevenson = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
