this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2026
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And, a recent tour of one of the Asian powerhouse's vehicle plants has proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt, at least to Honda President and CEO Toshihiro Mibe.

"We have no chance against this," Mibe said upon a visit to a Shanghai parts factory, commenting on its seamless automation across all levels of production. Logistics, procurement and all aspects of the process were so automated, in fact, that he did not spot a single human worker on the supplier's floor.

Ford executives saying even three years ago that China was way ahead of the game

Toyota's CEO has likewise said regarding not just his company, but the industry in general, "unless things change, we will not survive"

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[–] benjirenji@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 hour ago

Of course I'm not invested in individual transportation companies. Even less with the ones refusing to set on EVs.

[–] Greyghoster@aussie.zone 11 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

That’s the problem with disrupters, people are so involved with dismissing them that they don’t see what’s happening. For years it was all about cheap Chinese labour then turn around and discover that it’s really all about robotic factories and slick organisation. Throw in EVs and it’s the same but worse.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 3 points 2 hours ago

People always point out that China "isn't really a Communist country." And while they certainly are different from the days of Mao, they forget that, from the beginning, the goal was to treat the market economy as a means to an end. The CCP values market economics because it allowed China to quickly industrialize. They don't value capitalism for its own sake; they view it as a necessary evil.

Because of this, they're able to do the kind of long term industrial planning that is unthinkable in the US. And there's ultimately likely to be a lot less resistance to mass automation in China than in the US. If the state owns all the automated factories and distributes their goods fairly to all, why oppose automation? Automation is only a bad thing if it represents losing your livelihood, your method for keeping a roof over your head.

[–] thorhop@sopuli.xyz 13 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

"Detroit Motor City". I.e subsidizing losses.

Of course you could apply protectionism, but that wouldn't be fair and would set a public precedent on the global markets.

But yeah, the petroleum lobby really managed to screw us sideways. All those anti EV, anti solar and anti wind campaigns.

It is perhaps the biggest, oldest, slowest moving and most fraudulent of bailouts in all of history.

We are just that stupid.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 26 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

OH NO! THE FREE MARKET IS WORKING BUT NOT IN OUR FAVOR!!!

[–] Rooster326@programming.dev 1 points 52 minutes ago* (last edited 48 minutes ago) (1 children)

Genuine question is this the free market?

Is the CCP subsidizing these super cheap cars?

Which isn't to say the US isn't doing the same. 2008 should've meant the death of much of the American auto industry

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 2 points 36 minutes ago

Oh they likely are, just like the us does for their own auto industry. The free market part is simply a cheaper car that appeals to more people, it coming from China is the only thing really holding it back. Well and maybe the spying, but I don't know how bad these are on that front.

[–] whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

How many of those companies spent literal billions of dollars on stock buybacks to inflate share market price over the last decade instead of investing in the people and facilities and products to remain competitive. Even if there is dumping I doubt it's anywhere near the combined spent on share price inflation buybacks & savings instead of investing in the workers and business, these companies enjoy unjustified tax breaks and subsidies from their governments as well.

This is a the economy being equated to wealth/investor class problem. Workers in and around cities want cheap affordable evs & charging infrastructure for renters, mechanics and parts producers want to build and work on affordable evs. People who own stocks expecting growth returns and executive compensation want to sell 10 cars a year for a trillion dollars each if they could.

[–] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 15 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, this is what bad leadership is. Lack of leadership really. China and the US both found themselves the manufacturers of the world.

China took the money and built an infrastructure. The US took the money and destroyed unions..

[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

It all went up oil subsidies..

[–] tangonov@lemmy.ca 9 points 8 hours ago
[–] No_Eponym@lemmy.ca 27 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

automation across all levels of production

Maybe its true. Regardless, article sounds like anti-worker propaganda to me. China is gonna eat our lunch! Better take a pay cut, and be glad you're not laid off!

[–] Zetta@mander.xyz 17 points 10 hours ago

I get your perspective, but complete automation with as little human input as possible is exactly how you make cheap products.

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[–] mlg@lemmy.world 16 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

While Toyota and Honda at least have an acclaimed history in low cost and efficient vehicles, Ford is literally 1/3rd the the reason the US doesn't manufacture sedans anymore, with the other 2/3rds being GM and Chrysler.

I actually witnesses them layoff their entire sedan division in real time when they announced the end of the fusion. I'm pretty sure it was mostly liquidated by the time covid hit.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 10 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Because trucks are made with safety loopholes and have higher profit margins, and Ford shit the bed with the Fusion, Festiva and Focus with a garbage transmission they knowingly sold for 7 years.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

And SUV's are just treated as trucks. this is 100% correct.

and we ignore EV's because... we won't do the work to make EV's work, like charging infrastructure. It's all so painfully stupid and transparently to benefit the fossil fuel cartel

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

I'm still mad we lost sport sedans for this EPA bs.

Everything is a crossover or SUV to gg ez the emission laws because of the weight class.

Random 5 seater SUV will be producing more emissions than a WRX or Evo Lancer.

[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 27 points 11 hours ago (4 children)

Okay, so you're getting out-competed in the market. Pay proper wages, invest in innovation instead of executive salaries, and take a slimmer profit margin to help your customers.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

Did you not read the story? The reason why they can't compete is because China has NO wages to pay. Their plants are fully automated.

Paying proper wages would make Toyota and Honda even LESS competitive.

[–] non_burglar@lemmy.world 7 points 9 hours ago

It is way bigger than that.

The traditional model of manufacturing has been multiplied by 10, "traditional" auto makers will not be able to afford retooling to even produce anything close to the volume of byd and their ilk.

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[–] ikidd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 28 points 11 hours ago (13 children)

Don't charge $100,000 for a regular fucking vehicle?

Seriously, all the useless expensive shit they add to vehicles to make them unmaintainable data miners is why they're going to get slaughtered.

Give me an electric pickup with 4WD and crank up windows. Preferably no radio. I'd buy one of those Slates in a heartbeat if it were 4WD, as much as I hate Jeff Bezos.

[–] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

yeah hoping the Slate can turn this shit show around.

And if I WANT a radio, I’ll go to a local business and get one that meets my needs installed. I don’t want some POS touchscreen with clunky, badly written software.

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[–] etherphon@piefed.world 35 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Well I guess your high paid CEOs and executives really fucked up then, right? That's exactly what you were saying? Because everyone else saw this coming from miles away, and we have been clamoring for these kinds of cars for a long ass time, even small gas cars are hard to find now. So what are those guys paid such high salaries for if they are so completely dense...?

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

The only reason these cars are so cheap is because they have no humans manufacturing them and have heavy subsidies from the government.

Are you really saying you would have been happy to hear that a CEO laid off all their blue collar workers and took government bailout money?

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

You think they have no employees at all? BYD had over five times the employees than Ford! And subsidies? In the US, we bailed out our auto sector during the Great Recession and heavily subsidize our auto sector via tariffs. Plus no car plant had been built in a generation without heavy state and local tax breaks and subsidies.

Seriously. What are you smoking? Cause I want some.

[–] etherphon@piefed.world 3 points 4 hours ago

No of course I wouldn't, but then, none of that would be necessary if they were listening to their customers instead of watching their profit margins, paid their workers and executives what they were worth (a lot more and a lot less), not spending a fortune on lobbying against the inevitable future, etc.

[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 18 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

They thought they had captured the market and could get away with anything because there were no other options.

Now there are options. They fucked around, now they find out.

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