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this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2026
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Something something free market.
That argument is only valid when it benefits us.
And by us, I mean me specifically. Anything else is actually dangerous communism.
I thought the point of capitalism was to compete.
Are Chinese made cars that good, that the auto industry is scared? I say bring them on.
It's more that American cars are that bad, or at least that they're that expensive. New cars keep getting more expensive as the oligarchy realizes that they can soak people on financing.
They are also getting more expensive to repair and mechanics are quitting dealerships in droves because they don't want to a) buy specialty tools to do b) repairs that are needlessly time consuming and c) happen way too frequently to e) be paid a fraction of the repair time.
So, yeah, if someone was selling cars as good as a 2000-era Honda at a 2000-era price, they'd destroy the American market.
Make it so. 2000-era Honda sounds amazing, actually. The market will bounce back, even if the current USA manufacturers die before it does. We can't tiptoe to appease thr GMCs of the world.
I don't think "good" is the problem. China can pump them out and undercut the bloated costs that US companies charge, cutting into their bottom line. That's all they care about.
Someone on slashdot (I’m really old) had a link to a yt video showing the Chevy Bolt production line and likened it to a grandmother knitting stuff for Etsy.
It's actually incredible how a >100 year old industry are being overtaken by China in just over a decade. They never learned how to manufacture. Make 12 models? Design 12 different door handles.
Chevy Bolt, famously Hank Green's favorite car.
"most desirable by the consumer" and "good" are the same thing in a capitalistic system.
There are different brands. The cheaper ones are already exporting to Latin America and other Asian countries. The couple of really highend brands are close to European ones and can definitely compete in the North American market.
They're decent enough and cheap.
It's made to compete with european made car, feature very much up to par or better with the likes of volvo and vw. They also sold cheaper compared to the competition. Reliability though, i'm not so sure. I've tried a few of them from geely, they drive pretty great, but a PITA to fix.
Volvo is chinese owned, part of Geely.
The degree to which pro-capitalists are right about the benefits of competition is exactly the degree to which actual capitalists pay politicians to stifle it.
Of course they did. They know that they can't compete. Chinese EV and battery tech would take out the whole industry.
There's a parallel universe where the US continued supporting its own domestic EV industry with more tax credits, more charging infrastructure, more grid investments and stricter corporate fuel economy standards. Maybe in that universe the automakers would attempt to compete with Chinese EVs instead of whining. Instead we elected orange man. Oh well.
I'd prefer protectionism to the extent of making small, electric cars more attractive than all other cars; and to the extent of making public transit, pedestrian- & bicycle-friendly architecture more attractive than all cars.
You wouldn't need protectionism to do any of that.
