“Corolla killer:” BYD launches $US15,000 sedan EV with 420 km range in direct attack on legacy makers
“Corolla killer:” BYD launches $US15,000 sedan EV with 420 km range in direct attack on legacy makers
BYD has launched its low cost sedan in China which industry observers are calling the Corolla Killer.
Isn't the staying power of Toyota vehicles their build quality and longevity, not their cheapness? Wouldn't this be a Kia killer?
Definitely. I would be surprised if this car maker can compete toe to toe with Toyota on quality but they can slay when it comes to price.
It is now, but not when they started taking over back in the 1980's. They started off by being cars that were cheaper. Their prices rose as they started to get a positive name for themselves.
I remember Kia coming into the US market with a somewhat similar playback, but they entered back when many other makers weren't having poor quality/lifespan vehicles. Mid 90's kias were cheap as snot so they got some sales. But it didn't bode well for them as people started to notice they weren't built to last very long, and then they started to go bankrupt (Korean financial crisis) and Hyundai bought them/bailed them out. Then they still stayed cheap as snot in the US, but gradually improved in quality. As they started getting a slightly better name for themselves they'd keep upping the price and keep upping the quality. Nowadays they aren't much cheaper at all than a lot of manufacturers, but they also aren't much behind in quality, either. Had they been able to enter the US market a decade sooner, they could have really had a leg up.
This says the opposite. The pre 1983 Toyotas were more reliable. Toyota made their name in the 70's and by the 80's started cost cutting.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/02/curbside-classic-1975-toyota-hilux-pickup/
They took off because they were maintainable, reliable, and cheap. All three attributes were important for them to disrupt the space.
The Chinese automaker BYD reminds me of the famous phrase attributed to the sci-fi writer William Gibson - "The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed."
Future EV cars will be cheap to own and run. Self-driving tech will lower insurance costs. You can charge them with your home solar setup if you want. They'll last far longer with lower maintenance costs thanks to simple electric engines with few moving parts. As their construction gets more roboticized it will lower their costs further. The batteries that make up a huge chunk of their current costs are falling in price too. CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker, is set to cut costs in half by mid 2024.
Some people still think gasoline and ICE cars have a long life ahead of them, and don't realize the industries behind both are dead men walking.
If future means public subsidies, I'm all for it.
Chinese EVs are cheaper because they are prepaid by Chinese tax payers. That also includes taxes levied from our internet purchases for products made in China.
The whole industry lives off subsidies, regardless of the type or where they are manufactured.
Sounds like a good way to make cars more available and balancing the cost with the rich.
In a funny way this sounds like prescription drugs, cheaper for the world due to US tax payers.
...the sci-fi writer William Gibson...
For those who dont know:
If the quote sounds very cyberpunk (techno futuristic corporate dystopia) it is because William Gibson is the father of the cyberpunk genre.
And did it by boldly having no understanding of computers at the time which is why all the tech is so different from a lot of other scifi. I recently got through my decade long Asimov kick and am slowly working through Gibson now
I’m an ev fan but I don’t agree that they have more longevity than ICE cars. The current battery chemistries simply don’t allow for it.
Either battery chemistries with 20 years of guaranteed performance would have to be developed, or battery replacement and refurbishment costs will need to come down to say the cost of replacing a head gasket.
This will eventually happen, but current generation of EVs are essentially a recyclable consumable compared to their ICE counterparts.
Current cars are not scrap because of the moving parts. It is rust on the body that kills them.
Not everywhere. Where I'm from it's definitely not because of rust that the cars die. But they last for longer maybe.
Permanently Deleted
Cars will become appliances, which is inevitable, but I already think we’ve lost the fun of cars.
I’ll be keeping my manual ICE car until I’ve got to squeeze dino juice from the rocks with my bare hands, even if I have an electric commuting appliance.
“Today, most buyers want a good, solid reliable car that has some nice features and doesn’t cost too much,” he wrote.
Wow a car manufacturer that finally speaks some sense.
And that isn't connected to the Internet please
...and no subscription fees.
If this makes it to American shores they will not be able to keep up with demand.
I do not think this will ever make it to the USA.
Thought i read somewhere that BYD or another manufacturer was looking to build manufacturing in Mexico to take advantage of the NAFTA agreement…. If that’s the case then it’s a question of them meeting US standards. I just remember the hilariously bad crash tests where that cars were the crumple zones.
I also expect the ev batteries to be on par with any other rechargeable battery I've ever gotten that was chinese made. Not true to capacity, puts off more heat due to resistance already being higher than it should, and not lasting nearly as long before it goes bad.
I'd jump all over a Chinese made ev if did mostly city driving and I could get it for $15,000 and it passed safety standards. It would still be required to have the 100,000 mile or 8 year battery warranty.
For my current situation though, I still wouldn't get the thing. I'd be out of warranty in 4 years, and no way would I want to risk keeping it past warranty. I'd probably lose like $7,000 selling it used at that point.
If I can get easy replacement parts access and a Hayne's manual for one of these, I'm all for it. I have both of those for my current car, along with a full toolbox for basic mechanic work.
Seeing EU and US auto maker get bent out of shape at the idea of having to compete on price... they want the state to step in to protect their captured market. clown capitalism for ya.
And before we start talking chinese state aid for their EV industry, let's not forget that we also provide state aid to our daddies of the industry and they still punk us on price 🤡🤡🤡
I'm buying up vhs-c and hi8 camcorders and so many end user manuals have fucking schematics, parts lists, circuit diagrams, pcb layouts, timing charts, ...
I'm old enough to remember owning things but never really to the extent you could build a whole new one from scratch and I don't think those days are coming back, especially with the voltages involved in EVs
Can you tell me please, does a Hayne's manual exist for a 2000 Mitsubishi Pajero V60?
I want an electric Subaru Outback or Forester. Something that can be driven off road to a campground, pull a trailer if needed, and has enough range to get me from Ann Arbor to the upper peninsula with minimal charging. Seats and trunk that I can hose out after a muddy dog park excursion would be great too.
It's going to be a little while before we get realistic options for outdoorsy uses of BEVs. If you want the range to get there AND get back (or even just to a charger) then they're too dang heavy for offroad use. If you want to pull a camper, then the range absolutely tanks.
Airstream is trying to address this by making a $120,000 (lol) camper that has its own battery and traction motors to assist the pulling vehicle. I think its a pretty good idea but of course they're going to lock it down in patents for 20 years and prevent anyone from offering something affordable.
Maybe we'll get lucky an a revolutionary battery technology like those frequently talked about glass batteries will come out and just outperform the status quo by every metric.
Thank you for the informative comment, much appreciated!
Subaru is launching the hybrid Forester this year. Might be something to consider.
Do a search for "unexpected acceleration", there are some serious surprises in the gas/hybrid vehicles in both drive and reverse.
Edit: This is not to imply all gas/hybrid cars are vulnerable, but it may be well-worth the time to check the vehicle brand/model/year of interest. A more specific search term is: brand model year "sudden unexpected acceleration"
I'm curious how much a similar vehicle would be in North America. Could BYD import it directly?
It would be considerably more expensive. Safety standards are much higher in Western countries. Also, they still need to build up a sales and maintenance organisation there, that takes a lot of capital. It'll be interesting to see where they land in their price points, though.
They would build them in Mexico due to the cheap labour (much like the majority of legacy automakers already do) and ship them up North and South.
Tariffs on Chinese vehicles in the US are 25+%, but even with that, this would be a bargain. I'm sure there'd be even more costs added bringing it over, but if it can stay under $30k, I think it'd sell a lot, especially if it's closer to $25k or less.
Given the rough relationship between the US and China and the potential national security risks, I highly doubt this will ever make its way into the US. May make its way to Europe though.
Already there. They also own the former UK manufacturer Morris Garages (MG) which have made some semi popular models recently, including EVs.
MG6
Just wait until you learn its cloud based
Airbags are on a subscription basis.
Brakes too
Capitalism at work.
That's about 261 miles
Aaaaand it's on fire.
From the video "but Europeans would rather buy a BYD than an American car"
Really? I've never seen a BYD in Europe, but Teslas are around every corner
If it ever gets sold here
I WANT THAT