McElroy’s verdict: “This is a wake-up call for all the legacy automakers all around the world.”
The Chinese vehicles weren’t just solidly built, nice to drive and full of impressive technology. They also cost far less than a comparable EV would in the U.S.
The idea that Chinese products are inherently inferior or cheaply made has gone fully out the window.
Zeekr X carries an MSRP of $30,692, a price point that’s hard to find in the U.S. EV market.
While I have no doubt that’s true, they would take some upgrading to be able to be sold in the US. I don’t suppose that would be prohibitive, but most of the low price entries (according to what I have read) would not be street legal in the US.
Some, for instance, have only 1 windshield wiper. (So does Tesla Cybertruck, but it is massive. It is also failing ) That seems trivial, I suppose, but it saves a motor and production time. Some use consumer grade electronics rather than automotive grade, which is acceptable by Chinese regulators but not US) and there are lots of other differences.
The biggest reasons for cost differences are probably other things, tho: willingness to accept a lower profit margin, ability to produce for a large market the government is mandating (by disadvantaging ICE cars), government subsidies, battery supply chain ownership, etc.
I dunno. You could ask Tesla, which used consumer grade TV screens for a while, only to find out that the bouncing, shaking, and environmental issues of heat and cold are a little bit different than being stationary in a climate controlled living room …. And had to replace tens of thousands of them:
Oh. And charged owners $1,300 for replacing the screens as it “wasn’t covered by warranty.”
Seriously, thanks for that tidbit. I did not know that. Tho the ills described sound like the complaints about every other electric gimmick in cars now.
When they say “automotive grade” versus “consumer grade”, they don’t mean quality of software, quality of UI design, etc. They mean the actual specs on the actual hardware parts. For example you might find a chip seller that sells the same chip, but OEM spec is -45C to +85C operating, while consumer spec might be 0C to 70C operating. And it obviously isn’t just temperature, it’s all sorts of things, vibration, humidity, under/overvoltage, etc.
) That seems trivial, I suppose, but it saves a motor and production time. Some use consumer grade electronics rather than automotive grade, which is acceptable by Chinese regulators but not US) and there are lots of other differences.
