Survey Sunday: this is how Chinese EVs will make it to America

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For the last few weeks, we’ve been running a sidebar survey how (or if) Electrek readers think the first Chinese electric cars will make it onto US roads. After receiving more than 3,000 responses, here’s what you told us.

In case you missed the survey, the question read, “With Canada’s new canola for cars deal bringing Chinese EVs to North America, it’s not a matter of IF but WHEN they’ll arrive in the US … how will the first Chinese EVs be sold in the US?”

Given the thousands of Chinese electric cars already making their way into Canada, and the growing list of legacy brands (both American and European) working closely to develop new electric vehicle platforms with the Chinese, it seemed to me to be a matter of when, not if, Chinese EVs would come to the US. Nearly 1 in 5 of you disagreed.

With nearly 500 votes, the “It’ll never happen – the feds will lock down the borders if it means protecting the US’ auto industry,” crowd seemed convinced that the Feds wouldn’t let it happen. Interestingly, however, they didn’t seem to think it mattered which set of Feds we were talking about.

I think both major parties consider China a “threat” and therefore will continue to block any sales with bipartisan enthusiasm. Perhaps the only way this changes is if China decides to really play hardball w rare earth metal sakes to US and forces a trade deal.

Still, the majority of responders seemed to agree that the Chinese were coming, with nearly 700 people agreeing with “my” vote: that GM, Ford, or Chrysler (Stellantis) will bring them in under a JV and sell them through dealers, sort of like Geo or Eagle did in the 1980s.

If you look at how the Japanese automakers came to the US. Typically a importer takes and interest creates “brand of America” then sells the cars. It happened with motorcycles as well. It’s already happened with Chinese motorcycles.

[Malcolm] Bricklin brought in Subaru founding “Subaru of America” he was going to bring in Chery cars to the us 20 years ago. But it didn’t work out.

My favorite comment, however, was about Ford’s Chinese connection with its luxury brand, Lincoln – a brand that I (and maybe some of you) consistently forget still exists.

Ford is already importing Chinese vehicles and selling them as “Lincolns”.

Mark’s right. Ford builds its Lincoln Nautilus at Changan Ford’s Hangzhou plant in China, with Ford’s own technical specifications identifying the Hangzhou facility as the vehicle’s final assembly location and NHTSA explicitly lists the Nautilus’ assembly plant as Hangzhou, China. In other words: one of America’s most historic domestic brands is already selling a Chinese car in the US.

That’s not new, either. Volvo has imported Chinese-built cars since 2015 and Honda’s most recent Fit was imported into North America (Canada) from China – and that’s not counting the “banned for being Chinese” Polestar EVs, which are Swedish-designed that are actually made in the USA in South Carolina, but nothing makes sense anymore so it’s fine.

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Just my opinion the way Chinese cars come to America is when they dominate Canada and Mexicos market and American manufacturers can't sell their cars anywhere in the world because no one wants to buy an ICE car. Take note folks, this is all happening under Republicans. What's left of the Republican party in a few years will absolutely try to change history to blame the other side.

Right? Head on down to the comments and let us know what you think of these results – and be sure to vote in the next one!

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