cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/63264799
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”
They slept for decades and pretty much passed on the transition to electric cars - and now they are surprised that they fell behind?
You had billions of revenue and paid those to your shareholders instead of investing in future technology. Stop whining, you screwed it up all by yourselves!
They slept for decades and pretty much passed on the transition to electric cars
Not exactly. Toyota had hybrids in 1997. Their hybrid sales are still strong. The problem is the Chinese government coordinated an effort to control raw materials and invested heavily in research to net complete control of the supply chain from mining to research making cheaper, better batteries. US just watched this happen under Trump 1.0, did nothing because they had CLEAN COAL™.
Biden tried to counter with huge investment in US battery plants, but then you guys brought back Trump who…
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Killed all those battery plants.
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Cut all research
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Sent 10,000 PhDs out of the country, many to China.
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Tariffed what tech was possible.
There was an imminent technology threat and the decision was to fight genius with stupid.
And lastly, GM, Ford and Stellantis all made EVs in the last few years no one bought.
1997 was almost 30 years ago - that’s what I call decades! And hybrids are obviously a dead end for at least 15 years now. They were a nice stepping stone but nothing you can (or should) build your future on.
And: Yes, China did a concerted effort to push for emobility - while Europe, USA and Japan did everything to convince people that fossil fueled cars are the pinnacle of engineering and greater than everything.
Turns out: it’s not. And everyone with a basic understanding in physics could see through that for many years.
We can keep blaming China, cry sad tears for the dying oiltimers - or finally put everything we still have into renewable energies, climate friendly traveling, etc.
But I guess that won’t happen.
The next industry we can gut is already starting to breath quite heavy due to ever increasing kerosene costs: air travel My prognosis: We will fuck it up exactly the same way and complain in a few years that Boeing, Airbus and Embraer are losing market share like crazy against air planes from China and Korea…
Toyota has also been one of the most active lobbyists against EV adoption since they started developing hybrids. They’ve always been worried it will cut into their market advantage.
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Why don’t they compete by not putting facial recognition surveillance cameras and spy microphones in their cars. Make it a selling point that you value and respect your customers’ privacy. Lots of Americans would buy those cars.
Because then they lose investors and don’t have the money to upgrade their factories, guaranteeing they will fall behind China in terms of quality. Getting more profit only matters if the company can hold on to that money to pay for its own investments, and that is something shareholders voted against because shareholders wanted to control the means of production.
Capitalism hasn’t been about the pursuit of profit for decades. Companies serve shareholders and shareholders get rich by selling high and buying low. By speculating on the value of assets and creating scarcity to drive up the value of those assets without ever having to sell those assets to a consumer. By legal forms of insider trading, by lobbying for the mere mention of subsidies to a sector you have assets in, etc.
The only reason capitalism still has consumers is because it still needs laborers. If all jobs were automated, every corporation can switch entirely to increasing the value of assets in the eyes of other corporations, selling business-to-business if they are selling anything at all, parceling up the planet and fighting to control the biggest chunk. Capitalism won’t need us, and when it doesn’t need us, getting rid of us is a fiduciary duty. They are building the robots to kill us with as we speak, and field-testing them in Palestine and Ukraine and elsewhere.
I assure you, it won’t hit my portfolio, because my portfolio’s got photography, not stocks.
I hope those billionaires catch it in the goddamn neck though.
Well maybe it’s time for you to change then.
Stop making trucks and bring back hatchbacks.
Or make some little trucks again, with more bed than cabin.
Nope. The 80s chicken tax is still in effect.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax
Anything stupid usually comes down to some government tariff.
Chicken rax only applies to imports.
Stupid laws can be replaced or repealed, well the could if the government actually did its job
Like the ford ranger? I hated driving one of thoses little shits. My leg room felt as small as the bed, granted i was working for a construction company that needed trucks. Well not really, i would take the e150 if i could but id had preferred to use the transit all every time.
As i was typing that i realized all we had were fords.
I had a Mazda B2200 and it was fantastic. 8’ bed, regular cab and a 2.2L 4 cylinder engine. Perfect. All of the long time brands had such offerings for a good long time. Toyota of course, Isuzu, Chevy had the S-10, and yes the Ford Ranger. Some things you just can’t fit in a hatchback civic, or don’t want inside your car, but you don’t need a whole F-150( which now seems to only even be available as a crew cab with a pissy little 5’ bed. Light pickups were a useful category of vehicle.
Excuse me? F150s have a smaller bed? Wtf. I mean our f250 was more comfortable but it felt more bulky then it needed to be.
Now all the other cars you listed i have no idea about. Im no car dude, i just so happened to work at a place that had a lot of ford vehicles that i had to drive.
All the trucks now seem to come with the dinky short beds and a whole SUV worth of interior. The pickup truck as a utility vehicle has all but died.
Thats so stupid though. I mean dont short the cab like the ranger i drove, but a bed helps so much whem you need it. Thats why i liked the e150 because that shit was bareboned but still had some comfrey seats with leg room.
God i know its been like a decade since i worked in those types of vehicles, but have trucks just become a dick swinging contest over the usability of them? I know everything else going on is so stupid, i didnt want to know this was another one.
Yeah, it’s pretty bad.
I would like an affordable electric sedan thank you
Stop making trucks and bring back hatchbacks.
Stop buying trucks and calling hatchbacks loser cars.
Say WHAAAAAAAAAAATTT??? Spending the last 25 years making lazy generic SUVslop and TruckSlop with no real innovations is gonna kill you to foreign competition??? Oh No!
Anyway…
Hard to feel sympathy when a multi billion dollar company complains.
Especially when they are using cash for stock buybacks and dividends. For decades they favored share holders over development and employees. Hopefully the employees get help if these companies really can’t compete. But Ford had billions in positive cash flow last year, so maybe this is all just crying wolf right now.
Except the death of those poorly run companies means the loss of 400,000 direct jobs.
I thought Capitalism was a superior though?
Have they tried FIRING their Employees and Replacing them with AI? Or MAYBE they can Eliminate models that DONT need Expensive and Depleting Energy Sources? MAYBE if they did BOTH of those Together they could Compete!
if we don’t get priced out of everything we want and need you can’t survive? boo fucking hoo.
I am supposed to feel sorry for coorporations?
I want to buy an EV from Honda,Toyota or Ford. But all their options suck. I feel like I’m just idlly waiting for them to get their shit together.
You’re in for a long wait, the Ford Mustang EV was decent and that’s about it.
I’ve got an MME GT, and it’s been great.
Disappointed that the only market segment for EVs right now is crossovers. I would have much rather purchased a smaller more efficient and city friendly EV.
I’d kill for the CR-Z, or Civic coupe to come back as an EV.
I’ve read very good things about hiunday. Skoda is also very good, almost bought it.
Hyundai has had chronic problems with their ICCU failing, but they have extended warranties to 15 years and 180,000 miles where Detroit would have just waited for a class action suit.
Well, thank fuck the US has their back, I can’t buy a Chinese anything. Surely that will keep them in business.
Oh no, not my portfolio! Wait, what’s 20% less than 0?
Ok, die then. Maybe if you stopped taking such huge checks you could survive.
