cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/60717426
China’s EV manufacturers have a new target market in mind: commercial trucks.
Europe’s legacy heavy-duty trucking segment could soon face some serious competition.
Trucks built by Chinese automakers could beat out current battery-electric truck prices by 30%.
That is exactly not the problem. For decades the European automotive industry hasn’t competed on price. It hasn’t ever since the Koreans and Japanese showed up, a long time ago.
European OEMs competed on quality and technology. It made them rich and powerful. That’s why you prefer European cars. They’re just superior.
They gave that edge away by not leading on EVs and remaining stuck with ICE.
That enabled China to compete first on technology, because demand for EVs soared and European OEMs couldn’t deliver. That cashflow then enabled China to also -almost- compete on quality. And yes, then the price aspect sets in: superior tech, competitive quality at lower prices. Hard to compete with that.
But it’s of European OEMs own making. Price is a part, but not the most important. European OEMs didn’t pay attention and let the door open. Then they had their lunch stolen. Tough luck.
In what way, specifically, are Chinese EV trucks better than European ones?