4 ms·

I'd consider the being the buying side of a market as "participating" in that market. Vehicles are definitely regulated in Europe (see that story with Volkswag

by forty 3y ago

I'd consider the being the buying side of a market as "participating" in that market. Vehicles are definitely regulated in Europe (see that story with Volkswagen, an EU brand, cheating the regulation as an example [1]) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal EDIT: I realize this started in the US but EU countries also went after VW and other EU brands after that

jeroenhd 3y ago
While car companies obviously need to follow regulations, those regulations are quite lax compared to the USA. We didn't have as big an emissions scandal in Europe because the European Commission knew about the manipulation as early as in 2010 but didn't act on it. When it comes to regulation in the car industry, I can't help but feel like the car manufacturers are the ones writing the law. They'll gladly make the safety technology they're already building into every car mandatory to get rid of foreign competition, but when emissions come up, progress slows down all of the sudden. This stuff happens everywhere regulation applies, though. I distinctly remember an absurd article shared here on HN that detailed how over in the USA there was a conspiracy by Big Pasta to alter regulations in such a way that would prevent European brands from competing, for example.
- forty 3y ago
  I think it can go both ways: heavily regulate stuff built abroad to reduce their profit, heavily regulate stuff made locally so that standard is too high for foreign competition to join the market.
jq-r 3y ago
Oh yeah, EU regulators huffed and puffed when it was discovered that they are not doing their jobs and actually are in cahoots with the industry. Great example there. If EU, or maybe just Germany was even concerned about ecology they would heavily tax those heavy monsters of "crossover" cars and similar garbage and transfer that money to EVs, but they don't. Nobody touches EU car industry where it actually hurts.

by forty 3y ago

jeroenhd 3y ago

While car companies obviously need to follow regulations, those regulations are quite lax compared to the USA. We didn't have as big an emissions scandal in Europe because the European Commission knew about the manipulation as early as in 2010 but didn't act on it. When it comes to regulation in the car industry, I can't help but feel like the car manufacturers are the ones writing the law. They'll gladly make the safety technology they're already building into every car mandatory to get rid of foreign competition, but when emissions come up, progress slows down all of the sudden. This stuff happens everywhere regulation applies, though. I distinctly remember an absurd article shared here on HN that detailed how over in the USA there was a conspiracy by Big Pasta to alter regulations in such a way that would prevent European brands from competing, for example.

forty 3y ago
I think it can go both ways: heavily regulate stuff built abroad to reduce their profit, heavily regulate stuff made locally so that standard is too high for foreign competition to join the market.

jq-r 3y ago

Oh yeah, EU regulators huffed and puffed when it was discovered that they are not doing their jobs and actually are in cahoots with the industry. Great example there. If EU, or maybe just Germany was even concerned about ecology they would heavily tax those heavy monsters of "crossover" cars and similar garbage and transfer that money to EVs, but they don't. Nobody touches EU car industry where it actually hurts.