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BYD to launch its smallest EV in Australia, hinting at low-cost Seagull arrival
- chris_wot 2y agoAre those prices in AUD?
- edent 2y agoNo. Incredibly confusing assumption of US hegemony. Looks like it should be about AUD$15,000.
- aragilar 2y agoIt looks like they used a value in AUD once in the article, with BRL, pesos and yuan being mentioned more times...
- chris_wot 2y agoAs an Australian, this article is less than useless to me. If they are reporting on the Australian market and giving prices in dollars, then they should be saying what currency they are referring to.
- stevage 2y agoYep. There was a time when USD and AUD were pretty similar so it didn't matter so much, but we're currently at $1.52 AUD to the $1 USD.
- bantunes 2y agoGood to see someone with an actual plan to roll out affordable EVs. Too bad it's BYD, the knock-on effects on Tesla and VW Group will not be pretty. I mean, unless the US and EU tariff the hell out of imports. Australia doesn't care, since they don't car makers anymore after Holden's demise (right?).
- Guthur 2y agoHolden was GM for quite some time anyway, Australia ceased having an independent car manufacturer a very long time ago. But Australia allow large international companies to steal all their gas at essentially 0% resource tax so it's not like they'll ever do anything to ensure their independence.
- pantalaimon 2y ago> unless the US and EU tariff the hell out of imports This is the plan, the EU just enacted penal tariffs on Chinese EVs today
- pen2l 2y ago> I mean, unless the US and EU tariff the hell out of imports. That is what is happening. But I wonder if that'll result in animosity for the upper ruling class. Tariffs when it suits them, but never when it suits us down below. Many would love the BYD because all other EV's are completely out of their spending budget.
- potato3732842 2y agoAnimosity for the upper ruling class is so 2011. It's the enablers they're gonna come for this time. (maybe, I can't predict the future)
- Neonlicht 2y agoThe EU doesn't care if BYD opens factories in Europe.
- yurishimo 2y agoNeither does America. Many of US engines are manufactured overseas already. Honda and Toyota are famous for importing their own engines for some models that they deem important enough.
- fvdessen 2y agoThe latest batch of chinese EV looks really excellent, with exciting and practical vehicles at incredible prices. I’m afraid the whole European car industry is going to get nokiaed. Maybe not on our home market due to protectionism but abroad I don’t see why someone would buy a renault when you can buy this
- CalRobert 2y agoVolkswagen got what they asked for and it will be their undoing. More lung disease and kindercrusher SUV's for all!
- fvdessen 2y agoIt’s not just VW, there aren’t many companies and countries that are able to compete with China when it comes to manufacturing commodity products
- CalRobert 2y agoTrue, but vw’s kicking and screaming against electrification has only doomed them. I’m sure typewriter companies would welcome tariffs on computers too.
- Neonlicht 2y agoIronically it was the Chinese market that saved the Germans in the 1990s.
- lm28469 2y agoRenault makes the vast majority of its money in Europe anyways: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1129046/revenue-by-region-renault-group/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1129046/revenue-by-regio... Cheap EVs are good, I personally don't care if they're american, european or asian. Europe could do it instead of focusing on 40k+ euros gadget bloated piece of shit that nobody can afford
- bb123 2y ago
- rgmerk 2y agoThe Seagull is very cool, and I'm sure they'll sell plenty in Asia (and Europe if they get the chance). But very few people buy cars of this size in Australia. Kia is about the only manufacturer left offering them, and it's very much a niche car despite being the cheapest on the market. The new car market is dominated by pickups, just like the USA (though they're not quite as big as F150s).
- averageRoyalty 2y ago> But very few people buy cars of this size in Australia. Kia is about the only manufacturer left offering them, and it's very much a niche car despite being the cheapest on the market. This doesn't appear to be true in my experience. Accent, Corolla hatchback, Polo, Golf, Yaris - these are all cars you'll see every day in any Australian city. And whilst tradies buy utes (we don't call them "pickups"), I doubt at least in the consumer vehicle market they dominate. What is your source of information?
- ZeroGravitas 2y agoAlso worth bearing in mind that EVs of an external size similar to an ICE car are often a class above in terms of internal space due to the packaging of the motors getting pushed out to the extremes of the vehicle.
- StackRanker3000 2y agoAren’t utes and pickups different (albeit similar) types of vehicle? Edit: Since someone downvoted me, I went to find the first source I could. I’d be more than happy to be challenged constructively if this isn’t true: > Utes are classified as a tub-back commercial vehicle based off a passenger car variant. > For the Americans reading this, yes the Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino are therefore utes and not pick-up trucks. > With no passenger car variant diesel 4x4s like the Ford Ranger, VW Amarok and Toyota Hilux are classified as pick-ups. These vehicles use separate chassis/body construction, commonly use leaf-sprung solid-axle rear-ends and have higher towing capacities than most passenger car-based utes. https://mightycarmods.com/blogs/news/utes-trucks-and-pick-ups-what-is-the-difference https://mightycarmods.com/blogs/news/utes-trucks-and-pick-up...
- IWeldMelons 2y agoI used to be sceptical about BYD until I had a ride in BYD SUV a month ago. Very, very comfortable car.