8 ms·
Ever since I rode in a BYD in China I've thought it would be great to be able to get one in the USA. It just really felt complete, put together and polished in
by ryandrake 1y ago
Ever since I rode in a BYD in China I've thought it would be great to be able to get one in the USA. It just really felt complete, put together and polished in a way that I haven't seen in a "normie" U.S. car in a long time. Too bad our country uses high tariffs and regulatory barriers to protect its dinosaur companies.
- hackernewds 1y agoBy dinosaur companies, you mean Tesla and Elon Musk
- bdangubic 1y agodinosaur would be a compliment for tesla which designs/releases one new car every decade (each delayed by a decade from initial release date) :)
- mkl 1y agoThey've released 6 models in the 22 years since founding (not counting Semi).
- bdangubic 1y agoBYD released that many since you wrote this comment :) Also check the same for say a Toyota
- bzzzt 1y ago> BYD released that many since you wrote this comment :) You say that like it's an advantage while it's really the opposite. As a car buyer I'm only looking at cars their manufacturer plans to fully support over their lifetime. That rules out new, unproven manufacturers as well as the ones with proven bad support.
- bdangubic 1y agoI own 2014 Tesla S, my next door neighbour has 2024 Tesla S, same f’ing car. Tesla X was modern looking back in 2017, looks the same now. Tesla 3 is chopped up S and Y is 3 blown up in height a bit. These are all old outdated cars - hence the dinosaur comment. Support-wise, trying owning an older model of Tesla like a do and you’d know that your statement cannot be further from the truth, my car bricked several times after a software update and getting repairs done gets met with “oh that’ll take __ to get parts”
- bzzzt 1y agoThat's what I meant with 'known bad support'.
- gruez 1y ago>dinosaur would be a compliment for tesla which designs/releases one new car every decade ...because they don't do model years? Most cars are like that too, except they increment the model year annually, whether or not there are substantive changes.
- bdangubic 1y agomodel years what now? :)
- nine_zeros 1y agoAt this point, a byd is a far superior car for the price. You should test drive one when you get a chance to escape North Korea, er, I mean America.
- apwell23 1y agoi did. its poor quality like tesla.
- fragmede 1y agoWhich is even more embarrassing, because they're miles ahead of the carmakers that came before them.
- DangitBobby 1y agoNot really
- fragmede 1y agowhich is an entirely fine opinion, but would you mind using more words so our readers have something more to engage with?
- DangitBobby 1y agoTesla is not miles ahead of auto makers that came before them. They do not have better build quality, higher durability, higher ownership satisfaction, are not more affordable, are not safer. Other automakers could easily transition into that market and make better vehicles than Tesla if they had the incentive to. Their battery and charging technology is impressive and their supercharger network gives them a moat, but not enough of a moat. A concerted federal effort would quickly erase it, and that not happening yet is mostly down to incentives.
- fragmede 1y agoLegacy carmakers still do things by model year. Their processes are waterfall in a world that's gone agile. As far as how well their metal box protects you when you're sitting in it and you get into a crash, all of their models rate very high. There's are fit and finish issues, you're absolutely right, but the dinosaurs aren't evolving with the times. We live in a software driven world now, and their old processes haven't been torn down and built from scratch to meet that reality. As a consumer, the new F150 Lightning does have a lot of cool features, so there's hope for them yet, plus Ford CEO Jim Farley's been driving around a Xiaomi SU7 from China. We'll see if he can light some fires under some asses and manage to turn the Titanic in time.
- eucyclos 1y agoFrom what I see in the roads in China, Tesla is pretty competitive in the right environment
- throwaway-0001 1y agoYes, it’s impressive there are so many Teslas in China. I saw at least 10-20% of Teslas there. But I think it’s not because of being competitive price wise but more about status.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago> it’s not because of being competitive price wise but more about status It's a premium product. Whether due to brand, features or something else, it's undeniable that Tesla was doing something right vis-à-vis BYD. (That said, they've been losing their edge since even before Musk's recent fuckups [1].) [1] https://cnevpost.com/2025/09/08/tesla-sells-57152-cars-china-aug-2025/ https://cnevpost.com/2025/09/08/tesla-sells-57152-cars-china...
- DanielVZ 1y agoEver since I ride them constantly in Chilean Ubers I wish other EVs were more prevalent because how the aluminum bends and creaks sometimes when I sit on the backseat doesn’t make me feel any safe (I weight 90kg).
- renewiltord 1y agoHaha what was the manufacturer? I drove a Changan Uni-T there and it was not an EV and handled like a boat but a very serviceable car. To be honest, I was surprised because it was the first Chinese car I'd driven and my mind was blown how far they'd come.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- StopDisinfo910 1y agoI don’t if the Chilean models are built to the same standards (they should) but BYD is approved in both the US and the EU. Structural integrity is definitely not a problem.
- gkanai 1y ago> it would be great to be able to get one in the USA. Allowing in Chinese EVs into markets where there are important domestic auto manufacturers will be very bad for those domestic manufacturers. (US, Germany, France, S.Korea, Japan, etc.) Outside of Tesla, none have EV brands competitive with the Chinese firms and if customers in those non China markets migrate to Chinese brands en masse, it would be tremendous disruption and the failure of many storied domestic brands. It is important that the US have strong auto companies. Same is true for Germany, France, Japan, S. Korea, etc. China should have strong car companies for their domestic market. The problem comes when they end up destroying other/outside markets. Look at solar panels, drones, batteries, for similar comparisons.
- milesrout 1y agoIn what sense are domestic car manufacturers "important"? They're inefficient if they're being outcompeted by China.
- solresol 1y agoIf the "outcompeting" is possible because of Chinese government subsidies, then it's important to protect local industry from unfair competition. It's similar to the logic behind anti-trust actions against monopolists. If the playing field isn't level, then the USA government steps in to level it. (Whether BYD is subsidised or not is another question, but the above is the logic of protecting local industry.)
- justinclift 1y ago> If the playing field isn't level, then the USA government steps in to level it. More recently though, it kind of seems like if the playing field isn't tipped strongly towards the US, then the US government will step in to tip it their way.
- intended 1y agoGovernment subsidies effectively provide protection for a local market and capital. America has some of the lowest cost of capital and most effective financial markets in human history. If the Chinese markets are blocked that doesn’t mean the rest of the world is inaccessible. Another aspect of government subsidies is that they mask incompetence.
- lyime 1y agoChina subsidies Byd. It would be bad for american car industry. So if US wants to create a fair competition, they would need to use tariffs or subsidies the US car industry players that could compete fairly with BYD. Looks like US is using tariffs to compete.
- thewileyone 1y agoTesla relies on US govt subsidies as well.
- socalgal2 1y agoAll US car companies rely on US govt subsidies
- hangonhn 1y agoAnd the Tesla factory in Shanghai also gets Chinese subsidies. The subsidies to Chinese EV companies isn't direct anymore. Most of it is in the form of tax refunds. The biggest "subsidy", though, is the incredible pipeline China has built to feed the industry. Their industrial policy has created an huge ecosystem capable of feeding batteries and components into their EV industry at a price point and scale that no other country can compete with. It's been an incredibly effective industrial policy. I get what the OP means about the destruction of our auto industry but we can only hide behind that for so long. An ineffective and noncompetitive auto industry won't be able to scale up during a war either. I hope our industrial leaders and politicians are using tariffs and other trade barriers to the US car industry only as a temporary reprieve while we scale up our ecosystem too. Otherwise we run the risk of becoming one of those countries that keeps outdated domestic companies alive just to say we have those companies. Without export discipline and the ability to compete effectively on the global stage, domestic companies are just zombies kept alive by domestic subsidies. They won't be able to help us in the event of a war with a peer adversary.
- tooltalk 1y agoTesla's US subsidies mainly came from a ATVM loan from the DOE back in 2008/2009, repaid back in 2013 -- Ford ($6B) was the largest recipient. The DOE had/have other auto/EV/battery subsidies, equally available to foreign domestic producers/recipients, which is what the global subsidies standard requires. No special, or "specific" subsidy favoring Tesla over others (or local companies over foreign competitors). America's consumer purchase EV subsidies prior to the IRA were also neutral without preference to any "specific" company, industry or country of origin. China's NEV subsidies were/are illegal and Chinese EVs are countervailed in many developed countries (eg, the EU, Turkiye, Canada, US) because they are misapplied in three key ways. i. forced tech transfer: no subsidies or market access unless hybrid/BEV/batteries tech transfer to China since 2011; violates China's 2001 Accession Protocal (see Section 7, Non-Tariff Measures); litigated before the WTO by the EU (WT/DS549) ii, local content requirement: no subsidies or license/permit to operate in China unless automakers' EVs used Chinese batteries made by Chinese local "champions" only, namely CATL, since 2015; all foreign battery producers effectively banned and all EV producers forced to switch to local battery suppliers; violates Article 3(a) Prohibition of the Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM) Agreement iii, export subsidies: subsidies given to MIC exporters to under price/under cut foreign competitors in markets abroad; EU Commission's counter measures: 2024/1866 and 2024/2754. Tesla China benefited significantly from China's NEV subsidies and is likewise also countervailed in the EU, at the import tariff rate of 7+%. Tesla no longer imports EV from China in the US/Canada.
- gamblor956 1y agoContrasting opinion: BYD made electric busses for US transit agencies. They were the worst buses that I have ever ridden. Today, no U.S. transit agency still uses BYD busses, because none of them managed a service live longer than about a year. BYD vehicles seem really nice for the first few hours, until you start discovering all the corners they cut to make their price point.
- throwaway-0001 1y agoTbh i have to agree with you. I tried byd and cuts corners everywhere. Look at the screen: static video instead of Tesla interactive, low screen dpi. Other small details I can’t recall. I also don’t like Tesla, but at least they have a nicer screen. Tesla also has big gaps between their parts looking from outside.
- taneq 1y agoWhat did you try, and when? Their current models are well presented with impressive feature sets, and IMO are spectacular bang for buck.
- throwaway-0001 1y agoI’m not sure the model. Was 9 months ago. Mainly was the screen, so I’d assume they would cut other corners
- amenhotep 1y agoCorners cut on something I don't want in the car anyway sounds great tbh.
- throwaway-0001 1y agoI think it tells about the rest but that’s just me. When you look at a machinery you might look at small details how is soldered to estimate quality. Might not be accurate but it’s a signal.
- 1y ago
- aiisthefiture 1y agoThis is the type of statement that often comes from pro China people. Because the quality of BYD in China is lower than outside of China, making it more propaganda than truth. Edit: Sigh. I wish people would actually travel to China and try a BYD and then go to Australia and try BYD. it’s like 2 different cars. The China BYD is trash. BYD in Australia is actually quite nice and feels like really good value.
- fennecfoxy 1y agoI would tend you agree with you. I hear about loads of issues with BYD in China, such as battery fires/cars freaking out and locking occupants in or out of the vehicle. But then I look at the electric BYD buses in London that seemingly have no issues at all (that I've heard of). We all know about the corrupt tofu dreg projects etc but that seems like more of a domestic problem.
- mixmastamyk 1y agoPerhaps they have different models that are prevalent in different locations? e.g. Folks in China prefer the cheaper models?
- michaelhoney 1y agoBYD is now the 6th most popular brand in Australia, up 176% YoY.
- slaw 1y agoBYD has only 4.9% of car sales market. Why BEVs are so unpopular in Australia, only 9.31% of sales? https://www.fcai.com.au/new-brands-surge-in-strong-august-sales/ https://www.fcai.com.au/new-brands-surge-in-strong-august-sa...
- mattclarkdotnet 1y agoLong driving distances in many areas, plus high electricity costs and poor charging infrastructure. Plug in hybrids sell like hot cakes though!
- slaw 1y agoPlug in hybrids are only 14.87% https://www.aaa.asn.au/research-data/electric-vehicle/ https://www.aaa.asn.au/research-data/electric-vehicle/
- aurareturn 1y agoOne of the leading indicators of not being able to do the "hard" thing anymore is that Apple gave up on building an EV after spending a decade and billions in R&D. Meanwhile, Huawei and Xiaomi were both able to produce good EVs. Xiaomi in particular is doing what Apple wanted to do which is to integrate and control their ecosystem from phone to car. Xiaomi is literally trying to make everything from phones, cars, electronic tooth brushes, air fryers, soap dispensers, etc. It's astonishing. I've had a few Xiaomi electronics including a dust mite vacuum and an air purifier. Both well designed and worked well for the price.
- triceratops 1y agoMy impression was Apple gave up on building EVs because they wouldn't be as profitable as phones and tablets.
- aurareturn 1y agoPhones weren't that profitable too before the iPhone. They did it anyway.
- whatevaa 1y agoBecause they found a new approach (smartphones). There's nothing new with cars.
- aurareturn 1y agoSelf driving cars? Apple taxis service? Apple family self driving vans? Owning the entire experience of taking people from one place to another? They simply thought it was too hard and went back to what was already working.
- WorldMaker 1y ago> Apple taxis service? Apple family self driving vans? Taxis and buses are pretty old tech at this point. (Not just from an Uber/Lyft perspective either; taxis and coaches predate cars themselves, because the ideas/"tech" worked just fine with actual horse power.) As for self-driving cars, so much of the efforts today remind me of that old Ford quote to the tune of "If I asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a better horse". It doesn't feel like an innovative step change in transportation, it feels like a slightly better car (when it works). It doesn't fix any of the current big problems of cars and over-relying on cars as our primary transportation form factor.
- quickthrowman 1y ago> Too bad our country uses high tariffs and regulatory barriers to protect its dinosaur companies. I’m fine with tariffs that keep around industries that are needed during wartime. That’s why there are tariffs on cars, no other reason is even remotely important. It has zero to do with GM and Ford making profits and everything to do with keeping GM and Ford around so they can pump out war materiel if needed.
- didntknowyou 1y agoyeah same thing when I tried their Huawei phones. their mobile phone market is much more innovative due to the competition it's a bit of a shame the monopolies stifle competitors to grasp their crown a little longer
- beezlewax 1y agoYou can get these in Europe. Actually there are so many options in new car brands you wouldn't know where to start.