cross-posted from : https://lemmy.zip/post/71670397
BYD will need three vehicle assembly plants and one battery factory in Europe over the longer term to pursue its growth plans and comply with EU regulations, the Chinese automaker's special adviser for Europe said.
19 Comments
comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 14 pts · 17h
How about we only allow them to operate plants in Europe if they form joint ventures with local companies and agree to some form of technology and knowledge transfer.
Volkswagen, Mercedes and others might have an idea how such a system could work from experience.
Grimy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 16h
I'm out of the loop and can't find much info? What joint ventures are notable? I don't really consider Volkswagen or Mercedes as the good guys in any story.
Volkswagen sabotaged their emissions test and both are firmly in the "affordable EVs are an impossible task! oh woops, China is doing it? Can we ban them? No? Oh okay, I guess I'll try" camp. Most car manufacturers are oil industry branches.
comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 4 pts · 16h
See the comment from tardigrade below, he did a good job explaining exactly what went down
tardigrade@scribe.disroot.org · 2 pts · 17h
Germany pushes the EU exacly in this direction, amongst others.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · -1 pts · 15h
Why would anyone do that. They spent a fortune in R&D, VW spent it on executive compensation.
ManixT@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 9h
That's what corporations had to do in order to sell their products in China. It seems only logical to force them to do the same in other markets.
ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 18h
As long as its European jobs being created and environmental and social regulations are obeyed like every other competitor does, why not?
tardigrade@scribe.disroot.org · 5 pts · 17h
Yeah, and as long as BYD operates the plant in a joint venture as the junior partner with a European competitor. As @comrade_twisty has said, they certainly know this system already ...
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 15h
No one needs BYD as a partner, they need CATL as a partner. EV= motor+battery, that's it.
Grimy@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 16h
As a junior partner? Imagine if Volks wanted to open up a plant in the state but to do so, they had to agree to be Ford's little bitch and give them access to everything.
When has this ever been a thing. Oh right, we must protect ourselves from the evil Chinese EV. Our way of life (oil profits) is at stake.
tardigrade@scribe.disroot.org · 8 pts · 16h
This has been a thing in China for decades. Indeed, there has been never a different thing. In China, non-Chinese carmakers can't have a subsidiary, they must create a joint venture with a Chinese competitor that then holds the majority of the JV. The JV must also hand over all technical specifications to the authorities for each new car they want to build, and you can be sure that a year or so later, there is a similar car on Chinese roads by a Chinese competitor.
And these are just two 'things' of a long list.
comrade_twisty@feddit.org · 3 pts · 16h
THIS. Most of the time the whole factory was rebuilt by a fully chinese company piece by piece a couple roads down within 6 months.
Legwarmer1411@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 12h
No one forced car makers to create subsidiaries, relocate manufacturing, or enter into such joint ventures with China though. How were they supposed to not have seen this coming?
plyth@feddit.org · 1 pts · 10h
The market does the forcing. Companies that were not on the Chinese market had less profits, were smaller and thus had less resources to compete.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 13h
This is exactly how the US killed their TV industry. They sold the technology to Asia for monochrome TV because they has developed color TV, but then they did the exact same thing a few years later. China is not this stupid.
Grimy@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 16h
Ahhh okay, fair point. I guess I don't think it's too much to ask tbh, as long as it's asked from everyone. Else, it just feels like a way to stop widespread EV adoption. But it feels fair to play the same game they do.
Are they doing it because they think it's fair or are they doing it to sabotage EV production though? Modern automakers are all working for the benefit of the oil companies imo, I don't trust any of them except the EV only ones.
Tbh, I don't think car manufacturers should be privately owned but that's an other convo.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · -2 pts · 13h
so you expect them to hand over knowledge so they can let that knowledge fuel competition. You think BYD are idiots?
ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 13h
Where did I say to hand over knowledge? Do you mean like China forcing foreign companies into joint ventures with Chinese companies and transferring their intellectual property?
BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 12h
I figured that was just the communist heritage. Do they have a reputation for not sharing information? I thought the whole issue is that they just didn't value IP.