【Wen/Observer Net, Ruan Jiaqi】

What a thoroughly satisfying face-punch moment.

When Republican U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio made absurd remarks, urging automotive industry giants to retreat to the traditional gasoline car market and not join China's electric vehicle "game," Michael Dunne, former executive of General Motors and CEO of consulting firm Dunne Insights, could no longer hold back.

He mocked, "They (Chinese automakers) are 'surrounding the city from the countryside,' while we are still naively optimistic, thinking 'Wow, I love my big pickup truck.'"

Michael Dunne (right), The Detroit News

According to The Detroit News, this scene took place at a forum hosted by the American Automotive Innovation Alliance (AAI), the largest automobile lobbying group in Washington, on Tuesday. Attendees focused on federal trade policies, adjustments to vehicle emissions standards, and fuel efficiency standards, discussing the future direction of the U.S. auto industry. Moreno, a former car dealer now influential in Washington, made extremely absurd remarks.

Although most in the automotive industry emphasize that U.S. manufacturers must take a position in electric power systems or risk losing the future market to China, Moreno has long criticized the emission reduction targets set during the Biden administration and the efforts to increase federal support for electric vehicles.

At Tuesday's forum, Moreno again condemned these policies, advocating that the U.S. should stop competing with China in the electric vehicle sector.

He claimed, "We were way ahead of China in internal combustion engine technology, even saying we led by 10 miles. But China switched to electric vehicles and convinced the West to follow, joining their game. This is completely unreasonable and foolish policy."

Instead of accepting defeat, he tried to find an excuse to save face. Moreno said, "We won't participate in the game China has set, but will do it according to our own rules, and we will not allow these (Chinese) cars into the U.S. market."

MORENO also criticized U.S. allies for allowing Chinese cars to enter their markets, acting like a drama queen and shouting, "It's crazy to let China take over the automotive industry globally through such 'predatory' methods."

He specifically targeted Europe, saying, "You use Chinese infrastructure and drive Chinese cars, why allow a country to import cars that can destroy your industrial system?"

MORENO smeared Chinese automakers, claiming they "are not entering the market to compete, but to undermine local industries." "Their real goal is to control the global automotive industry, making countries rely on their technology," he continued, spreading fear.

The report mentioned that Moreno also praised major policy changes made in the first year of the Trump administration, which weakened the federal promotion of electric vehicles under the Biden administration. He particularly highlighted that Congress had taken action to cancel state-level electric vehicle regulations, eliminate fuel economy fines, and terminate federal electric vehicle subsidies.

Every time Moreno made a ridiculous statement ignoring global automotive technology trends, the industry bigwigs would gasp in shock.

Eventually, even John Bozzella, president and CEO of the American Automotive Innovation Alliance, the event organizer, couldn't help but ask, "Do we need to find a balance between maintaining our leadership in internal combustion engine technology and continuing to be pioneers in future automotive technologies? If we don't increase technical investment, do you think the U.S. automotive market will become an 'island market'?"

But as a loyal ally of Trump, Moreno remained unmoved. He even claimed that electric vehicles "are not innovative technology."

"Electric vehicles have existed since 1910, so they're not really new technology. I fully support innovation, but in my view, a car powered by a 2000-pound battery isn't innovation. Perhaps one day someone will develop truly new technology, who knows," he said.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of AAI, and Bernie Moreno (right), The Detroit News

Such anti-intellectual comments shocked the attendees. It should be emphasized that The Detroit News traditionally supports the Republican Party and is politically conservative. However, this article acknowledges that most attendees, including policymakers, analysts, and industry leaders, agree that China has become a strong competitor for the U.S. in the global automotive industry, and they generally strongly question Moreno's claim that U.S. automakers and policymakers should give up competing in the electric vehicle sector.

According to the report, industry experts who spoke after Moreno directly refuted his views.

Colin Langan, an automotive analyst at Wells Fargo, offered a slightly more polite criticism, stating that he largely agreed with Moreno's point, "but I believe electric vehicles do have some innovation."

"I do believe that American companies must establish leadership in this area because the industry will eventually move in this direction. Without relevant technology and capabilities, it will be a big problem," he added.

Langan also emphasized the advantages of Chinese automakers in the electric vehicle sector and the faster development pace of companies like BYD and SAIC Group compared to traditional Detroit brands.

"Chinese automakers operate much more efficiently, have a more streamlined organizational structure, and spend less on advertising, which is actually a waste. Their decision-making and product iteration speed is indeed faster," he analyzed. "The proportion of R&D spending in sales for Chinese automakers is only half that of traditional automakers, but their products are updated every two to three years, while traditional automakers often take five years."

Dunne, mentioned earlier, specifically introduced the revolutionary development path of "surrounding the city from the countryside" in China and compared it to the current global automotive landscape, saying, "Chinese automakers are flooding into the UK, Australia, wherever you can imagine, as well as the Middle East and South Africa, almost everywhere around the globe, except two countries: the United States and Canada."

Dunne admitted that although he generally agreed with Moreno's viewpoint on bringing production back to the core, he still insisted that the U.S. must strengthen its manufacturing capabilities in electric vehicles and key parts of the supply chain, otherwise it will ultimately lose to China.

Bob Lee, president of LG Energy Solution North America, more directly refuted Moreno's views.

"I know Moreno previously advocated for consumer choice, and I think this makes sense for incremental innovation. But for major innovations requiring massive capital investment and taking decades, it's different. Market forces alone cannot achieve this," he said.

Lee pointed out that China's dominance in flat panel displays, solar cells, and power batteries stems from their decision decades ago to focus on these capital-intensive industries and implement corresponding policies and investment plans. He emphasized that the U.S. "can no longer afford" the risk of standing idle and needs "industrial policy coordination" to win in these key areas.

"If we just sit back and let things happen naturally, can we secure a foothold in these key areas in the future?" he asked.

The Detroit News report also mentioned that the day after Moreno made these remarks, the Trump administration was expected to propose on Wednesday to relax the fuel efficiency standards set by the previous Biden administration, which were originally aimed at promoting electric vehicle sales.

U.S. media The New York Times cited three informed sources, stating that this is the latest specific measure taken by the Trump administration to reverse federal policies promoting carmakers and consumers to switch to electric vehicles. Executives from major automakers such as Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis have been invited to attend the policy announcement event at the White House.

According to U.S. media reports, on Tuesday, during the last cabinet meeting of the year, Trump boasted that he ended the electric vehicle subsidies and market distortions of the Biden era.

He revealed that his government is taking measures to lower the price of gasoline cars and abolish various policies promoting electric vehicles. He boasted, "We are revitalizing the American automotive industry, and I believe the scale of the American automotive industry will reach unprecedented heights."

Dan Becker, an environmentalist, pointed out that relaxing fuel efficiency standards will extend the production cycle of gasoline cars and hinder the U.S. ability to compete with China in the global electric vehicle market.

Exasperated, Becker stated in a statement, "When Trump told General Motors and Ford that they no longer needed to develop fuel-efficient models, China was urging its automakers to seize the opportunity created by the U.S. withdrawal from competition and accelerate their global expansion in the booming clean energy vehicle market."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7579499678081843727/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.