【By Observer Net, Chen Sijia】With more affordable prices and higher quality, Chinese electric vehicles are selling well globally, creating a "sense of crisis" in the American automotive industry. According to an article on the U.S. "Business Insider" website on September 30, Ford Motor Company's CEO Jim Farley stated that China completely dominates the electric vehicle industry, and American automakers do not have the real ability to compete with China.

Farley said in a podcast program aired on the 29th: "The reality of fierce competition is that China is the 700-pound gorilla in the electric vehicle industry. Based on what we've seen from China, neither Tesla, General Motors nor Ford has real competitiveness. China is completely dominating the global electric vehicle industry, and its influence is growing stronger outside of China."

Farley pointed out that China's success has sufficient reasons; Chinese companies have achieved great innovations at very low costs, and the Chinese electric vehicle industry also receives government support.

"Business Insider" website noted that this is not the first time Farley has emphasized China's leading position in the electric vehicle race. In another podcast program aired in October last year, Farley mentioned that he had driven a Chinese-made electric vehicle, "I don't like to talk about competition, but I drove the Xiaomi SU7, and we transported one from Shanghai to Chicago. I've been driving it for six months, and I don't want to give it up."

In June, Farley said during a panel discussion at the Aspen Ideas Festival in the United States that the Chinese electric vehicle industry has made significant progress. He said, "70% of the world's electric vehicles are made in China. They have more advanced in-vehicle technology, Huawei and Xiaomi appear in every car. Once you get in the car, you don't need to pair your phone, your digital life will automatically map to the car."

Farley added, "In addition, their cost and car quality far exceed what I have seen in the West. We are competing with China globally, not just in the electric vehicle field. If we lose, Ford has no future."

Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley, Visual China

To strengthen competitiveness in the electric vehicle field, Ford announced in August that it would invest $5 billion to change the way it produces electric vehicles.

According to this plan called "General Electric Vehicle Platform," Ford will invest $2 billion to completely renovate the assembly line at its factory in Louisville, Kentucky, shifting from producing fuel SUVs to producing electric vehicles; at the same time, it will invest another $3 billion to build a new battery factory in Michigan, using locally produced batteries instead of imported ones from China.

The first product planned by Ford will be a four-door mid-size electric pickup truck, expected to be launched in 2027. Due to the new production line reducing production costs, the starting price of this electric pickup truck will drop to $30,000.

Farley has high hopes for the "General Electric Vehicle Platform," he claimed that Ford needs to take such measures to compete with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers like BYD.

The U.S. "Wall Street Journal" pointed out that high tariffs and regulatory barriers in the U.S. have blocked Chinese automakers from entering the U.S. market, but Chinese electric vehicles are expanding rapidly in Mexico and Latin America. With the rapid rise of Chinese automakers, global demand for electric vehicles continues to rise, forcing U.S. automakers to increase investment in this technology field.

However, analysts believe that American electric vehicles are inferior to Chinese ones in terms of price and quality, and China will not wait for the U.S. to catch up. The measures taken by companies like Ford are difficult to compete with Chinese automakers.

Patrick George, editor-in-chief of the U.S. renowned automotive media InsideEVs, wrote an article in the Atlantic Monthly on August 14, stating that China has advantages such as a vast pool of engineering talent and the best battery technology in the world, while the Trump administration's "Big and Beautiful" Act has weakened subsidies and incentives for U.S. electric vehicles.

George said that Ford's new electric pickup truck may not be available for at least two more years, but Chinese automakers won't wait. Chinese electric vehicles are rapidly spreading in developing countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Djibouti, and Ethiopia. For U.S. companies like Ford, the worst case is that they might be able to change their manufacturing methods again, but it still isn't enough.

This article is an exclusive piece by Observer Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555860813321126400/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the [Top/Down] buttons below.