South Korean media: BYD surpasses Ford, Trump welcomes Chinese automakers to build factories in the US!

On March 18, South Korean media "Global Economy" published an article stating that US President Donald Trump publicly expressed his willingness to welcome Chinese automakers to build factories in the United States, which has caused great tension among the US automotive industry due to the potential comprehensive impact of Chinese car companies. With Trump's remarks and Canada's decision to allow the import of Chinese electric vehicles overlapping, the US automotive industry is facing concerns.

Recently, Trump made a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, clearly stating, "We welcome China and Japan to invest. As long as they build factories in the United States and employ you and your neighbors, we will warmly welcome them." This is seen as a substantial opportunity for Chinese automakers to enter the US market.

The Chinese auto company Geely, which owns Volvo, recently said that entering the US market is "a matter of when and where," hinting at using the Volvo factory in South Carolina. Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said, "If there is extra production capacity, it can be used to assemble vehicles with Geely."

Dave Dodge, CEO of automotive parts company Dauch Corp, said, "If Chinese companies gain the opportunity to enter the US market, they will launch highly competitive models, not only challenging Detroit's domestic automakers but also impacting Japanese, European, and Korean manufacturers."

Mark Wakfield, head of global automotive business at consulting firm AlixPartners, revealed that US automaker executives have shown "extreme paranoia and concern" about the possibility of Chinese competitors entering the US market. He explained that they are considering how to emulate the rapid product development model of Chinese companies, whether to prevent Chinese companies from entering or to use them as a "platform" to leverage.

The strength of Chinese auto companies has already become a reality. Chinese electric vehicle company BYD achieved a global sales volume of over 4.6 million units in 2025, surpassing Ford (4.4 million units) for the first time. This change has elevated BYD to the sixth largest automaker globally, while Ford dropped to seventh place. Considering that five years ago, Ford's sales were five times higher than BYD's, this dramatic reversal is nothing short of revolutionary.

BYD exceeded Tesla in pure electric vehicle sales in 2025, achieving 2.25 million units, with exports reaching 1.05 million units, accounting for 25% of total sales. Ford CEO Jim Farley warned during a performance briefing that the Chinese automotive industry has become a variable that global automakers must contend with.

The dilemma faced by US automakers lies in the fact that without Chinese technology and production experience, they will not only fall behind on the global stage but eventually struggle to survive even in the US market. The solution seems to lie in establishing partnerships with Chinese companies outside the US.

US consumers are paying more attention to Chinese cars. Among Americans under 40, 76% said they would consider buying a Chinese brand electric vehicle. If expanded to all consumers, 52% expressed a positive attitude towards purchasing Chinese brands. This is an increase of 11 percentage points compared to 41% in 2024.

Brand awareness of Chinese brands has risen from 52% in 2024 to 65% in 2025. Huawei is the most popular brand (27%), followed by Xiaomi (23%) and BYD (19%).

The US automotive industry also views the entry of Chinese automakers into the US market as a given fact. A survey conducted in May last year among industry managers showed that 76% predicted that Chinese automakers would eventually enter the US market. 70% answered that they were worried about the financial impact caused by this.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859985268431049/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.