Western countries are truly panicking!
Their fear of Chinese electric vehicles has reached a level of irrationality.
The United States is actually considering imposing a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, and the European Union is not far behind, refusing to accept China's price commitments.
These nations, once champions of free trade, now seem to be terrified of Chinese electric vehicles as if they were ghosts.
What exactly has made them so frightened?
Are Chinese electric vehicles really that terrifying?
Tariff Barriers: America's "Double-Edged Sword" In September 2024, the United States suddenly announced that it would impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.
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This news has sent shockwaves through the global automotive market.
On the surface, the U.S. is doing this to protect its domestic electric vehicle industry.
They are concerned that Chinese electric vehicles, with their price advantage, will flood the U.S. market like a tidal wave.
However, this approach is like a "double-edged sword," which could ultimately harm the United States itself.
Guess what?
Chinese electric vehicles actually don't have much of a market share in the United States.
This 100% tariff is like shooting at the air.
Instead, it is the ordinary American people who will pay the price for this foolish decision.
They will lose the opportunity to buy affordable and high-quality Chinese electric vehicles.
What's worse, American domestic electric vehicle companies will also be affected.
Without competition, they lose the drive for innovation.
In the long run, the competitiveness of the American automotive industry on the international stage will actually decline.
You see, isn't this self-contradictory?
America is too shortsighted.
The year 2024 is an election year, and they are eager to demonstrate a tough stance against China to win the support of voters.
However, this kind of political showmanship will not solve the fundamental problems of the American automotive industry.
It might even push the United States to the back of the global electric vehicle revolution.
Technological Innovation: From Follower to Leader Let's go back to 2010.
At that time, China's electric vehicle industry was just a "little baby."
Who could have imagined that in just over a decade, this "little baby" would become a "trendsetter" in the global electric vehicle field?
In 2015, China's new energy vehicle production and sales surpassed the United States, becoming the world's number one.
In 2020, China's annual production of electric vehicles broke through the milestone of one million units.
By 2023, China's electric vehicle exports exceeded one million units for the first time, accounting for nearly 60% of the global electric vehicle export volume.
Looking at these numbers, China's electric vehicle industry has transformed from a "follower" to a "leader."
Speaking of battery technology, Chinese companies have come a long way.
In 2023, CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited) held the top spot in the global power battery market with a 37% market share.
BYD's self-developed Blade Battery is at a world-class level in terms of energy density and safety.
In terms of intelligence, Chinese companies are not lagging behind either.
Tech giants have joined the fray, injecting a strong intelligent gene into Chinese electric vehicles.
At the beginning of 2024, XPeng Motors launched the NGP 4.0 autonomous driving system, which amazed the world with its performance on complex urban roads.
The rise of China's electric vehicle industry is not accidental.
It is the result of policy guidance, continuous innovation by companies, and market demand.
This path of innovation is reshaping the global automotive industry.
Industrial Transformation's Growing Pains In September 2024, the Volkswagen Group said during an internal meeting: "We are facing an unprecedented transformation in a hundred years."
This statement reflects the hearts of Western traditional automotive giants.
The wave of electrification has come, and the century-old automotive industry is experiencing intense growing pains.
Traditional internal combustion engine technology is no longer popular; new energy and intelligence are the keys to victory.
Western automotive giants suddenly found that they were lagging behind in this new race.
The West is even more worried about employment issues.
By 2030, the automotive industry in Europe and America may lose more than one million jobs.
For Western countries that regard the automotive industry as a pillar of the economy, this is simply a bolt from the blue.
China's electric vehicle industry chain is complete and inexpensive, attracting the global automotive industry to shift towards China.
Look, in 2023, Tesla's production at the Shanghai Gigafactory already accounted for more than half of the global total production.
This reconfiguration of the industry chain has made Western governments feel an unprecedented crisis.
In the field of new energy, China's rise is even more unsettling for the West.
As electric vehicles become more popular, whoever masters battery technology will have the power to speak in the future energy landscape.
China's leading position in lithium batteries, hydrogen energy, and other fields is changing the global energy pattern.
These concerns from the West reflect that the global automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation.
This transformation is not only related to the rise and fall of an industry but also affects the reshaping of the global economic order.
The panic of Western countries about Chinese electric vehicles is not groundless.
Behind this is an industrial revolution that concerns the future.
The rise of China's electric vehicle industry is reshaping the global automotive map.
Faced with this transformation, the West has chosen to build walls to protect itself.
However, history tells us that innovation is the real winning weapon.
Who will be the winner in the future?
The answer may be hidden in the next electric vehicle that passes by.
Let's wait and see how this electric vehicle revolution will change our world.