[RahulNagaraj]

According to media reports, China's best-selling automaker, BYD, recently held an event to mark a production milestone and celebrate the emergence of China as a global auto-manufacturing powerhouse.

During the event, BYD founder and Chairman Wang Chuanfu made a call to band together all of China's automakers and "demolish the old legends" of the global automotive industry. The statement has since then been drawing both raves and rebukes towards itself.



The BYD founder, standing in front of the logos of 12 major Chinese automakers, commented, "I believe the time has come for Chinese brands. It's an emotional need for the 1.4 billion Chinese people to see a Chinese brand becoming global."

The company even released a now-viral video marking the founding of dozen rivals from state-run FAW Group in 1956 to more modern EV startups like Xpeng, Nio and Li Auto. The video, shared by CEOs of various Chinese car companies, ends with a call "demolish the old legends and achieve new world-class brands".

BYD is currently the leading automaker in the Chinese market, with products across plug-in hybrid and EV segments. The carmaker occupies a 37% share in China's new-energy market in the first 7 months of 2023.

Source: Autoblog

Link to Team-BHP news

[Guna]

If they say 'let's make better cars than the global brands and win over the market', it would be more acceptable. This sounds arrogant and borders on imperialism.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

...made a call to band together all of China's automakers and "demolish the old legends" of the global automotive industry....

...and Gets Demolished from opening a $1Bn factory in one of the world's largest car market.

Talk about having a Motor-Mouth, that too from a EV car MD!

[electric_eel]

1. As of now BYD is having a technological lead in battery and are making highly desirable cars.

2. They are a must if laggards like Toyota, an otherwise pioneer, to get moving lest we keep getting the outdated ICE++ technology for the 100 years.

But they have effectively shut their doors to, not just the Indian market, but most of the other markets. When your country of origin is looked upon with such suspicion (for which there is enough justification), you should shut your mouth. Yes currently you (BYD) have a technological lead but things move fast in Tech. After all the rest of the world is not just a pushovers.

People who know China say that most such utterance have a reason. May be there are orders from above to make such rallying cry or else suffer the fate of someone like Jack Ma.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

...and Gets Demolished from opening a $1Bn factory in one of the world's largest car market.

Talk about having a Motor-Mouth, that too from a EV car MD!

That was spontaneous and well articulated. Can't agree more with you on this. If this is the way they interact/behave in press conferences, can imagine how they try to throw muscle around in closed doors.

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by Guna

If they say 'let's make better cars than the global brands and win over the market', it would be more acceptable. This sounds arrogant and borders on imperialism.

That's basically how the Chinese government operates, I'm afraid. All their bigger companies are generally just an extension of their government.


Here is a good watch on what happened to Tesla in China:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEHyzffPSMU

And reminder that this is still going on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SEfwoqKRU8

[nicodash]

What we are hearing from BYD is typical of China's mindset and it seems to work exceptionally well for them. They have a way of bringing together their government and private sector, aligning their efforts with a single-minded purpose to excel in specific industries.

This has allowed them to achieve remarkable feats, such as their impressive infrastructure transformations, their dominance in electronics manufacturing, their leadership in renewable energy, and the establishment of an extensive high-speed rail network. These are just a few examples of their accomplishments.

It's important to note that while their methods might not always be fair or flawless, there's no denying their overall success.

The transition to EVs is just the opening that China needed to execute their agenda in the automobile sector. While most countries and companies globally are dilly-dallying about this transition (like setting targets for 2035 and 2040), China has put all their eggs in this one basket and doing everything in their power to become early movers right now and thus the dominant player in EVs.

What BYD has done to the VW group in China is just the beginning. Unless nations take proactive measures like what India has done to block their investments, they have a very good chance of demolishing the world order in automobiles.

This all looks eerily similar to what they did in electronics manufacturing. I'll leave this video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m18kqM9elAc

[DicKy]

Somehow true feelings find a way out.


Economic superpower or military power maybe. But would be hard, nay impossible for them to be a cultural softpower with this kind of attitude.

[chennai-indian]

And we have another thread in which many were lecturing and admonishing the Indian Government for not allowing BYD's investment in India!! What people do not understand is that Chinese companies are just a front for the CCP.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Guna

If they say 'let's make better cars than the global brands and win over the market', it would be more acceptable. This sounds arrogant and borders on imperialism.

China is both acquisitive as well as Imperialist. Its the new world of Economic Imperialism. No question about it. They couldnt care less about ecology and environment and all the rest if it. Nothing must come in the way of their progress. Just have to look around. They control (as the Major Trading Partner) Vast swathes of Africa, Canada (British Columbia), Europe, Australia, the whole of the South China Sea, the whole of South East Asia, the Indian Ocean, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Maldives and Afghanistan.

[anjan_c2007]

China had missed the bus for ICE vehicles as they had their masses moving only on bicycles. The outdated, reverse engineered from Western inspirations, heavy and grotesque cars and UV's made by state owned Chinese companies were movable properties of the mighty and powerful rulers only way back then.

After their economy opened up they made lakhs of ICE vehicles but none of these were able to compete with the developed Western carmakers and even with those from the Far East. As far as EV's are concerned, production figure wise they are presently leading. It so happened that they had missed the ICE bus, but started much early with the EV's and by starring with manufacturing of the EV components including batteries. The Western and Far Eastern car makers have been caught napping here, as they were cool with ICE vehicles and so were their buyers till lately.

As the annual COP meetings (the latest was COP 26 in late 2022 in Egypt) progressed there were calls to limit carbon footprints by all stakeholders. When the COP pressure started building up, Western and Far Eastern car makers took up the EV manufacturing seriously and moved to EV's, only just less than a decade back.

China dominates the world with EV components and their supplies these to numerous worldwide car makers. Hence, what BYD says makes sense as China controls the EV trade dominantly. Their control may only wane if some other alternate energy vehicles (non EV) start to be mass produced, provided the Chinese again don't make a headstart here.

As such Chinese companies already hold world rights for use of names and logos of many erstwhile old, Western company brands like Borgward Isabella, quite a few of the old British Leyland marques and more which they have stored in the deep freezer to make them emerge at the opportune time ( read as business convenience). They are owners of quite a few erstwhile Western car companies whose brand names and in some cases R&D facilities (like MG) and production plants (Volvo) they are using.

But the call for "demolishing old global legends" is a pipedream. Established global legends are wary of such predative moves by BYD and the "CHINESE NEO LEGENDS". Its not a cakewalk now like the good times, the Chinese had walking into the U.K. with tons of money and shopping bags to gobble up companies like they did in the 1990's and later. The once legendary U.K car companies with mounting losses and no R&D funds to fund new models were caught in the muddle and gobbled up by the "CHINESE NEO LEGENDS." All old, mass produced car brands of the U.K. have perished leaving only the custom made, luxury marques in business, some under new ownerships. So there's nothing left as the market has been abandoned by the then car makers.

In contrast, none of the established German, French, Italian or American company went under Chinese control during their bad times. They are too well protected and stakeholders change majority holdings in companies from only among the Western and Far Eastern brands when the company suffers losses. The US government bailing out the BIG THREE from losses and balance sheet depletions in 2009-10, post the Barings Bank triggered recession is still fresh on our minds.

[SmartCat]

So India has to choose between the Devil (China/EV tech) and the Deep Blue Sea (Middle Eastern countries/Oil)

[dust-n-bones]

In an era where technology and finance came from the West ('80s-'10s), the Chinese used their size to their advantage. They were humble enough to be the sweat shop of the world, bear the indignity of the 'Made in China' ridicule, and work their way up the ladder.

Indians in a similar situation today have no patience with our reality that the EV revolution (amongst other things) is passing us by. We would like to teach the Chinese a hard geopolitical lesson instead.

About this thread. Some Chinese executive has a problem with bragging, and we pull the hulls down and congratulate each other on great defence.
Why are we such an under-confident country?

Isn't it appropriate at our current state of development, to be brave instead, and humbly welcome everyone who brings financing and technology that we don't possess? A 5 trillion economy can't regulate a Chinese investment fairly, and to its advantage?

Meanwhile, the inevitable swadeshi reality awaits, while we deny our kids a 500 billion global opportunity.

[chennai-indian]

Originally Posted by dust-n-bones

In an era where technology and finance came from the West ('80s-'10s), the Chinese used their size to their advantage. They were humble enough to be the sweat shop of the world, bear the indignity of the 'Made in China' ridicule, and work their way up the ladder.

Indians in a similar situation today have no patience with our reality that the EV revolution (amongst other things) is passing us by. We would like to teach the Chinese a hard geopolitical lesson instead.

About this thread. Some Chinese executive has a problem with bragging, and we pull the hulls down and congratulate each other on great defence.
Why are we such an under-confident country?

Isn't it appropriate at our current state of development, to be brave instead, and humbly welcome everyone who brings financing and technology that we don't possess? A 5 trillion economy can't regulate a Chinese investment fairly, and to its advantage?

Meanwhile, the inevitable swadeshi reality awaits, while we deny our kids a 500 billion global opportunity.

All you have to do is to look at South Korean and Japanese markets - Do let me know how many "foreign" car makers succeeded there. We are doing to China what they did to our companies when they tried to set up shop there.

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by dust-n-bones

I
Meanwhile, the inevitable swadeshi reality awaits, while we deny our kids a 500 billion global opportunity.

There is a perception (and to a large extent justified) that the Chinese are pushing a "wolf" warrior model here. It is natural that there will be push back. Also whatever happens, in the near future BYD will enter every market, not with their cars but with their batteries. No OEMs can ignore their tech. This uneasy situation will remain till the rest of the world catches up on their tech and supply chain efficiency. I was reminded of the old cold war joke: All the US spies in USSR are executed using "made in USA ropes" as the Soviet ropes are not trust worthy ;-)

In any case it a loss to the world that immediately needs to transition out of oil.