Does Communism Work? Ford CEO Thinks China Has Cleaned Our Clocks — and Batteries — on New Vehicles
Ford CEO Jim Farley dd something most of us could never pull off: He ordered a Xiaomi SU7 (pictured) battery-powered automobile from China and drove it for six months.
“We flew one from Shanghai to Chicago, and I’ve been driving it for six months now, and I don’t want to give it up,” Farley explained.
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A cell phone company, Xiaomi decided to branch out into the EV (electric vehicle) market and introduced the SU7 in 2024, with a price starting at $30,000 and rising to $45,000 with added features. First-year sales were about 100,000
The SU7 isn’t available in the U.S., ditto for most, if not all, Chinese automakers, so Farley had to order his via his own delivery arrangement. Even if Xiaomi wanted to import its car, it would face a Trumpian auto-import fee of 25 percent, plus other Chinese import tariffs. Cost would rise exponentially.
The year before obtaining his SU7, Farley considered collaborating with Chinese automakers on producing EVs.
He said at the time: “I think we see the Chinese as the main competitor, not GM or Toyota. The Chinese are going to be the powerhouse.”
On a personal note, I watched a TV show that featured a tour of a Chinese auto show. My reaction: “Wow!” I saw some of the most beautiful cars in the world.
With Trump eliminating tax incentives for consumers to purchase EVs, General Motors just announced a $1.6 billion write-down as a result.
The only time I was in China was 1992, when I visited Shanghai and Beijing. The streets were filled with bicycle riders, with only a rare car to be seen here and there. Now, from what I’ve read, the public is all driving EVs.
Of course, that public is no doubt the urban elite, while rural folk — and factory autoworkers, no doubt — are still on bicycles and public transportation.
