Poll: Large majority of Canadians favour more open car market with better access to affordable Chinese and European EVs (cleanenergycanada.org)

submitted 2 days ago by Sunshine@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

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[-] DriftingLynx@piefed.ca 21 points 2 days ago

Of course we do. The North American offerings are comically inferior while costing a small ransom.

We should stop propping up these companies that can't exist without protectionism and corporate welfare handouts.

Massive bailouts on the taxpayer dime in 2008'ish didn't do anything to improve the situation.

[-] teppa@piefed.ca 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

China does devalue their dollar to prop up their production. Though we arguably do the same by buying mortgage bonds and discounting home values in the CPI to keep our money loose.

[-] gianni@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 days ago

I'm sorry, but how do you think the Chinese EV companies are so competitive right now?

They are subsidized at a great loss by the Chinese government. One of the goals is to flood foreign markets with products at price points that domestic suppliers can't compete with.

Would you say that is good for either the economy or EV prices in the long term?

[-] Jimmycakes@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

They don't use Chinese government subsidies only. Theres also slave labor

[-] theacharnian@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago

It's really not that simple. American car companies are inefficient, dependent on archaic, dirty and complex tech. This is propped up by the oil and gas lobby that resists electrification at every step, to the point of making stupid American cars an icon of the culture war.

North American car companies can absolutely also electrify, and move towards more efficient, and simpler tech. And then we can talk about using subsidies/tariffs to level the field. But as stands, that's just throwing consumer money into a bad policy pit.