The US response to China’s Seagull
The alternative economic model of cooperation among sovereign nations
The Seagull, a small all-electric hatchback produced by the Chinese automaker BYD, has U.S. auto executives and politicians worried, because of its potential capacity to take sales away from U.S. automakers in the U.S. market as well as internationally. So writes Michael Wayland in “Why a small China-made EV has global auto execs and politicians on edge,” published on CNBC on March 22, 2024. German and Japanese automakers and politicians are also concerned, Wayland reports.
According to U.S. auto analysts, the Seagull is a high-quality five-door hatchback that currently sells in the Chinese domestic market for less than 10,000 US dollars. In performance and appearance, it is comparable to the Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf and BMW i3; it has a range of approximately 190 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of 80 mph. Currently, ninety percent of Seagulls produced are sold in the Chinese domestic market.
BYD Auto makes battery electric vehicles and hybrid electric…