With Chinese-made electric vehicles facing stiff tariffs in both Europe and America, a stirring question for EV drivers has started to arise: Can the race to make EVs more affordable continue if the world leader is kept out of the race?
China’s BYD, recognized as a global leader in terms of affordability, had to backtrack on plans to reach the U.S. market after the Biden administration in May imposed 100% tariffs on EVs made in China.
And now the Chinese juggernaut appears to be stalling plans for Canada as well, according to Automotive News.
The decision follows months of lobbying efforts with the Canadian government as well as negotiations between BYD executives and dealerships across Canada. But in late August, Ottawa did follow in the footsteps of the U.S., announcing it would impose its own 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs by October.
And since August, BYD has stopped all communications with dealerships, according to Automotive News.
While BYD has made no official statements, analysts don’t expect the situation to improve for Chinese automakers with the incoming Trump administration in the U.S.
While some analysts believe BYD could still try to absorb the tariffs on some of its vehicles, such as the Atto 3 and Seal, the resulting price tags would make them much less competitive. As for the BYD Seagull, the brand’s most affordable EV with a price tag of $10,000 in China, it’s considered too small to garner much buying interest in the U.S.
Stateside, Tesla recently put a floor on expectations for a more affordable EV, with CEO Elon Musk saying a $25,000 Tesla would be “pointless.”
Meanwhile, some rival EV makers are entering the affordable space more aggressively in the U.S. General Motors has already put out its Chevy Equinox EV at a price of $27,500, including federal tax credits. And Volkswagen America plans to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.