alt Hacker NewsIf they're new they could just be built to pass US safety standards, BYD vehicles perform well on safety ratings and I imagine that's what their strategy has been. Sure still have to go through the procedures but the hard part is done once the regulatory blocks are removed.
I don’t mean to pick on this particular comment, but broadly the EV enthusiast community is severely underestimating what would happen to the sticker price of a BYD that could actually be sold in the United States in alignment with a real market strategy, even if the company only faced German-level tariffs.
BYD currently has no dealer network in the US. $0 marketing spend. $0 on regulatory compliance. These things are all very expensive, especially in the United States for a new entrant. Even moreso for one that has to overcome concerns about Made in China.
Add even 25% for tariffs, and BYD’s vehicles would have to be sold for significantly more than they’re sold today in (say) Sydney, let alone what they sell for in Shanghai.
Not that they couldn’t grow into a competitive player. The Koreans did, they’re kicking ass in the US these days. But it took a long time and a ton of investment.