China is certainly seen as the manufacturing hub of the world but there’s one area of global production that’s largely untouched and it’s the biggest one: Automotive.
There aren’t many countries where you would see an Chinese built or designed vehicle on the roads but that may soon change, and it could be far more disruptive than Tesla.
Brad Setser from the CFR today highlights how China has gone from a net importer of vehicles to an exporter with remarkable speed, building an array of local EV brands.
“China has suddenly become a major global competitor,” he writes.
The US has been shocked by the rise of the Chinese automotive industry and Setser argues that’s the big reason behind the latest round of US subsidies. However, that has caused fresh problems in Europe, with it now claiming the subsidies are illegal.
I have no idea how this is going to go down but the EV playing field is still up for grabs and China is putting out some impressive cars, capturing the domestic market. Given their manufacturing expertise, the next big wave in the automotive industry might not be Tesla but China taking on Europe, the US and Japan.
Bloomberg has more here.