I think it's more that China is turning the table on Germany here. Dodging tariffs isn't very effective when your vehicles end up even more expansive because they're produced in a high income country. I see this move as more of a symbolic one and perhaps a training ground for further expansion.
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So far Chinese cars have been adopted really slowly in Germany. People don't really trust the manufacturers.
I've been seeing quite a lot of chinese cars, actually (all of them EVs). I think they might be more common than Tesla in my area.
I guess they hope that a new Brand plus the "Made in Germany" label might change that. Customers might not even be aware they're buying a chinese brand.
If German unions keep tight control of the working conditions and pay, perhaps this is a decent strategy for getting cheaper EVs into Europe.
IMO, the prerequisite for cheaper EVs is offering models that are not SUVs. The article is a bit ambiguous about this, but "European-made models will include two compact and one midsize SUVs with combustion, plug-in hybrid or all-electric powertrains." sounds to me like they're mostly going to make 'compact SUVs' and 'midsize SUVs'. Or the article's author just focuses on their SUV offerings while ignoring smaller cars.
There are a lot of contradictions in this sentence.
Why, cost of labor?
I didn't downvote btw.
What's your issue with German auto unions?
I think they meant that pay is pretty good at German VW facilities so there's no way they can produce them very cheaply.
Weren't VW and Rheinmetall in talks for some of the plants to start producing military vehicles
Wonder how long until we see more Lepas on the road than Lexus
Tbh I havent seen a Lexus here in Germany for ages.
What about regular Toyota?
Not as common as in the past but still around I'd say.