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Not just US auto makers. Modern car companies don’t manufacture, they assemble (and for a pretty good reason, but I digress).
by srockets 2y ago
Not just US auto makers. Modern car companies don’t manufacture, they assemble (and for a pretty good reason, but I digress).
- timschmidt 2y agoDisagree strongly on the soundness of the reasoning. Divesting themselves from manufacturing facilities, equipment, and skilled personnel has been a slow motion trainwreck for the big three US auto manufacturers. It opened them up to competition from Tesla and others. Tesla, who make the majority of their own parts here in the US.
- srockets 2y agoTesla manufactures/assembles about as much as any other western car company.
- timschmidt 2y agoHere's the NHTSA filing: https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-10/MY2025-AALA-Alphabetical-10.30.24.pdf https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-10/MY2025-A... Honda is the only one who comes close to Tesla.
- srockets 2y agoThis lists country of origin, not manufacturer of said components.
- timschmidt 2y agoCountry of origin is what I said: "Tesla, who make the majority of their own parts here in the US." And is the relevant measure, as all auto manufacturers employ job shops for various parts. I don't care if Tesla or Honda manufactured a part in a building under their logo. I care that they invested in US infrastructure and paid US citizens to build the car I drive. That's what country of origin measures. Heaven forbid we have to fight another war and all the factories and skilled tradespeople are in Mexico or Canada.
- srockets 2y agoBut that wasn’t my point. My point is that Tesla buys the parts and assembles them. They don’t build the parts. Just like VAG for example (who also assembles, and doesn’t build. They’re actually pretty interesting because they insist on multiple vendors in multiple regions for each part)
- timschmidt 2y agoAnd my point is that they do not "manufactures/assembles about as much as any other western car company", as you claimed, as roughly 70% of the parts for their entire fleet are made in the US while other manufacturers are hovering at or below 30%. We can keep going back and forth. It doesn't change the numbers.
- srockets 2y agoWe're talking about different numbers: I was discussing build/buy, you have some partial numbers about who you buy from.
- timschmidt 2y agoYou have provided no numbers.
- csomar 2y agoOne of BYD main advantages (according to economists) is that they have full vertical integration. So maybe it was not a good reason after all.