ICYMI: China’s Unfair Trade Practices Threaten American Auto Industry And Livelihoods Of American Auto Workers
Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens’ Bill - The No Chinese Cars Act Closes The Door On Unfair Competition.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With growing concern that China’s use of unfair trade practices and cheating of the system could allow them to take over the U.S. auto market, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens introduced the No Chinese Cars Act a smarter tariff approach targeting bad actors.China’s use of unfair subsidies and exploitation of low wage workers have been deemed as an “existential threat” undermining American companies and Michigan jobs.
Here’s what Michiganders are hearing about the problem.
Detroit News - Some fear Chinese automakers' playbook is existential threat to U.S. auto industry
By: Breana Noble
“Aggressive component-sharing efforts have contributed to lower cost structures at many Chinese automakers, and there's an increasing push for Western automakers to catch up.”
“The effort has contributed to lower-cost and technologically advanced vehicles from China that people like Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley have called an existential threat to the U.S. auto industry.”
“And even in these discussions, Chinese competitors are participating as they look to expand into the U.S. market, [Christian Thiele, SAE's senior director of ground vehicle standards] said. ‘You may not get a complete vehicle on four wheels from BYD next week,’ he said, ‘but eventually that will happen.’”
By:Ben Shimkus
“Chinese automakers are building cars for the entire world at a massive scale. Their vehicles, built with subsidies from their government, are faster to produce, cheaper to assemble and more technologically advanced than most American cars, experts warned the Daily Mail.”
“Meanwhile, American companies and lawmakers are pulling back investments and regulations that kept their vehicles competitive. Experts are warning that these changes will badly hurt the US automotive sector's global competitiveness.”
“American automakers have warned that they're spending billions of dollars on tariffs as they attempt to make globally competitive cars. GM, the parent company of Chevy, said it expects to shell out between $4 billion and $5 billion in tariff costs by the end of 2025.”
“The foreign assembly makes the entire car eligible for Trump's 25% automotive tariffs, and threatens its low starting price.”
“But while the US fights with its own pricing issues, Chinese manufacturers are fine-tuning their cars.”
Axios - Chinese cars are the ones to beat
By: Joann Muller
“There's a dawning realization across the industry that China's ascendance is both an existential business threat and a national security risk.”
“The Detroit Three (GM, Ford and Stellantis) used to think of China as their playscape — a land of endless growth and profits. Not anymore," China auto expert Michael Dunne, CEO of Dunne Insights, tells Axios.”
“Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned Chinese carmakers as so good they ‘will pretty much demolish’ the rest of the industry.”
By: Thomas Barrabi
“As the words came out of Trump’s mouth, they were probably drinking champagne in BYD headquarters,” [Wedbush analyst Dan Ives] told The Post. “It accelerates BYD’s success.”
“BYD’s low prices are particularly concerning to the Big 3 – Ford, GM and Stellantis – because they have increasingly leaned on high-margin vehicles like gas-powered SUVs and pickup trucks to drive profits while veering away from smaller cars that were seen as unprofitable.”
The Drive - Three-Quarters of US Auto Execs Think Chinese Cars Will Be Sold Here
By:Byron Hurd
“According to a recent survey of more than 100 U.S. automotive executives,it’s not a matter of whether Chinese automakers will enter the U.S. market but when.”
“We’re not talking about a slim margin of worrywarts, here, either. Of the bosses who responded to Kerrigan Advisors’ 2025 OEM Survey, more than three-fourths (76 percent) said they believed Chinese cars would eventually enter the U.S. market. And separately, 70 percent of respondents said they were concerned about the financial impact of China’s growing dominance in the global automotive market.”
WPBN - Governor Whitmer warns of Chinese threat to Michigan auto jobs at Detroit Auto Show
By: Marc Schollet
“‘Make no mistake, other states and nations like China are gunning for Michigan auto jobs,’ Governor Gretchen Whitmer said at the Detroit Auto Show. ‘For America to win, we must all recognize that all of us are on the same team.’”
“The governor seeing China as a threat to one of Michigan's valuable auto industry, one that directly or indirectly affects the employment of a fifth of all Michigan workers. ‘This is a matter of national security,’ Whitmer said. ‘We cannot let that happen.’"
“But Senator Gary Peters believes some Chinese imports also put our national security at risk. ‘Chinese Communist Party-backed companies want to flood the U.S. and global marketplace with artificially cheap vehicles that are capable of stealing Americans’ personal data,’ Peters said.”
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