Yeah great, I’ll pass on the CCP/PLA owned automobile companies.
Can we just fucking STOP doing SUVs please? And huge trucks. And all the rest of that oversized garbage.
American need a husky fit vehicle.
I think people who have never driven one or feel uncomfortable getting one and gets one because they feel they’re getting more for their money shouldn’t be driving them at all.
I think people who want one should rent one that way they have practice and they have to be careful with the vehicle because it’s on loan but the one thing I noticed when just about everyone switched to mini-suv’s and full sized ones and trucks, that there’s more people who have never driven one in their life and it’s noticeable.
I just don’t want to be hit by someone who has no idea how to manage driving one because of their size and depth perception being thrown off other than that who gives a fuck what people drive. If someone wants to drop money on something stupidly oversized and uses a fuckload of gas, let em.
But without SUVs, people would be embarrassed driving minivans and without huge trucks, there would be nothing to compensate for small penises.
nothing to compensate for small penises.
That’s not true!!! Just about everything that a mid-life crisis covers, can be a compensation for a small penis.
Bring on an era where minivans are cool again, SUVs are tacky, and hot hatches + coupes reign supreme.
Gen X shoulda boughta fucking wagon like their parents.
And why is it so relatively cheap? Where did they cut corners? Are they spying on you like the cheap Chinese TVs? It can’t be just because it’s government subsidized.
I would prefer no spying. But with the US being a fascist surveillance state run by greedy billionaires, American cars are no better. Either pick one from a functioning liberal country or focus on the tech. China is clearly ahead on tech.
The Chinese government is subsidizing them to gain market share just like American tech companies do with VC funding.
One way the Chinese government is “subsidizing” their cars is by suppressing the living standards of its people.
That and their industry doesn’t appear to be as bloated and shareholder-driven.
suppressing the living standards of its people.
You mean letting billionaires avoid tax, adding tariffs to everything, and driving up the price of gas?
There are no shareholders because you’d have to be a fool to compete with the Chinese government as an investor. Returns are perpetually suppressed.
JFC Lemmy… BYD is a public company and was originally funded by Warren Buffet. He made almost 9 billion.
The motive isn’t to extract as much capital out of the customers as possible.
They are spying yes,all the others are too which doesnt make it ok but that is why it is subsidised by the state.
They cut corners on comfort and noise levels from my experience of similar brands
Rather would get spied on by domestic corps than foreign ones.
Why? The domestic corps actually have access to you to use that information. What’s china gonna do with my data that is gonna affect me 12k miles away?
You’re welcome.
Poptop camper 😍
In my experience Chinese cars have loads of cool features that sometimes even work.
Sometimes they don’t even try to kill you while driving (often they do)
Kind of like teslas!
Yes.
I always love seeing the headlines that say “west should fear when other countries beat them at their own game”. It’s the same stupid rhetoric that Trump keeps barking about AI and how “we have to beat China”.
Mate, you all fucking caused everything to happen. Where do you see anything that says “Made in USA” anymore? Not that that would mean much today anyway given the shit quality the US has, but seriously.
They’re just making up hysteria based on nothing. Nobody wants to fucking go to an office 5 days a week just to do remote meetings. Nobody wants to be dependent on cars for getting around.
Nobody wants all this forced AI shit in our everyday lives. Just get over it. The endless conquest of world domination held by a handful of influencers is over. The world must change and to start, it must end all of this greedy ass capitalism which only seeks to cause misfortune for the rest of us.
Ross Perot warned everyone. They laughed at his ears.
Yes there were warnings before but his was probably the last chance we had.
Xiaomi Has a Luxury SUV for $31,000 That All
Western BrandsPederstrians Should FearMy eyes definitely fear it
Yes, I fear those SUVs but not because that one is cheap, for an SUV but because oversized SUVs kill people (at a much higher rate than regular cars, even those with comparable loading volume).
They’ll be banned faster than you can memorize the spelling of Xiaomi. At least in the US, where we make sure the old inefficient companies stay afloat despite their incompetence.
They’ve been banned lol, like for decades
The thing is, if the American government wants to be protectionist against Chinese cars, IMHO they need to pass legally binding legislation to force US car manufacturers to meet or exceed what the Chinese cars are offering and then directly subsidize the cost of those vehicles to the consumer, freely, with no stipulations. The punishment for failure to meet and exceed those expectations should be bankruptcy through immediate removal of the protectionist mechanisms.
The US is too busy licking other corps boots. They do not have enough funds to do it for everyone.
They’d probably need to tax the rich a significant amount of money to do that.
So you think the entire world’s auto manufacturers outside of China are incompetent and inefficient? People always act like the only vehicles sold in the US are domestic brands when they don’t even make up a majority here.
Well, in Germany VW (the second largest automobile manufacturer in the world) now is laying off a significant portion of their employees, closing factories and even selling them off to US/Israeli weapons manufacturers. Their head also already signaled VW is being open to switch to weapons manufacturing. Pretty sure other German brands are in similar peril.
Traditional manufacturers are dead.
You mean Volks “we don’t even make an effort for our cars to obbey emission rules and instead we cheated” wagen is having trouble staying afloat?!
I wonder how such a high quality company which was not at all doing funny business and using political connections is having trouble competing with those who just offer better products at lower prices …
They chose to actively ignore EV technology. Despite 80-100 years of manufacturing , they got overtaken by China in just 15 years.
Corrupted by the oil industry and colluding together would be a better term. Someone please stop China, they are destroying the “EVs are luxury vehicles only” gimmick.
Well I wouldn’t say they’re all incompetent but look at how glacial all the “traditional” car companies have become. These guys are innovating at a speed never seen before while your traditional car manufacturers are stumbling over themselves trying to keep up.
On the german side, just take a look at BMW and how long it took for them to come up with a competent electric platform. They just got their first car on a good platform (the new X3). Mercedes still doesn’t have a good EV, and neither does Audi. Their etron is outdated.
Moving to the Japanese brands. I know Toyota isn’t focused on EVs at all and their hybrid is top notch so they’re one of the better ones out there. But no one else is even close. Not in terms of value for money. Not in terms of tech.
The only ones that get close are Tesla because, like the Chinese, they’re running their car companies like tech companies and not car companies.
What innovations are lacking specifically? I dont know of any features unique to Chinese brands. It seems more like you think every company should only be selling EVs for dirt cheap prices, but that isn’t realistic becausw those aren’t real prices and EVs aren’t yet practical for everyone which is why they make up such a small percentage of sales here still (though this number climbs with each quarter).
Chinese cars are heavily subsidized by the state. The reason they’re so cheap is because China bets it can squeeze the competition out of the market before charging basically whatever they want.
I’ve seen Starbucks do the same thing to independent coffee shops.
Chinese cars are heavily subsidized by the state
Detroit has received $88B in subsidies and loans since 2008. That’s why we have so many cheap EV options?
Frankly, american cars could use a knockdown. Tesla was our only real hope, and we would have glided into a strong Tesla and EV empire if conservative dems didn’t bail out GM, Chrysler, and Ford.
I’d say, let their stuff in. Lets get some good cheap and subsidizes vehicles from China on the condition that they don’t raise car prices by more than 2% a year.
American companies will more than likely fall on their face and hopefully die. Making room for a new american car company to take their place.
And yet even at 2-3x the price, the Chinese EVs provide a better value than the handful of the American options they would compete against.
This SUV would be competing with the likes of a high end EV option like Lucid or Tesla. The Lucid Gravity starts a around $70k, and the Tesla Model X (now discontinued) was around $92k.
The Xiaomi SU7 (the car the Ford CEO has driven since 2024, despite being banned in the US) starts at $32k and clearly is targeted to compete the Porsche Taycan at $112k.
The vehicle in this article has heated floors, a projector, a pop-up roof, a fridge, swiveling seats, and over 1,000 miles of range. Functions western companies consider “luxury” are basically just standard in the Chinese market like heated and ventilated seats. They don’t even bother to advertise things like that because it’s a minimum expectation. There are zero western options that come close to something like that. The options available in the US suck, even taking industry subsidies into account.
High-end EV options
Ok
like Tesla
…fucking WHAT?
heated floors, a projector, a pop-up roof, a fridge, swiveling seats,
Never have I once thought I needed any of that bullshit.
And yet there it is, along with basically every other “luxury” feature western companies save for high end models… all for the price of a base model SUV here.
Oh yeah, because US car companies are NOT subsidized at all /s
Both statements can be true at the same time. But the scale of one is many times larger.
China’s MO from rare earths and magnets to cars to silicon follows the same plan. Take IP, Subsidize the industry, Research, once you have a monopoly use it to squeeze adversaries.
I will say at least China is willing to kill off underperforming companies.
The US needs to let a lot of legacy companies that aren’t performing die off. It also needs to break up oligopolies in many industries. Why compete when you can buy up the future competitors and set prices with a handful of competitors. The financialization of our economy is choking us.
Sure, but try launching a new auto startup here. It’s a lot harder than in China.
Wrong. US manufacturers have effectively been shut out of China. But not before they made investments that China basically stole.
effectively been shut out of China.
Because Chinese won’t buy massive thirsty trucks. Wtf…Tesla was in China before they even started making EVs.
Who would want a US made car?
Even Americans don’t want them.
Depends on what you mean by American. Most assume you are referring to Ford or GM. But Tesla and Rivian are US made. Many are built in the States by non US companies. BMW, Volvo, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia.
I worked in the government for a bit, national park service if it matters, we were only allowed to use US made vehicles.
Constant recalls, constant breakdowns, overall unreliable. These were all vehicles that were less than 5 years okd
I have a 2007 toyota today that refuses to die and has barely needed any work. I’ll probably have it at least another 3 to 5 years at this rate.
American cars are shit
Worked at an oil refinery in the US. All the company cars were Ford. They all had various issues such as lights not working, the reverse beeper not working, constant engine light. We would get a loaner ford to replace our fleet ford and the loaner would fucking die. It would be comical if it wasn’t my safety being jeopardized.
It’s very possible your Toyota was maser in the US.
American capitalism has rendered companies incapable of producing anything that’s not crap at a scale because they need to maximise profit at all costs, while quality doesn’t mean shit. Every company is Boeing.
Time to unleash the storm on these piece of shit American car companies.
Damn, never though I’d say this, but I think China is gonna save capitalism from itself.
China is better at capitalism than the US is.
The United States greatly prefers that corporations be in charge of the government to government be in charge of corporations.
Not much difference in the outcome for the general population.
That‘s a reach, if I ever saw one. China lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty, and in fact eradicated poverty at all. Last I heard, their standard of living just closely missed being in the high income countries category. Their trajectory is in complete contrast to the declining Western empire.
China is better at capitalism, because it‘s their only play to stay sovereign and overcome this predatory system completely. They have to prove to the capitalist world, that their system and long term development is superior and it‘s only beneficial for the world to follow their transition towards socialism to enable prosperity for all humankind, not just the global north. Not gonna happen under capitalism, especially not under the US or the EU.
Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Unless you are Tibetan or Uyghur.
I try not to let US state department propaganda narratives dictate my perspective on their geopolitical adversaries.
Sure and Tiananmen Square never happened.
Nah. It’s just another rug pull in preparation. Undercut prices until the competition breaks, then fuck things up with your monopoly. We’re in the undercutting prices phase, but the Chinese will want to have their fair share of interest on the subsidies they use use to do that right now. It’s the same old fucking capitalism again and nothing is saved from it.
Yeah. Companies running on state subsidies competing with others who are not is not capitalism “working”, it’s just another rug pull leaving us all fucked.
I guess in this fantasy scenario of yours, the United States is the one that doesn’t subsidize the auto industry? lol
I love how criticizing the Chinese car industry leads people to asssume I love the American one.
The US hasn’t produced a decent car since the 60s. I don’t even factor them into the calculation.
I didn’t say you loved it, I asked if you didn’t think it was subsidized.
Not to the same degree or in the same way. In the US the name of the game is to have companies run themselves into the ground to line the pockets of CEOs and investors, and then the state bailing them out every time because of jobs and national pride.
I’m sure there are other systems in place as well, but frankly I don’t care. Teslas are pretty much the only American cars you’ll see in Europe, and they’ve been subsidized by European countries to promote the electronic transition.
In short, I don’t think about American cars at all.
My guess is that these Chinese manufacturers will kill the old automakers that are in rapid decline after decades of low quality products at high prices.
I don’t know if the Chinese brands have good quality but they’re priced lower than the expensive low quality trash that’s already on the market from all the other automakers.
sell cheap to kill competition around the world. leverage new global monopoly for fun and profits later.
They use this same tactic over and over and I find it surprising that more people don’t immediately recognize what they’re doing.
I guess it’s just more enticing than “maximise profits for the few even if it means the planet dying”. All western auto makers can get squeezed for all I care. I’d buy their products, but they spent a decade sabotaging it and making sure it keeps spewing poison.
I have no pity for toxic companies that fought tooth and nail against EV development. The tactic works because it’s taking advantage of a broken system.
This. I’m all for competition and innovation, but this is subsidized by the Chinese government to exploit a lack of manufacturing in other countries.
If you’ve heard about how food or clothing donations harm local farmers and weavers, same principle. We should be encouraging domestic production around the world, not allowing one country to undercut everyone else.
China is doing exactly what other countries and corporations do to establish and compete in markets.
Let me repeat it: China is doing exactly what other countries and corporations do to establish and compete in markets.
And because it doesn’t ever seem to sink in: China is doing exactly what other countries and corporations do to establish and compete in markets.
Newsflash: Sinophobia is not an economic strategy.
Edit: "“All for competition and innovation” The United States barred China from buying the latest NVIDIA chips to keep it out of AI. Typical American racist scapegoating.
This thread is so fucking ignorant and choking on MAGA propaganda. Look this up idiots: the US of A has subsidized Detroit far more than China in the auto industry and BYD was heavily invested by US investors like Warren Buffet.
Warren Buffet bought 10% of BYD because US options were all losers. From 2008 to 2022 he made $8.75B.
Yeah and it’s bad when other countries do it too
China has been playing the long game for 30+ years. When you have actual history and strategy(and unlimited exploitable labor( you’d be amazed what you can accomplish.
Free market? Not like that!
Don’t worry, I’m sure there’s another bailout and another cash for clunkers with a side of tariffs getting cooked up by some lobbyist to get passed by some paid off politicians. They are already trying to/already have pass(ed) a complete ban on Chinese autos. Knock knock, they are already on both borders.
I’ve apparently read my limit of Wired articles this month.
What’s it say?
If there’s one thing that can unite the world in these AI-troubled times, it’s everyone’s love of SUVs. For decades, the SUV has been the savior of the car world. Accounting for nearly half of all new sales worldwide, this is by some margin the largest segment in the global auto industry.
Sedans? Forget it. Ford doesn’t even sell a traditional sedan in the US now. China still likes a sedan. About a third of all Chinese autos are in this form, compared with less than half that for the US. But Chinese carmakers know full well how much we love our chunky SUVs, so they are focusing their efforts to lure the Western world away from familiar marques.
Indeed, Xiaomi has just played its hand in this particular game, revealing the remaining details earlier this month in Beijing—including the all-important pricing—of its coming SkyNomad SUVs. Bentley and Range Rover may well have revealed their flagship electric SUVs, but both will be mightily worried about just how many scalps Xiaomi Auto’s SkyNomad SUVs will take from them. If they’re not, they should be. Sedan to SUV Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Car Interior Car Seat Chair and Furniture
The new Xiaomi Auto SkyNomad N70 is a five-seat, extended-range EV that has better technology than a Range Rover at half the price of a Velar. Courtesy of Xiaomi
Trucks and SUVs represent more than 80 percent of new vehicle sales in America these days. Marc McGrath, US CEO of the automotive manufacturer Schaeffler Group, tells WIRED that one of the main reasons the company is developing its own solid-state batteries is to properly electrify the power-hungry trucks and SUVs Americans so dearly love. No one wants another F-150 Lightning U-turn.
The shocking success of the Jaecoo 7 is a prime example of SUV supremacy. This Chinese-made ride has enjoyed a staggeringly meteoric rise in the UK, going from an unknown newcomer in 2025 to now being one of the country’s best-selling new cars. Nicknamed the “Temu Range Rover,” it comes in both gas and hybrid flavors, and the company liberally uses the word “luxury” in its marketing, yet the vehicle costs just £29,210 (a little over $39,000).
These 7s are becoming ubiquitous on UK roads. My local Nissan dealer has swiftly dumped the Japanese brand and is now an official Jaecoo dealer, offering not just the 7, but the Jaecoo 5 and 8. I can’t think of another auto brand that’s enjoyed such a rapid rise.
Other Chinese brands are playing the same tactic in Europe, such as XPeng and BYD, but the big one incoming is Xiaomi Auto, set to launch in Europe in 2027, despite only making its first EV in 2024. Astonishingly, its SU7 Ultra claimed the title of “World’s Fastest Sedan” the very same year.
Far from a Temu pretender, the SkyNomad is not only tech-laden, it’s also seemingly high-end, with seating that purports to be “more like an Italian sofa.” The SkyNomad N70 is a five-seater that, especially in its “Stealth Black Edition” guise, looks almost exactly like a Range Rover from the outside, and far more successfully than the Jaecoo. Image may contain Cushion Home Decor Floor and Window Courtesy of Xiaomi
The N90 Max Studio has a pop-up roof that lifts 100 mm to open a sleeping loft. Image may contain Computer Electronics Laptop Pc Accessories Glasses Adult Person Transportation and Vehicle Courtesy of Xiaomi
The SkyNomad floor rail system makes for a super-configurable interior.
The larger N90 is a seven-seater that also comes in a “Max Studio” camper version, complete with a pop-up roof. The second row can transform into a bed with one touch of a button—no disassembly, no mattress needed—just 30 seconds from upright seats to a flat, large bed.
The theme of reconfigurable interiors continues. A flat floor, courtesy of the Kunlun platform, comes with sliding rails built in from the front seats to the boot, meaning all (yes, all) the seat sections can move about. The front seats spin a full 180 degrees to face the second row; floor-mounted tables slot between the rows to make for “living-room-style" layouts; the center console can move forward or back at the press of a button; and rear legroom can max out at over 5 feet. In the N90 Max Studio, the pop-up roof lifts 100 mm to open a sleeping loft with 1.8 meters of headroom, along with heated flooring (!), a built-in projector, and a 30-inch projector screen.
An amazing optional extra for the SkyNomad is Xiaomi’s version of in-brand car-to-car communications. Essentially, it’s a walkie-talkie that runs on cellular network coverage rather than short-range radio, so it’s marketed as having “unlimited range” and looks very similar to tech Xiaomi already ships in its phones.
Just stop for a minute and compare what you’ve just read with the sorts of interior innovations Western brands deliver on flagship models these days. Power doors, multi-point massage seats, relaxation programs with scent sprays, and a central console that moves maybe 10 cm are the typical cutting-edge fare. The SkyNomad makes US and European efforts look, frankly, lazy—right when they desperately need to stop their decline and show they can compete. Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Car Interior and Car Seat Courtesy of Xiaomi
Despite the price, Xiaomi is offering an aggressively specced SUV. Image may contain Transportation Vehicle Car Aircraft Car Interior Cushion and Home Decor Courtesy of Xiaomi
Seat rows can move forward and back, allowing floor-mounted tables. Image may contain Chair Furniture Transportation Vehicle Cushion Home Decor Car and Car Interior Courtesy of Xiaomi
The front seats can swivel around 180 degrees to make meeting spaces. Image may contain Furniture Courtesy of Xiaomi
A low-power fridge continues to cool when the car is powered down.
There’s more. “Full scenario” voice control; customizable head-up display; lidar units, high-definition cameras, and Nvidia’s Thor-U chip for level 2-plus autonomous control. A low-voltage power system apparently keeps “sentry mode” drain to under 5 kilometers of range overnight, so the onboard fridge running on 0.72 kWh a day can offer up to 24-hour continuous cooling.
The extended-range plug-in hybrid powertrain combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged internal combustion generator with battery packs and dual electric motors. This ICE engine never drives the wheels, but the SUV can charge from 20 to 80 percent in as little as 18 minutes for a 300-plus-mile electric-only range, or 1,000-mile combined range. Yes, these stats use China’s far more forgiving CLTC cycle, but this converts to about 700 miles using stricter US EPA standards.
Now to the clincher: the price. The maxed-out N90 Max Studio with its camper roof clocks in at RMB 299,900, about $44,700. The entry-level N70 Pro five-seat, rear-wheel-drive model with its movable “Italian sofa” seats, lidar, 14-speaker sound system including subwoofer and headrest speakers, and prodigious range is just RMB 209,900, or just over $31,000—about the same as a 2026 Hyundai Tucson.
Earlier this month, I asked a Western luxury auto CEO what he thought about Xiaomi Auto. He laughed. “They make vacuums, don’t they?” he scoffed. I think he’ll rue the day he said that. It reminds me of when, in a 2011 Bloomberg interview, Musk laughed when asked if he saw BYD as a competitor. Musk isn’t laughing now. Make no mistake, Xiaomi is coming to clean up.
you’re a real one for that copy paste mate
Im curious why the headline says $31k but the article says $39k
$39k is referring to the Jaecoo 7, isn’t it?
