Europe's EV troubles bubble up at Brussels Audi factory

the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany.

The backbone of German industry was the cheap and plentiful Russian gas running through the Nord Stream pipeline that provided the energy to fuel the machinery in German factories.

Germany must now import that same energy via LNG tankers from India (which buys the gas from Russia anyways)

But this roundabout route is massively expensive and German factories simply can't afford these exorbiant energy prices.

Politicians aren't that good at economics, it seems. If they hike the price of Chinese imports, sales will drop further.

The EV industry is in a consolidation, the survival of the fittest.

Unfortunately, Japanese aren't the fittest to survive....

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/GM-pivots-to-Hyundai-from-Honda-in-shifting-EV-landscape

GM pivots to Hyundai from Honda in shifting EV landscape

U.S. and South Korean partners aim to bring down costs to compete with Chinese rivals

Germany must now import that same energy via LNG tankers from India (which buys the gas from Russia anyways)

Norway replaced Russia as Germany's primary source of natural gas. Belgium and Netherlands also added capacity to support Germany. More recently Germany signed a 20 year contract with a US Gulf Coast LNG supplier Venture Global LNG and a separate 15 year contract with Qatar.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/where-does-germany-stand-gas-supply-2023-01-20/

https://www.ft.com/content/ecdadbf1-1939-4952-b2cc-c84fb1cbe6d6

https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-dependence-imported-fossil-fuels

Audi's problem is their cars are hideously over priced, same criticism of BMW and Mercedes, and for reasons I don't understand their software is not good. The Germans historically were really good at the machinery part and analog electrical equipment, but as soon as they had to write software and implement CANBus architectures things on their cars got weird where simpler Japanese and American implementation of CANBus were less troublesome if, on paper, less sophisticated. And their styling?

China, heavily, subsidised, mercantilism.

this how backfiring of antirussia sanctions looks like.

VW next in line.

German car makers have losses at chinese market and have complete lost and withdrawn from russian market/both sales and production/,have lost cheap resources of oil,gas and other materials from Russia needed for car making.

Same time they have lost chinese speed and progress as their products lagging well behind chinese ones/I mean EV/in terms of design,attractivity and price of course.

so here you are.wir schaffen das. good luck US puppets and greeings to herr Scholz.

"Europe is too far behind," said Chawki, an assembly worker, sporting a black beanie and a short, grizzled beard. "Have you ever seen Chinese cars? They're much more advanced," he added, sheltering with others under a trade union canopy.

I have. Chinese cars are indeed advanced. It’s too advanced for older generations but the BYD hybrids 2000 km range on a full charge is attractive. You can go from Boston to Chicago on one tank. How many miles to you drive a year? How many trips to the gas station can you save?

"Chinese automakers are moving at the spend of light, using artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies in their cars that are different from any existing technology in the United States. These Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are utilizing their low-cost supply base to reduce costs, provide advanced features, and actively expand into overseas markets. This is an existential threat." Said Jim Farley in WSJ.

Government mandating the free market never creates wealth.

I have. Chinese cars are indeed advanced. It’s too advanced for older generations but the BYD hybrids 2000 km range on a full charge is attractive. You can go from Boston to Chicago on one tank. How many miles to you drive a year? How many trips to the gas station can you save?

How? BYD doesn't sell automobiles in the US. Only buses, yard goats (aka spotting tractors) and some trucks. The agencies that operate their electric buses complain they never achieve their rated range or battery life and are broken down more than other brands of electric transit bus sold in the US such as Gillig and Proterra.

I'm based in China, Japan and Asia. Not in the U.S. They claim 2000 km but I figured 1500 km is conservative. Imagine driving from Vancouver to Los Angeles on one tank of gas. North America has very few charging stations. You should come and see what they have here and pick up the back yard debris sticks and leaves that is Chinese medicine.

Audi is a subsidiary of Volkswagen, which earlier this month made the bombshell announcement that it was considering the unprecedented step of closing production sites in Germany.

And Volkswagen will go to China if they work things out with the unions. I recall they were the cheaters in the diesel emissions scandal about ten years ago. The Folks Wagon is not going to compete well if they still do that.