When China’s BYD recently overtook Elon Musk’s Tesla as the global leader in sales of electric vehicles, casual observers of the auto industry might have been surprised.

But what’s caught other carmakers around the world off-guard is something else about BYD, which is backed by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway: its low prices.

“No one can match BYD on price. Period,” Michael Dunne, CEO of Asia-focused car consultancy Dunne Insights, told the Financial Times. “Boardrooms in America, Europe, Korea and Japan are in a state of shock.”

BYD can keeps its costs low in part because it owns the entire supply chain of its EV batteries, from the raw materials to the finished battery packs. That matters because a battery accounts for about 40% of a new electric vehicle’s price.

  • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    You’ve changed your tune from it being silly to needing more granular data.

    Pedestrian deaths are on the rise and decent safety regulations could impact speeding and drunk driving.

    • ieatpillowtags
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      10 months ago

      I said you were silly because it was more polite than calling you stupid, and in neither case is it referring to the issue of traffic deaths.

      And now you’ve changed your tune talking about pedestrians which has nothing to do with the topic.

      • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Car safety regs have nothing to do with pedestrian deaths? So cars with poor visibility due to design choices are in no way related to car safety or pedestrian deaths?

        Cars having impact ready bumpers and lowered engine blocks that have a direct correlation with lower chances of death or serious injury in the event of a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist are completely unrelated to safety regulations?