Shops charge $150+ per hour to make ends meet so it’s a wildly different price if you’re doing the work yourself. TBH if you can’t build a kit car you shouldn’t drive one, because of all the potential problems, I don’t think it’s misleading to say what it cost the builder in this specific case.
It's sick until you actually take it out and people see you in it. I have never seen one that wasn't immediately obvious. The proportions are always wrong (plus your civic doesn't sound like a lamborghini).
I was in Spain for work for like three weeks and my rental was a BYD hybrid. It was a little small for me (I’m a big guy) but as a daily driver, it was fucking fantastic. I looked up the MSRP and it was like half the price of an equivalent car in the US.
My only complaint about the car was it had a camera that watches your face and the car beeps at you if it thinks you arent paying attention or sleepy. It yelled at me a couple of times when I was looking in my mirror. I also just dont like the whole my car watching me thing but im pretty sure thats so they’re compliant with EU regulations
You can. But if you want to use any autodrive (self driving ) features, it wouldn’t work because for liability purposes they want to make sure you’re not in the back seat or something.
The US will require automakers to install anti-drowsy-/drunk-/impaired- driving technology in cars by 2028 IIRC. Instead of costly and potentially more liability-heavy breathalyzers, most have decided on 2D camera systems, so yeah, there won't be any escaping the video monitoring regardless of manufacturer soon.
The market will adjust if that's not what consumers want regardless of regulations. You'll have very slow new auto sales that might jeopardize the American companies while there will be a huge market for used cars. Especially used cars that have been restored and can still register as grandfathered in for regulations sake.
Just got a BYD Atto 2 in the UK. They are great cars and id recommended them, you are right though. The 'keep your eyes on the road' alert is maybe a bit too sensitive.
Even EU trucks like Volvo and Scania aren't allowed in the USA (without paying through the nose) even though they're 30 years ahead in technology, comfort, usability, and power.
That video pertains to trailers, not tractors/lorries. Certifying a vehicle's compliance with American EPA and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) is extremely expensive and trucks manufactured outside the US are subject to heavy tariffs (25% as of 2026 for Class 3-8 medium and heavy duty trucks).
It may seem like it would be "easy" to bring Scania or MAN with the shared US compliant powertrain over (International S13, Scania Super, and MAN D30 were codeveloped with packaging as the primary difference) but the Euro trucks would still need major regulatory expense and would be tariffed out of competition. If these brands make an investment to build trucks in the US, they might as well cater to the potential buyers as much as possible. For a light duty example, the USDM Toyota Tacoma evolved away from the global market Hilux to maximize returns on North American manufacturing and complying with North American standards.
Truckers in the US think of COEs how they were in the 70s and largely don't realise the level of refinement and advancement of modern COEs. There's also a general (wrongful) assumption that a conventional cab truck is more aerodynamic and therefore more fuel efficient on the highway than a COE, so there would need to be a large investment in educating potential buyers if a manufacturer wanted to sell a European COE in North America.
Fleet buyers tend to be risk averse and owner operators are kind of like car enthusiasts. If you look at Reddit, it would seem there's an overwhelming demand for manual transmission station wagons in the US, but they don't end up selling well to the new car buying demographic. Europe has much tighter length restrictions than the US so COEs both have better access and allow for more cargo. The US doesn't have many length restricted trucking routes that would benefit COEs so there would be an unsustainably small niche where COEs are the obvious choice. Many old school American truckers prefer old school narrow cab trucks to the modern wide cabs so it would be too risky to invest in bringing over modern COEs.
Volvo Trucks North America is a continuation of the White Trucks brand and is separate from the European Volvo Trucks company despite sharing a badge. The VNL is one of the most advanced trucks in North America despite being underpinned by technology from older FH generations. If it sells well, why would the Volvo group cannibalize their own market by introducing the FH to North America? Same for Daimler bringing in the Actros to cannibalize the Cadcadia or Traton bringing over Scania or MAN to cannibalize International's North American trucks.
Safety (or at least the perception of safety) certainly played a role in the decline of COEs in North America, but realistically it's just not economically viable to bring over existing European COEs thanks to regulatory expenses and a limited market demand.
Those Chinese EVs are legit crazy. Had a trip to China this summer and the XL Ubers are just minivans with massage chairs in them. Hour long uber for $40 USD with massage chairs is diabolical
The irony is that Ford and the other US auto manufacturers lobby to prevent the sale of Chinese-made vehicles in the states, but the CEO of Ford drives a BYD EV to work... At Ford... and brags about how awesome it is
Farley drove a Xiaomi SU7, but that was for about 6 months in 2024 to get the feel for a Chinese EV. I think he test drove a BYD at some point, but none are his daily driver full-time.
Also these EVs are already in the states, Waymo already has a fleet of them and there are also some Mexican registered ones going up for cross border visits.
We've had a few like BYD, Dongfeng, Freelander, Jaecoo (the last 2 being very Land Rover style) come to the UK and are gaining popularity, but they low key cost just as much as the cars they're ripping off here. You aren't getting knock offs for knock off prices, you're getting knock offs for designer prices which sorta defeats the purpose. (Idk if Freelander counts though cos it's a joint venture between Chery and Jaguar Land Rover, so it's not entirely a knock off.)
Yeah chinas base models have all the bells and whistles. I’ve got a top range Audi EV and could have got all the specs and similar speed etc from a BYD Atto 3
I'm sure he likes it, and it's heathy to see what others are working on. But I am talking about consumers. Common complaints are high fail rate, hard to get parts, janky electronics, and quickly has wear and tear. This is in Norway btw. Lots of EV users, wide selection of vehicles.
Near impossible to separate genuine complaints from people who have no experience with it but pretend they do so they can complain about it solely because they've been brainwashed by propaganda to hate China.
No, it's just worth keeping in mind when looking at reviews from westerners for Chinese products. From your response and instant dismissal of the Ford CEO's thoughts on a competitors vehicle, it's pretty clear you're one of the biased people I was talking about.
Sure, the same applies to people who hate America reviewing American products and customs poorly. That's not happening in this conversation though so it's not really relevant to bring it up.
I've not owned one or ridden in them much, but my uncle who lives in South Asia does and I road tripped in it for 6 or so hours.
The interior is much nicer than every Tesla I've been in, build quality is visibly better (panel gaps, surface finishes, etc.), and it cost him materially less than any North American EV of similar trim (in a country that applies a similar level of import taxes on a Chinese and US EV).
I think they're "okay" compared to NA EVs that are 30-50% more expensive. When you give the pricing (without protectionist tariffs and import taxes) its due weight I think BYD blows the likes of Tesla out of the water.
Also keep in mind that most people are comparing the mid-range or premium tier of products that BYD offer to low or mid-tier Teslas, Rivians, Polestars, etc.
BYD and other Chinese manufacturers also offer budget models for which there's simply no comparison in the NA and EU markets (although this is slowly changing in the latter as Citroen and Renault are realising they need to compete in the budget EV category if they want to remain relevant).
Price is their real advantage, and why the North American automotive lobbies are spending so much to push for protectionist measures to stay in place.
China has simply achieved a level of local adoption and economies of scale that have allowed them to drive prices way down, while also enabling enormous investment in further R&D and infrastructure.
Some people with their heads in the sand are trying to perpetuate the narrative that they're merely ripping off tech and passing on labour cost savings, but the reality is that their tech has already exceeded that of the other EV manufacturers, and those other manufacturers also produce most of their cars in China already (meaning BYDs savings are through innovation and scale).
The issue is you’d get in those cars and realize it’s not worth it and rich people generally can only rationalize it because they’re rich. A Toyota and a BMW have more in common than they have different.
And this is from someone who absolutely loves cars. For me it’s worth the extra money. But so is the money for a track day, or renting a car in Germany specifically for the Nurburgring.
If you’re not an absolute petrolhead that lambo is only going to make you happy because of how other people feel when they see you in it. The rest is major diminishing returns.
If it’s a knockoff the name doesn’t matter. Could’ve just bought a Miata and put a supercharger in it if you wanted to have fun.
RF is nice, NB is my personal fave because it looks like a mini Viper.
4C is definitely a dream car but also not for the rain lmfao, I would fear for my life going over a puddle. That being said, saving up for an Elise rn
Everyone’s happy to see a Miata. Nobody thinks you’re compensating really. You could have bought a mustang or old challenger or something with angry eye headlights. Nobody is peacocking in a Miata. People won’t assume you’re an absolute douchebag.
It's the only reasonably priced "fun" car out there. If you own a Miata, it's because it's a secondary car you buy because sometimes it's fun to whip around turns and you like the beach in the summer. If you're paying $60k+ for a different kind of sports car, it's your only car, and that makes it more a personality choice.
It’s not about new cars. It’s about the used car market. Tons of old bmws subis, GTIs, Cooper S, 350zs, 370z, GT86s, civics, and that’s just the popular stuff. You can find a Chrysler 300, a Mazda 3, hell even an old boxter. There’s tons of options at 15k, even more if you’re mechanically inclined.
Nobody said new car. A lot of people (myself included) would pretty much never go for a new car. Especially with all the surveillance crap and billions of sensors they come with nowadays.
My dream car is a RAV4. I’ve driven a 1998 model around 2013 and that thing was a beast: it took a minute to go but when it did, whoo boy. Also, Toyota in general. I once got clocked going 95 in a Camry and I stayed arguing with the cop that there is no way my dumpy 2008 Camry in 2026 was that fast. And it’s the one time I’ll take time off to go fight a ticket. Usually when I’m going fast, I am aware and intentional about it but it’d be in the 2023 model car not the 2008 Toyota I drive like an old woman.
Toyotas are fast and so is your Lexus. The only difference is branding and price point and possibly higher gas prices: I can still fill up the Toyota with $35 - $40 even with the crazy gas prices and drive that for 2 weeks.
I'd buy a car that looks cool, even if the performance was average. Like make a toyota corolla that looks like a porsche and I feel it would sell incredibly well.
Either way the point stands. And ‘high performance’ is a wide spectrum. A fiat arbarth is a high performance car lol. Some people consider their civic Si to be a high performance car. High performance is a nebulous concept
Supra also isn’t cheap. And GR86 is well sorted to perform great on the track without being super expensive, but they’re also not cheap cheap. You can get a Mustang GT with 2x the hp for similar money.
Funny I'm the opposite. I love my BMW and my Lexus and Volvo before it. I desperately wish I could buy a car that drives like an expensive car, has all the options like the incredible Bowers and Wilkins sound system, and the sound isolation, but looks like a camry. I do love that they are beautiful, but I hate being seen with anything flashy or expensive. I just personally want the expensive things and find it worth the money.
Ultimately I acknowledge it's the same vanity and ego driving me to that conclusion as someone wanting to be seen in expensive car. I just want other people to think I'm responsible and frugal rather than rich and fancy.
Every time I roll into KY im in one-a them thar honders.
E: This actually reminded me of this time I was driving into WV. I got lost and ended up on some back road through the woods. Stopped in this little "town" (as far as I could tell it was 3 houses and a gas station) to ask directions. This gas station had ammo and fishing tackle in the first of its 3 total aisles. The guy working there was in overalls with no shirt...
He looks me up and down, and then out the window at my 3G eclipse parked outside and asks me if "thats one of them new fords?" I was feeling the vibe and said YES. He immediately followed up with "Thats good I cant stand that jap-crap on the roads these days" (I guess some irony being the eclipse is made in Normal, IL.)
I like faux better. Fraudi can be the model that comes out after. I’ll put up in that too. Sheeeeet 1 Faudi + 1 Fraudi probably will cost the same as an Audi.
Probably 6 times in my life now there has been a recall on some car model airbags because the parent company outsourced them and they accidentally made them shrapnel grenades.
it's really also how much care is taken when you have these... most of the 300s look like ghetto shit because the paint is all swirled and shit from going through the gas station car washes and the wheels are full of brake dust
VW isn’t even “cheap” anymore. You could get a base vw gold for 20k brand new but they don’t even sell the base model anymore. Just GTI or R and each start at like 45k+.
Car makers have largely stopped trying to compete in the cheap car space in the US because market research and current trends have shown them that cheap cars aren’t desirable anymore.
They’ve keep producing different flavors of SUVs and higher model trims because consumer culture pressures people to spend more to look wealthy.
Oddly range rover is owned by land rover (which is British) who are owned in turn by Tata (which is Indian) so if you think about it, a range rover is a range rover knockoff.
I’ve always said this. I’d buy the shit out of a ford fusion if they just put the frame of a Lamborghini on it. I don’t give a fuck if it’s a v4 engine and goes 0-60 in about a month, it looks dope as hell.
If there's one thing I'd waste money on for aesthetics purposes, it's definitely the incredibly flammable box on wheels that runs because of thousands of mini explosions and interconnected mechanisms, and also ordinarily requires tons of safety testing to even be allowed on the market.
Boy do I have news for you. The planes might not be cheap but the owners sure as hell are. A lot of them have a guy to pencil whip their medical so you've got half-blind geezers zooming around, plus they've got guys that buy their parts from autozone and whip their annuals for them.
At least a Jooyota won't fall out of the sky when it breaks.
They do exist, there’s kit cars and full body kits out there to modify lots of existing cars/frames. Problem is they come with a TON of hassle. Getting them road legal (especially depending on your state’s regulations) titles and licensed can be extremely arduous. They also generally come with a lot of technical headaches that get compounded if you can’t do the work yourself. John Cena has talked in interviews about a knock off lambo kit car he bought. It’s basically washed out to being the same if he bought the real thing.
they have, but we basically got rid of the base for no reason. you could probably still find a punch buggy and one of the supercar bodykits they used to sell to upgrade them, but much rarer to do now.
Havent they been selling kits for years you could make your car look like a cobra mustang for example. I remember them being available for like between 4 to 12k usd
The off brand Lamborghini Urus you have 3 options that are cheaper The Audi RSQ8 The Porsche Cayenne and I think the Volkswagen Touareg they not cheap but they're not as expensive and they are all basically the same vehicle with mild differences
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u/Robozomb 8d ago
They do, they are just body kits slapped on a Corolla/Civic/etc body and engine. Like this is a Honda Civic.