Episode summary
Viral Videos of Chinese EVs Fuel Envy for Cars Americans Can't Own | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 8 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Gabrielle Coppola
Summary
Viral videos of Chinese EVs are creating real curiosity among U.S. car shoppers, even though the vehicles are not available for normal purchase in the American market. Gabrielle Coppola says the appeal is mainly price and features: Chinese models can look roughly a third cheaper than comparable U.S. cars while still offering luxury-like touches such as advanced screens and massage seats. The result is a growing sense of envy driven by social media, not by direct access.
Coppola argues that the reason these cars stay out of the U.S. is not just tariffs. Federal safety and environmental rules, plus the time and expense of homologation, make it hard and costly to certify a vehicle for sale. Even if Chinese EVs were shipped into the U.S., she says they would still face substantial regulatory and manufacturing hurdles that could erase some of the price advantage.
The discussion also notes that Europe and other markets with stricter emissions goals can be more receptive to Chinese EVs, especially where subsidies or EV incentives once helped build demand. Coppola says Americans can sometimes bring a Chinese car across the border only briefly for research or special situations, but not register and insure it for normal use. The segment closes on a broader warning: U.S. automakers are already feeling pressure, and Chinese brands are winning attention before they even enter the market.
Key takeaways
- Gabrielle Coppola says Chinese EVs stand out to Americans because they can appear about a third cheaper than comparable U.S. models.
- She says U.S. safety and emissions rules, plus homologation, are major barriers that raise the cost of selling Chinese cars in America.
- Coppola says Europe’s EV-friendly policies have helped create a pathway for Chinese brands to gain market share abroad.
- She says Americans can import a Chinese EV only in limited temporary cases, but cannot normally register and insure it for U.S. roads.
- Coppola points to a Strategic Vision survey showing 33% of U.S. new-vehicle buyers would consider a China-built car, up from 18% in 2021.
Notable quotes
“It's all about the viral Chinese EV videos. You've seen them, we've seen them, that fuel envy for cars that Americans cannot own, at least not yet”
“the prices are maybe like a third lower than what you would expect for the same product here in the United States”
“One of them is that in the US we have certain environmental and um safety standards”
“you could drive the car across the border and but you could never license that vehicle, have it registered and get insured”
“one-third said they'd consider purchasing a vehicle built in China according uh to the president research firm Strategic Vision”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio, news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio.
As soon as this Business Week story crossed last week, we knew we wanted to feature it on our broadcast. It's all about the viral Chinese EV videos. You've seen them, we've seen them, that fuel envy for cars that Americans cannot own, at least not yet.
Gabriel Copala is Bloomberg News auto reporter. She joins us from Detroit. These Chinese brands have made uh inroads across many global markets, even in Mexico.
They're virtually non-existent on US roads thanks to wall of tariffs, national security rules, and automotive regulations. What is so great about these Chinese EVs? Um, well, I think the thing that's really jumping out to a lot of Americans is the price because the prices are maybe like a third lower than what you would expect for the same product here in the United States.
But I mean it's also um you know just they have luxury features you know really fancy kind of user experience screens you know m I mean we have cars that have massage seats here in the US but the idea is that in the Chinese cars they're often packaged at a much lower price point um at least but that's the the c there's a catch there which is that this is people seeing cars you know as they're priced in China or maybe priced somewhere outside China not exactly the price that it would pay, you know, if it were in the United States. But of course, people don't think about that. They just see the value, the content, and the price, and they go, "What the heck?
You know, why can't I have this?
Well, what would they be priced?
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- chinese evs
- social media influencers
- auto industry
- us import restrictions
- viral video marketing
Watch the episode
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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