Chinese automakers such as BYD and Chery are redefining the pace of automotive development, leaving legacy companies like GM struggling to keep up.
According to a new report from Reuters, Chinese automotive firms are now launching new models in as little as 18 months, far outpacing the traditional four- to five-year development cycle typical of Western automakers, including General Motors.
Since 2020, BYD has introduced more than 40 all-new models and issued over 139 updates or refreshes. By contrast, GM has taken a far more measured approach, including with its EV rollout, which has focused on platform consolidation and investment with models such as BEV3-based the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevy Equinox EV.
Meanwhile, Chinese automaker Chery managed to totally redesign the suspension and steering of its Omoda 5 SUV for European roads in just six weeks, an engineering accomplishment that would take a legacy automaker more than a year to complete. This flexibility highlights a major difference in how Chinese automotive companies approach product development, emphasizing digital simulations, rapid prototyping, and direct consumer feedback, rather than real world testing. The approach is similar to the “fail fast” strategy touted by Silicon Valley startups.
Scale is also a huge advantage. BYD, for example, has nearly 900,000 employees, manufacturing most of its components in-house. The structure minimizes supply chain delays and reduces costs, two hurdles that GM and its peers continue to grapple with.
In terms of labor, Chinese firms can also operate in long 12-hour days, six days a week, pushing development at a pace Western automakers simply can’t match. Meanwhile, leaders like BYD founder Wang Chuanfu remain deeply involved in daily operations, spending nights in employee housing and putting in long days alongside workers.
Reuters reports that despite the speedy development, Chinese automakers have not compromised on safety, with many of their latest models achieving high ratings in European crash tests.
Portfolio diversity is another major advantage, with automakers like Chery offering gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and EVs. Chery sold 1.14 million units in more than 100 countries last year.
GM has seen a sharp decline in sales in the Chinese market over the last few years, struggling to compete with fast-moving Chinese brands like BYD and Chery. To stay in the game, GM is working to speed up its vehicle development and improve its product line, while also undergoing a massive restructuring effort last year. GM expects to return to profitability in the Chinese market this year.
Comments
China equals garbage. Always has Always wiil
Not anymore. It’s the big three that’s now putting out overpriced garbage, with plenty of recalls to boot.
Beginning to sound like a repeat of 1973 and the Arab Oil Embargo – anyone remember that? Gasoline got really expensive, and US manufacturers only were building large gas guzzlers, because that’s what people wanted, right? Only overnight, they didn’t, and the small, more efficient, and yes, junky Japanese cars just happened to be ready for sale.
This made Japanese auto a major force in the US market, with offerings and quality steadily increasing.
The Chinese are now exactly in the position that the Japanese mfg were in in the 70’s.
History repeating itself!
The difference is that the Japanese didn’t have two government connected “researchers” from Michigan University caught by the FBI trying to smuggle in a fungus under the guise of “research” capable of destroying our food supply. But everyone can keep living in lalaland with their heads buried in the sand if they think they come in peace with no nefarious intentions for our country and our freedoms.
Just remember. Whenever you think of buying a product from a state-owned Chinese company or a company run by a party member, the same folks were caught red-handed trying to poison your food and the food your loved ones eat. A little food for thought (no pun intended).
I’m not saying you should alienate their products, but a little dignity and acknowledgment of your self worth goes a long way.
Then why is it that I see more used vehicles from the big 3 than Gen 6/7 Camrys and early 2K Corollas/accords? Why is it that in markets domestic and foreign where there isn’t a national interest to protect domestic products, GM/Ford dominate (think Mid-east, south America, England vs Japan, Germany and ¢h1n@) also, id like to point out that the big 3 back in the 50’s/60’s/80’s 50-100K was the expected life of a vehicle. Only the 70’s was worse, the 90’s ans 2K was exceptional with many cars easily reaching 200+k or more. Today, id saw we’re not as bad as the 60’s, not as good as the 90’s, but definitely, nowhere close to the 70’s with the disastrous Vega or X cars (which China’s quality largely replicates, hence Russians are dumping them)
And you think the Chinese government owned companies will happily recall their products essentially admitting to potential design or manufacturing flaws at the expense of saving face when their whole way of doing things is propaganda and controlling narrative to the point of setting up troll farms en masse for that sole purpose? LMAO! I needed that laugh.
I can already see how a major issue with a BYD or any other state-involved brand would play out. They will fight it to the core, but unfortunately for them it won’t work in their favor like it would in their own authoritarian country where the company owners also own the courts and consumers can be silenced quickly. So when they lose the foreign court case against affected consumers they will blame it on the customers for being biased against their products (a nice way of saying they will pull the race card). Or they will attempt to buy the court out like they did with the Olympic committee so nobody would investigate their athletes for potential doping, our universities, or governors like Gavin Newsom.
The 50 cent soldiers of the CCP propaganda unit are out in full force today. They must be getting time and a half (75 cents) for each of their down votes issued to any criticism of their handlers in Beijing.
What a load of propaganda Bull$$$$.
Can we also discuss here how Russians are dumping Chinese cars for Russian brands due to quality issues (yeah, anyone here familiar with Autovats? Yikes!) how about BYD’s 50% drop in year over year sales??? Which sux doubly given their subsidies from the CCP. How about “new model” for most of these car companies is badge engineering, so 18 months to slap a new bumper and sticker package 🤦🏼♂️. Yeah, only thing western auto makers need to worry about is their own stupidity (looking at you WV, Stella who just dropped the hemi to bring It back after 6 months)
I had to look this up. You are right. There is a whole article about it in evworld.com about Russians ditching them and even vandalizing them.
These look like throw a way cars. Just like my ‘91 Geo Metro. Like a vacuum cleaner. They last 2 years and send them to electronics recycling.
The Japanese, except for Toyoda, put out a crap product until the 90’s. The 70’s Subarus, Hondas, and Nissan were lucky to make 4 years before salvage. The 80’s 6 or 7 years. They were utter crap, yet western women will do anything to take away from men and that’s about what happened. Now today, beta males with their minoxidil beard driving their 55k Civic Si have now become women.
The threat is not from China alone. It’s from any tech company that throws itself into the car industry. Tech companies understand UX/UI, interfacing with computing devices including smartphones or tablets, and maximizing efficiency. Of course, the latest features, like self driving and EVs require significant amounts of tech. Companies need to adapt or risk falling behind.
I always said going to China, entering into those silly “partnerships”, sharing over 100 years of auto making experience, and teaching the Chinese your craft was foolish. Barra and so many others were seduced by the easy sales and profits of an emerging Chinese middle class hungry for a more western way of life. I always thought GM would some day regret what they were doing and perhaps that day has come. GM may have to leave China now just to try and hold on to their home market. That too may some day fall without protectionist measures.
The yellow BYD looks like it borrowed Chevy Bolt’s body above its beltline.
Most Chinese cars traditionally were effective copycats from other automakers.
Designing something in 18 months only isn’t impressive. It’s highly concerning. I work in construction and anything that is rushed is usually at the expense of quality and in extreme cases, safety. Fortunately here, there is legal liability to hold offenders accountable.
And as for the argument of the cars meeting crash standards? I’d like to see how well they fare in crashes as the car ages and the structural components are subject to wear and rust. There’s one thing I realized about the Chinese. They make a product look high quality initially but don’t stand the test of time. I bought these Lenovo ThinkPlus ear buds which, Lenovo, a well known Chinese brand that has been in the US for awhile, and after only 2 years, they don’t work properly when placed in the case to charge.
The agility of Chinese manufacturers, is to be admired. The interiors of Chinese cars reminds me a lot of how American cars were back in the 1960’s when they were loaded with features and well designed with quality materials compared to foreign makes. However, as one person has already commented, Russians are ditching Chinese cars as if they are utter garbage. The Russians are very angry their Chinese cars are rolling hulks of junk!
To be fair though, Russian roads are brutal both because of brutal weather and by poor maintenance. Before the war with Ukraine, I used to watch a YouTube channel called Baldandbankrupt. Its a British guy that travels all over including hostile countries and he used to do alot of old Soviet countries with Russia being one of them. Outside Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Volgograd, the rest of the country is literally third world. Roads that haven’t been paved since the 90s are all over. So any cars there must take beatings like no other. After seeing that, it makes sense why cars that are simple and straightforward to fix like modern but antiquated LADAs are still super popular there and cars that don’t stand the test of time like the Chinese that are essentially throwaway cars don’t.
Never heard of Michigan roads?
July 4th, first I hanged upside down my us flag for the dumb republicains. Then ,they were announcing fireworks in New York, Chicago, Washington, New Orleans. These fireworks, costing millions to please you know who were a drop in the sea when I saw the spectacle of over 10,000 drones doing a show in Chentzen, China. Go see that on Google. You will have to admit that China is ahead of the us in many things.
What does this have anything to do with Ch!n@ being “ahead” of the US? You completely miss the point of the fireworks. They represent the revolutionary war that led to our independence, honoring the soldiers that fought for it. That independence that granted YOU the right to freely and comfortably criticize the party you don’t agree with without repercussions, something the people of the PRC don’t have the luxury to do. So right there, you completely missed the point of the fireworks. And if you ask me, I’d rather live in a country that’s behind but have my freedom of speech than one “ahead” but have to fear what I say and post.
Second, drone light shows aren’t a Ch!n@ only spectacle. They do them in NYC all the time and has only become more popular in the rest of the country. So please spare me the useless comparison.
My point was that the money(Millions) spent on fireworks to celebrate the signature by ttttt(trumpy-trump-tariffs-turmoil-threanten) the big-beautiful(BAD) bill should have been used for the poor us citizens you would have used these millions to feed themselves. Drones can be re-utilisables but the cost of firewoks is money down the drain. And you can go, you know where, to celebrate the day, that now, CELEBRATE THE DAY THAT EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD BECAME AGAINST THE us, EVEN THE PINGOUIN ISLAND
LMAO! If people are still trading with Ch!n@ and looking away after the much more nefarious acts they committed such as responsible for COVID and their endless acts of denial, closing their supply chains to the world in response, antagonizing the Philippine fishermen, supporting North Korea, coercing Brazil by threatening to cutoff vaccines in the middle of a pandemic THEY caused in response to investigating Huawei, threatening the sovereignty of other countries with local police stations to silence locals critical of the government, the many IP thefts they committed, their attempt to poison our food supply, and their support for Russia attempting to invade their neighbor. And we are worried about people being against America? LMAO! Please. If Ch!n@ is anything to learn from its that as long as they have their Yuans they can do as they please and the rest of the world will look away. So why should America worry over just tariffs?
We (the USA) are 35,000,000,000,000$ in dept….. 2/3rds of that goes to social spending. (The poor) Most the rest to corruptionnamd foreign wars. If money could solve poverty, then I do believe 23 trillion dollars would do it. Money CANT SOLVE POVERTY, only personal responsibility can. As founding father Benjamin Franklin said, “we prefer our poor to be uncomfortable, as when they are comfortable they resist changing the very attributes that make them poor, but when they are uncomfortable, they better themselfs out of poverty.” My only qualm with the OBBB is that due to the bird rule, they weren’t able to do to Social Security and TANF what they did to SNAP and Medicare.