The US government is effectively banning Chinese-made cars from its roads. Some in Australia want the government to take notice
www.abc.net.au
The federal government says it is in contact with the US about the new moves it has put up against Chinese car companies.

The federal government is facing calls to respond to an effective ban on Chinese carmakers in the US with moves of its own.

Auto industry experts say any moves would be complicated, and risk slowing the pace of Australia’s transition to electric vehicles.

The Albanese government says it is “closely monitoring” the moves in the US, and is in talks with the Biden administration about any local implications.

  • tauOPEnglish
    6·
    10 hours ago

    I do think there is something to be said about being wary of modern cars in regards to security. I wouldn’t trust manufacturers as far as I could throw them when it comes to actually making secure systems - particularly when you’re dealing with remote connection capabilities. The focus on China is convenient for the US but I wouldn’t trust their systems either. Ford in particular has been concerning recently by patenting a way of ad serving based on user data a normal person would consider private (such as conversations within their cars). It doesn’t even take the OEM being malicious to be a problem, they only need to miss a security hole…

    • SalvoEnglish
      4·
      9 hours ago

      …or a bad financial quarter and unscrupulous executives who need to inflate their figures.

  • maniacalmanicmania
    4·
    10 hours ago

    The federal opposition is questioning how Australia might respond to moves in the US to effectively ban Chinese car manufacturers on national security grounds.

    If it’s the Coalition just stirring up shit again then why not just say so.

  • SalvoEnglish
    2·
    9 hours ago

    Considering that the Australian Automotive manufacturing industry no longer exists, we have three choices; import cars, improve public transport or improve bike/ walking paths.

    Since the right-wing astroturf campaigns are not supportive of walkable communities and by extension, the gulliable voter base follows along with that, what about public transport?

    This is a chicken-egg problem, the Economic ‘Rationalist’ beancounters wont allow improvements to public transport and the public won’t use public transport until it is improved.

    That leaves car imports. European-manufactured brands charge luxury pricing for their vehicles, even when they are not luxury brands. They also charge luxury pricing for aftersales. US manufacturers don’t make any vehicles suitable for the Australian market. Japanese and Korean manufacturers are producing some good vehicles for the Australian market, but Japan is charging European pricing and Korean vehicles are also out the price range of most people. This leaves Chinese and Indian vehicles for the price-conscious driver and Chinese and Indian manufactured former-European “luxury” vehicles for the ignorant driver.

    If the government want to stop automotive imports, they will need to be Progressive. Improve mass-transit and freight infrastructure (Octopus Act 2.0), regulate new housing developments to be more walkable and retrofit existing developments to be more walkable. In the interim, they would also need to subsidise local manufacturing again. This would also need government oversight to prevent the global outsourcing of parts from the 2000s and the corporate fraud of the parent companies from The 2010s.