this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2026
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Chinese cars are heavily subsidized by the state. The reason they're so cheap is because China bets it can squeeze the competition out of the market before charging basically whatever they want.
I've seen Starbucks do the same thing to independent coffee shops.
Edit: This is a post about real car companies like Nissan, Volvo, Mercedes, Renault, whatever. I don't care about America. Nobody has for decades.
Detroit has received $88B in subsidies and loans since 2008. That's why we have so many cheap EV options?
Heavily subsidized by misery, as well.
Detroit pays union wages and has to respect worker rights (at the top end of the supply chain). The “communist “ state seems to escape these limited obligations in big parts of their supply chains.
Workers in Detroit might get paid union wages, but many auto factories have relocated to the South where they can underpay and abuse workers much more easily. I just did some quick googling and it seems like being a factory worker in China isn't bad compared to in the US. They work in highly automated, clean, air-conditioned spaces like would be found here. Dirty conditions and manual labor are no longer compatible with today's automotive quality requirements. Low level workers make modest wages, but they employ a bunch of engineers and technicians just like here in the US, and they have subsidized cafeterias and some provide housing or stipends for housing. You might criticize the expectation of working significant overtime, but I've worked in factories which had mandatory overtime in the US, so that sort of structural coercion isn't unique to China. Compared to a "right to work" state, Chinese workers have stronger protections from being laid off or fired. The main downside seems to be lax enforcement of safety standards. If the government doesn't notice something unsafe on its own, there isn't a Chinese version of dropping a hint to OSHA.
Now further upstream in the supply chain? No thanks. That's where you'll find abysmal working conditions. Just remember there are good reasons our government wants us to believe everything sucks for workers in China.
Oh yes, and even plum union jobs for floor workers in Windsor or Brampton can be kind of shit too, especially in some of the parts factories.
I expect that from hypercapitalist oligarch-run societies. I don't expect it from vanguard countries. It's a betrayal.
Good news, the Vanguard are just capitalists by another name.