@mekkaokereke

Xiaomi aren't here yet, but we get lots of other Chinese #EVs. Every year they improve, & are already better featured than legacy brands at the same prices, most have a performance model, & they typically have long warranties (my MG4 has 10yrs).

BYD's new Atto 1/Seagull (4 seat "city" car) starts at ~AUD26.5k (USD17.6k) - your magic 18k number! AND it's well kitted.

I think all legacy manufacturers are in trouble, & will need to change fast to survive.

@mekkaokereke We're not seeing many small, urban run-about type EVs in Australia and I think it's because, so far, they don't comply with our vehicle safety laws which are pretty stringent. That's a pity. I remember when Japanese 4cyl hatchbacks hit the market in the early 80s - * so * popular. I've driven that type of car ever since, but couldn't find an equivalent EV that I could buy here.

@mekkaokereke BYD’s offerings remind me a lot of Shanzhai phones, in that they’re a small enough company to understand their demographic and implement lots of features that seem impractical at first but actually serve a very specific group of people, whereas Xiaomi's stuff is better suited for a general audience

@mekkaokereke
What is truly insane about this is that American auto executives learned NOTHING from Japanese auto manufacturers eating their lunch back in the 1970s.

They just went right back to making all the same mistakes.

@mekkaokereke These days I'd consider good software in an automobile to be a mind blowing feature.

@mekkaokereke I've literally never watched a car review video before (I'm so not a car person), but this was fascinating. And now I want a Xiaomi car. 🤣

I also love that he's like "this is made of normal car parts, but it's put together really well". Which is so refreshing in comparison to the relentless "innovation" chatter we hear out of the tech world here.

@mekkaokereke And we might even finally have the infrastructure to charge them:

"In June, a federal court overturned the Trump suspension of Joe Biden’s White House $5 billion infrastructure program crafted to speed EV adoption and cut emissions."

"More than 40 states, including Michigan, have solicited or signed contracts to build new electric car charging stations in rural areas, under served cities."

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/2025/12/05/ev-charging-networks-plug-back-into-biden-bucks/87622533007/

@mekkaokereke It is disgusting that America, the supposed leader in tech, doesn’t have even better vehicles than this at every single car dealer in the country.

It’s really something to live in an empire that is declining. Slow at first, but now rapidly accelerating.

@mekkaokereke Given that the Mean price of new cars in the US just cracked $55k, a quality $18k EV would demolish US Automakers. Deservedly so.

@mekkaokereke My neighbour drives a BYD and she loves it. My MG4 is made by SAIC (another Chinese EV company) and it's such a smooth drive.

I had the American half of my family over for Thanksgiving last week (yes, I know it doesn't make sense for Americans to come to Britain for Thanksgiving 😃 ) and there was a big discussion about whether EVs are "practical". Which really surprised me, cos that's an argument that was settled here years ago.

@mekkaokereke The BYD Seagull sold in Australia is US$14k before duties and taxes.

@mekkaokereke things I want/need in a car: a decent sized trunk, roof rack mount, AWD, towing capacity.
Things car makers add instead: drone launcher
🤦🏾‍♂️

@mekkaokereke Yeah, Australians have been able to buy Chinese made EVs for a few years now. Not only are they very good cars, very popular, but they've brought down the prices for electric cars overall, which has speeded up uptake.

@mekkaokereke I couldn't care less about the survival of the US car industry

@mekkaokereke
As a car person I have to say EVs are far more superior, no noise, no terrible smell, low maintenance, cheaper operating cost and much better performance

The only problem is the over inflated price. There is no reason why car makers here have such ridiculous pricing!

Also there is no reason why luxury ICE cars should exist

@mekkaokereke And the fact that there's plenty of EV models here that are well under $18,000 sort of suggests that, well, yes. You are cooked.

@mekkaokereke i have to admit i have had the drone idea sitting in my brain for a while but i didn't think anyone was actually gonna do that