-----Original Message----- From: Terry Blanton http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE57U1NI20090831
China's BYD says Buffett wants to raise stake This car is essentially the Chinese version of the Chevy "Volt" and because it is improved in many ways over the volt - they (with Buffett's help) are about to steal most of Chevy's thunder... and to probably then to take over the remnants of GM sometime next year (just to get the Dealer network) ... .... if that is, GM actually lasts into next year. This would be contingent on so-called "free-trade" with China being allowed to continue in the one-sided way that it has been going for the last decade. Another legacy of misguided policy - the same pathway to oblivion that has put us into this economic crisis. In general it is "bipartisan misguided policy," and it needs to change drastically soon. By comparison, the car in question is far superior to the Volt on paper. The reliability and craftsmanship will be the main issue for US sales. The Koreans have shown that quality export products can be accomplished rapidly in areas without a history of high standards, but the Chinese have no first class evidence of that ability, until now. The F3DM has better batteries, that go further and cost less, and even a more fuel efficient engine with higher output (60 kW vs 53 kW) and it looks good. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/12/byd-f3dm-electric-car-plug-in-hybrid -china-us-delay.php Notice that this older article is suggesting a 2011 introduction, and now in the more recent announcement - they seem to be trying to move that up by 6 months or so. This cannot be done without the cooperation of the new Admin. And I doubt if the Admin will permit it! Too many US jobs at stake. We seem to be ready to clamp down hard on trade with China in any number of areas, like tires most recently, that is: until the job situation improves here. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/12/china-slams-tariffs-tir es-act-trade-protectionism/ An all-out trade war in the coming months would surprise no one, really - and China is arrogant to think that they would not lose all of the initial battles (since there is such an imbalance, they cannot win under any circumstances except our weakness to do nothing)... ....but of course, the US consumer would be hurt in the long run. I think that we, as an advanced society would be better off with better factory jobs than with having happy consumers getting bargains on second-rate goods ... but apparently the geniuses in the Beltway do not see it that way. To them factory jobs are somehow demeaning. .... so - look for China to pretend to cave-in soon ... and for the US to offer too many generous trade concessions that we do not need to offer to get them to tone down their aspirations. They have too much to lose in a trade-war, and yet we do not realize our ultimate advantage. We are so keen to wage "wet wars" and to pile up innocent collateral damage, esp. if the 'enemy' does not share our religious dogma - that it would be somewhat refreshing to see instead an immediate withdrawal from all of the Middle East, and in its place an all-out trade war with China - one that cuts imports by two-thirds, essentially forever. That is a war we can win. The only segment of the economy that needs China is the WalMart segment, and it would set the tone for a new-and-improved US economy which returns to the era of manufacturing, instead of consumerism and MacJobs. We now are close enough to being able to use advanced robotics to make up the wage gap difference, that it would be a pity not to exploit a full US return to manufacturing most of the good we need. The risk of not doing this is too great. Jones
