You Can’t Buy This America: EVs from US Brands at Auto Guangzhou – CleanTechnica

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Today is known as Black Friday in the US, the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year. It’s a holiday of consumption in a country that consumes more than any other.

As everybody is busy buying today, I thought it would be a good time to point out a couple of the EVs that you can’t buy. I already touched on advanced AUDI and Volkswagen EVs that you can’t buy here. Today, we’ll sample a couple of EVs from homegrown brands that many Americans know and love, EVs built with Chinese partners that are better than the cars that most Americans are buying in our ICE-obsessed market. These are high-quality vehicles available at a better price than a comparable car would cost here. But they are blocked from our market.

Ford Bronco EV

To start, take a look at Ford, perhaps the most American car brand. The Bronco EV was developed with partner JMC and offers fit, finish, technology and materials that are noticeably better than the ICE Broncos in the US. The EV version of the Bronco also offers creative features, like a built-in projection system and a pop-up roof for camping.

Prices range from 229,800 RMB (~$32,000) for the entry level EREV with 220 km of battery range, up to 282,800 RMB (~$40,000) for the top-spec BEV with 650 km of range from a 105.4 kWh battery.

Overall, the SUV keeps the retro-American styling of the Bronco but makes it more futuristic — like what you might think a 2035 Bronco would look like. Being an EV developed to be an EV, it is more advanced than our gasoline powertrain vehicles and accelerates faster than the US Bronco Raptor model at twice the price. The BEV versions also offer the added frunk storage that comes with this shift in powertrain.

Buick Electra L7

Next up is the Electra L7 EREV sedan from Buick, who no longer even offers sedans in the US. Developed with SAIC, the L7 lives up to the brand’s mid-premium aspirations that they often failed to meet here. However, prices fall from 173,900 RMB to 219,900 RMB (~$23,000–30,000 USD), which would make it a bargain in our market.

The L7 offers 302 km of range from a 40.2 kWh LFP battery before the range extender kicks in. 0–100 km falls in 5.9 seconds, which is moderate for EVs but better than many ICE sedans here. While sedans have fallen out of favor with many in the US, the L7 is an efficient cruiser that might bring them back in style with some consumers.

We Could Buy Better

Overall, while better than the EVs we get from these brands in the US, the Bronco EV and Electra L7 were not the best cars at the show. US brands are still largely associated with the shrinking ICE market in China. The US-branded EVs were not on the same level as XPENG (who hosted me) or other private sector brands, like BYD, Xiaomi, Li, and Nio. Arguably, they are not even the best products from their JV partners. There are so many great electric cars being introduced in China that I could do a “You Can’t Buy This America” article every week and never run out (let me know if you would like to see that in the comments section).

However, in contrast with the vehicles developed here, they are clearly a step up in technology. With different trade policies, these vehicles could quickly make it to developed distribution channels and dealer networks. No new, unfamiliar brands would need to be established. It might take a little tweaking to meet local tastes (Chinese consumers prefer light steering and comfort-oriented suspensions), but those changes could happen quickly, increasingly via software updates. While we might not get the same prices here, with a free trade agreement and structure to ensure that it doesn’t change with the next election, they likely would not be too far off. In addition, while you might not personally choose a Chinese-made EV, having the option means that other automakers would have to step up to compete, leading to better product overall in the market.

Yesterday, we celebrated the Pilgrims landing in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A few miles up the road, and a century and a half later, the Boston Tea Party protested the government intervention in the importation of tea from China that inflated prices and restricted freedom of choice. That revolt in the name of consumers led to the creation of a country where consumers still lead in many ways, especially on Black Friday.

That said, better products and better vehicles are available now. Not only better technology and build quality, but also better for the environment. When you really think about it, it seems fundamentally un-American for a government to block their people from the freedom to choose something better.