They will become a domestic brand protected by tariffs and laws. Jim Farley said it while discussing Chinese Auto manufacturers and their global rise.

All it takes is one administration with the right bribe, er I mean campaign contribution, and the tariffs are gone.

Tariffs are probably the worst thing to happen to Detroit in a long time.

Right after Biden announced them, Ford pushed their entire roadmap back a few years.

They seem to be targeting a world where they’re borderline competitive with foreign vehicles that cost half as much to make. US EV manufacturers that have a strong foreign presence will eat them alive.

I’m not a fan of Musk, but he’s come out against tariffs. The most cynical play on his part would be to wait a year or two for the 100% tariff to distort the market, and encourage a false sense of security in US manufacturers, then rug-pull his US competitors by getting Trump to eliminate the tariffs with minimal warning.

That’d probably be good for the US auto industry in the long term, but hugely profitable to him and Tesla in the short term.