The BYD Seagul at 12k$ is not really the type of car that could be successfully exported in western markets. The 30kwh battery is too small. I could see the upper trim with the larger battery being successful in Europe, but this is absolutely not going to work in USA.

A better comparison is the 27k$ made in china BYD seal vs the 38k$ made in USA Tesla model 3.

And also there is a massive price EV price war in China. I don’t believe any of their EV manufacturers is currently making money at those prices.

Even when they exports to lower income countries like Thailand, they are significantly more expensive.

A 100% tariff is simply way too overkill. At this point it is not a tariff, but a straight up ban.

The aim of a tariff is making a fair competition between local products and imports, ultimately to lower prices for consumers.

What has been done here, is pure protectionism for the US companies that didn’t invest enough in EV.

In the EU where we actually have Chinese competition, the cheapest EU-made EV (Citroën eC3) start at 23000€ and multiple models at this price point are coming in the next few years (Renault 5, VW ID2…)