this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2025
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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 25 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The financial fuckery is that they're very heavily subsidized by the CCP. It's not sustainable.

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 35 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I'd argue it is.

Just look how Amazon got where it is now: Sell way under market price, till local competition closed shop, then squeeze.

[–] frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's unsustainable to keep prices lower than costs. The Amazon example didn't have low prices forever.

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, I know. That's why BYD is going to then squeeze the customers once they are locked in.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org -2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Thus, not sustainable, as I said.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

It worked for Wal-Mart

Which isn't really a sustainable business model, but it's quite successful

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 2 points 23 hours ago

It didn't work for Walmart the same way it didn't work for Amazon

[–] Tiger666@lemmy.ca 3 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

What is sustainable in today's economy?

Really, what Western corporation actually base their policies on sustainable growth?

Take your time. I'll wait.

...

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 2 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

All of them that I know of. Which corporations do you see running unsustainable business models until they fold completely? Take your time, I'll wait.

The point is that they eventually change their tactics. In this case, they'll have to eventually increase their prices.

[–] msage@programming.dev 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Even big companies ran gigantic losses for years, just to undercut the competition and emerge as the only winner.

Some do it because they have other cash cows Epic store milking Fortnite), others have VC funding, like Uber.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Yes but after they win they have to raise prices...

[–] msage@programming.dev 1 points 1 hour ago

Yes, and so may BYD. I have no idea what are you arguing for.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You forgot the part where they raised prices on everything.

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think your muddying sustainable and successful. It definitely can be successful, but its not sustainable.

Its also high risk, especially if you can't crank up the prices enough later

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sustainable implies that they can keep doing it forever without changing. Switching later means what they are doing is not sustainable. It might be successful, but its not sustainable.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There's sustainable practices and sustainable businesses. The latter is what others are arguing. Undercutting competition to take over a market is a sustainable practice IF you can hold out long enough. I'd wager the country of China can hold out longer than General Motors.

[–] CameronDev@programming.dev 2 points 22 hours ago

But the business model has to change in order to survive. The company cannot undercut forever, it actually needs to change in order to survive. The business model of today is not sustainable. They may have a large warchest, they may be able to crush GM, but once they do, or the warchest runs out, the business model must change.

If you want to make the argument that their overall plan with the later change is sustainable, thats fine, but this current phase is not sustainable.

[–] Gigasser@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

It might just be that, since BYD is serving such a large domestic market/population, that allows them to have cheaper cars? Something something, economies of scale. I'm no expert though.

[–] Greyghoster@aussie.zone 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

While they are subsidised, the Chinese are really good at low cost manufacturing. It’s not the cheap labour anymore but factory automation and robotics. They really outclass anyone else.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

the Chinese are really good at low cost manufacturing

They're not "good" at it, they just have no minimum wage and no semblance of annoying things like worker protections or unions to be concerned with.

[–] wildbus8979@sh.itjust.works 2 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

like worker protections or unions

That's just patently false. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All-China_Federation_of_Trade_Unions

It is the largest trade union in the world with 302 million members in 1,713,000 primary trade union organizations.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 4 points 22 hours ago

Like all things in China, this is owned by the government, making it pointless.

[–] Greyghoster@aussie.zone 1 points 2 hours ago

They actually have a problem with workers or the lack of them and they have invested heavily in robotics. They aren’t the China of the 70s and 90s. It’s really something that we need to face up to if we want to compete but our political class isn’t really ready for that sort of reality. Years behind because of smugness.