Ford CEO Says U.S. Must Not Fall To Scourge Of Chinese Cars, It’s Already ‘Too Late’ For Europe – Jalopnik

Happy Wednesday! It’s September 30, 2026, and that is The Morning Shift — your every day roundup of the highest automotive headlines from all over the world, in a single place. This is the place you will discover an important tales which might be shaping the best way Americans drive and get round.

In this morning’s version, we’re taking a look at Jim Farley’s fears of Chinese automobiles within the U.S., and Republicans determining the way to ban these Chinese automobiles with out banning Mercedes. We’ll additionally take a look at China’s electrical vans, and dealerships that love AI. 

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Chinese automobiles have hit Europe, and European consumers are loving it. Competing automakers, although, are much less enthused — take Ford CEO Jim Farley, as an example, who thinks the United States could be higher off with out such international competitors. From Reuters: 

Sept 29 (Reuters) – Ford CEO Jim Farley stated that the US should rigorously weigh how and whether or not Chinese automakers ought to enter ​the American market, and pointed to Europe as a cautionary story.

Farley ‌stated at an Automotive News convention on Tuesday that the US should “be extremely careful around how the Chinese OEMs come to our country,” and cited the strain ​on Europe’s auto business as Chinese imports rapidly seize market share ​there.

For European nations, “it’s too late,” he stated.

Can you think about the state of the U.S. auto business if we might banned imports of Japanese autos within the ’70s? I believed we have been speculated to be a capitalist nation, one the place any betterment is supposed to come back by means of competitors — are we saying we won’t compete with China in any respect, and we’ve to legally cordon off a set of home consumers that haven’t any selection however to maintain shopping for our inferior merchandise? Chinese automobiles are, in lots of circumstances, cheaper and higher than home U.S. competitors, however our home automakers appear to be throwing their arms up somewhat than really assembly the brand new problem. 

It appears Farley is getting his approach, as a result of a invoice working its approach by means of Congress proper now bans automakers with greater than 15% Chinese possession from promoting within the United States. There’s only one drawback: Many automakers we have already got some type of Chinese possession, together with Mercedes. From Reuters: 

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (Reuters) – A sponsor of a invoice to toughen a US authorities ban on Chinese autos stated on Tuesday that talks are ongoing to make sure that German automaker ​Mercedes-Benz is just not banned from promoting autos within the US.

The invoice authorized by the Senate Commerce ‌Committee in July would ban firms with greater than 15% possession by Chinese entities from promoting autos within the US. Mercedes-Benz has almost 20% passive possession from Chinese entities.

…

Moreno stated there ​have been discussions about how to make sure that Volvo Cars, majority owned by China’s Geely Holding, may proceed to promote ​autos within the US.

This is a little bit of a mask-off transfer from our lawmakers, as a result of they’re making it clear that Chinese possession is not really the problem. If Mercedes is okay with its 20% Chinese possession — or, much more excessive, Volvo’s Geely possession — then what is the precise situation right here? Legislators appear fantastic with the cash spent on autos within the U.S. going to Chinese pockets, they simply appear involved that it not occur by way of a automobile with a Chinese badge on the hood. This is so dumb. 

Here within the United States, we love our smoke-spewing Peterbilts like we love our baseball and apple pie. Attempts to exchange them with various fuels, by way of autos just like the Tesla Semi or no matter Nikola was doing, have largely turned out to be vaporware. But in China, truckers are already going electrical, and it is saved their skins within the face of rising oil costs. From Bloomberg: 

Qu is one in all hundreds of drivers powering a profound shift on the planet’s greatest oil import market. Chinese e-truck gross sales jumped nearly 80% within the first half from a yr earlier, based on BloombergNEF, getting a lift because the US-Iran struggle and Ukrainian assaults on Russian refineries despatched diesel costs hovering. They are on tempo to account for near a 3rd of all rigs offered this yr, up from simply 8% a few years in the past.

Diesel consumption in China will drop greater than 10% this yr, Sinopec Economics & Development Research Institute estimates, a shift that has helped Beijing navigate this yr’s oil shock and restricted worth rises for world markets in flip — all whereas reducing emissions, even when coal nonetheless performs a significant position in electrical energy technology.

The electrification of highway freight is rising as a structural drive that might undermine long-term oil demand the world over.

Tesla nonetheless claims the Semi is coming in some unspecified time in the future, however Tesla claims lots of issues that develop into pipe goals. There are a pair different entrants into the electrified trucking house, however we have but to see the type of adoption right here that China has. Maybe ever-rising diesel costs will begin to change that. 

Dealerships like to undertake new applied sciences with out actually understanding why or how these applied sciences will assist anybody, and it is the identical story with AI. Over 80% of dealerships are utilizing it, despite the info safety dangers, and whereas vendor homeowners are becoming concerned about safety they don’t seem to be backing down from adoption. From Automotive News: 

DETROIT — Dealerships are cautiously transferring ahead with synthetic intelligence within the wake of latest warnings from the know-how’s builders that unchecked AI may have doomsday penalties.

Recent situations of AI chatbots breaking by means of their constraints have led builders to name for correct limits to its attain. Auto retailers, aware of the advantages they may achieve from adopting AI, are also together with guardrails to guard their companies and prospects.

“It makes me very cautious,” Jeff Laethem, president of Ray Laethem Buick-GMC in Detroit, informed Automotive News on the Digital Dealer convention right here.

“I do believe there are major dangers with AI if [it is] uncontrolled,” he stated. “It’s riding that fine line of making sure you’re keeping up with the things that need to happen and putting in the proper safeguards to make sure that customer data is safe.”

…

More than 8 in 10 sellers stated they’re utilizing AI in some capability, based on Cox Automotive.

Does AI really assist dealerships do something? There have been examples early on of consumers negotiating offers with vendor chatbots, making handshake offers for $10 automobiles that the dealership workers then needed to unwind, however has AI helped anybody purchase a automobile since then? Dealer web sites are already usually horrible, I stay unconvinced that including giant language fashions to the combo will assist. 

Did they even attempt placing Sean Connery on this one? C’mon. 

Prices hold dropping! Take a highway journey instantly. 

I’m so sore and drained this morning, however it’s stunning out. The vibes are Jane Remover for certain.