According to Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson, Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) are still behind Tesla.
“If you look at the advance in core EV technology, they’re still years and years behind Tesla. In terms of elegance of their drive train technology, the batteries, the way things are integrated…it’s not even close.
“I was looking at a number of the units on display at the Geneva Motor Show, and the engineering was very disappointing,” Rawlinson said during Financial Times’ Future of the Car Summit in London earlier this week.
Rawlinson also warned against underestimating Chinese automakers. He hinted that car manufacturers in China learn quickly.
Chinese EVs have become a growing concern in North America and Europe. Legacy automakers have proposed extensive plans to combat the influx of Chinese EVs entering their markets. For instance, Renault CEO Luca de Meo released a 19-page open letter to Europe, which included a plan to protect against the ‘onslaught of electric vehicles coming from China.’
BYD is the biggest threat to global automakers in the European and North American EV market. It has delivered stellar sales results quarter after quarter partly due to its diverse vehicle lineup, which includes battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
Earlier this month, BYD Europe aimed to beat Tesla and other EU automakers in the European market, including Volkswagen and Stellantis.
“We are confident that we could be in the leading position. We are moving to the next stage to decide on a huge investment in the EU,” said BYD Europe’s boss, Michael Shu.
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