For some time, most automakers largely ignored electric vehicles, dismissing them as something that would never really catch on with consumers. However, that wasn’t the case in China, where that country’s government has been heavily subsidizing (and regulating) EVs in an effort to become the world leader in that particular part of the automotive world. Those efforts are paying off thus far, with Chinese EV makers churning out products that most – including Ford brass – have admitted are superior to the competition these days. At least part of the reason behind the rise of the Chinese EV pertains to the speed in which companies can execute, it seems.
“So, you have the competitive nature of the industry accelerating, and this is much different than what we saw in the past when we saw the rise of different companies around the world in that not only are they bringing product and technology and they’re leaders in electrification, but the pace of change in the product development system is unbelievable,” Ford Vice Chair John Lawler said at the 2025 Bank of America Securities 2025 Automotive Summit.
“I guess what is it now? If you look at the Chinese from concept to market, two years, maybe less, and that’s shrinking, Lawler added. “They are leaders in cockpit software. When I left China in ’16, it was a digital society back then, and it’s just only advancing. They’re leaders in battery technology, they’re leaders in development, they have the lowest cost structure in the industry. All of that’s coming together.”
Lawler recently stated that he believes Chinese EV models will inevitably wind up on sale in the U.S., even amid 100 percent tariffs placed on those models by former President Joe Biden. The Blue Oval has long been aware of the threat that such vehicles pose, which is precisely why CEO Jim Farley had five of them brought back to America for testing purposes. Farley has zeroed in on individual components in an effort to better compete with Chinese EVs, all while the largest manufacturer of them – BYD – is primed to surpass Ford in global sales this year.
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