BYD is automaker with the most R&D staff

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

BYD/Chinese EV Product Impressions

  • Multiple commenters report riding in or driving BYD models (Seal, hybrids, minivans) and find them smooth, comfortable, powerful, and competitively priced.
  • Common complaints: mediocre suspension “not European enough,” rough or poorly localized software/UX (bad translations, confusing driver-assist states), gimmicky interior lighting.
  • Some skepticism remains about long‑term durability (battery life, electronics repairability, hidden maintenance traps) given limited multi‑decade track record.

Pricing, Competitiveness, and Market Structure

  • Chinese EVs cited as uniquely willing to be “cheap and decent,” with small cars around $10k in China and ~$17–21k abroad, versus mostly premium EVs from legacy Western firms.
  • Several argue Western automakers deserve to lose market share for underinvesting in EVs and focusing on high‑margin SUVs and luxury segments.
  • Others note many Chinese EV brands are financially fragile startups lacking 15‑year support and service infrastructure.

Subsidies, Protectionism, and Industrial Policy

  • Disagreement over the role and scale of Chinese subsidies:
    • Some claim EV/battery success is mainly due to heavy state support, protectionism, and forced localization/tech transfer.
    • Others counter that direct EV subsidies ended in 2022 and total support (~$5.6B over >10 years) is modest relative to Western incumbents’ resources; they blame Western mismanagement.
  • EU/US tariffs are viewed by some as necessary defense against dumping/mercantilism; others see them as consumer‑harmful delay of inevitable Chinese cost leadership.

Safety, Quality Processes, and Service

  • BYD and others reportedly achieve 5‑star Euro NCAP results; debate whether US standards are stricter or not.
  • A translated Chinese insider account criticizes some EV startups for lax engineering practices (skipping DFMEA, incomplete validation, corner‑cutting with suppliers, poor forecasting).
  • Tesla is used as a comparison point: praised for OTA updates and mobile service, but criticized for parts availability, repairability, and high insurance costs.

Geopolitics, Risk, and “Trojan Horse” Concerns

  • Some frame cheap Chinese EVs and energy hardware as a strategic Trojan horse: global dependence on Chinese supply chains, plus potential for software backdoors or remote shutdown.
  • Others note similar theoretical risks exist with any connected Western product; question how deep current regulatory/technical oversight really goes.

Industrial Capacity, Labor, and Supply Chains

  • Discussion of how China accumulated advanced manufacturing: initial Western equipment sales, then domestic capability and massive scaling (robots, batteries, shipbuilding).
  • Labor cost differences seen as real but not decisive; commenters emphasize labor efficiency, automation, and integrated supply chains.

BYD Scale and R&D Headcount

  • BYD’s huge workforce (hundreds of thousands, with many in R&D) prompts doubts about efficiency and whether job classifications are inflated.
  • Some see the many overlapping BYD sub‑brands and lineups as wasteful; others view broad experimentation as a reasonable early‑stage strategy.