I can’t even keep up anymore. I feel like Ford CEO Jim Farley is constantly popping off about Chinese EVs, but it’s always contradictory.
Recently, Farley told Fox News that China’s cheap electric vehicles would “devastate” the American auto industry. He said: We should not let them into our country. Manufacturing is the heart and soul of our country. For us to lose that to those exports would be devastating for our country.”
But… Farley also just begged President Donald Trump to let them in. In February (yes, just last month), Ford suggested that American automakers partner with Chinese automakers to expand the market. This way, domestic carmakers could benefit from some of China’s innovations and technology. It’s quite on brand, since Ford is currently partnered with Chinese battery firm CATL. This is part of Ford’s effort to create a cheap lineup of EVs.
The company stated: “Given the ongoing needs of U.S. energy producers, it seems like a no-brainer to support efforts to produce batteries in America instead of importing more of them from China.”
However, this contradicted with a tweet Farley put out earlier in February that said: “American innovation is how we compete and win against China and the rest of the world.”
Back in October 2025, Ford believed Chinese automakers could put domestic brands out of business. He said that it’s “not a fair fight” if China’s EVs are allowed into the United States. He explained that China’s local market is 29 million, and they have the capacity to make over 50 million cars. That’s enough to cover China and the vehicle sales in the United States, too, he pointed out. Farley even expressed fear of the Chinese EVs in Canada “coming across the border.”
So… Which one is it? Is American innovation enough to keep Ford’s future lineup successful? Or does he need China’s batteries and further joint ventures? Or is that going to devastate the country? It seems like maybe Farley just panders to whoever he is speaking to at the time. With one source, he is pro-China, and with Fox News, he’s anti-China. It’s a sort of automaker code-switching.
We Need to Let Chinese EVs In… Now
While Ford has continued to flip-flop on its view of Chinese automakers in America, most other domestic carmakers have remained steadfast in their opposition. Most organizations and senators agree. Recently, three senators reacted with concern to President Donald Trump’s wavering opinion on China’s EVs. The letter to the president stated: “We must be clear-eyed that inviting China’s automakers to set up shop in the United States would confer an insurmountable economic advantage impossible for American automakers to overcome, and it would trigger a national security crisis that could never be reversed.”
But I think there’s a reason Ford keeps going back and forth: it’s not actually as big a deal as America is making it out to be. Ford clearly knows there are benefits to letting China’s EVs in, but it seems they want all of those benefits for themselves. Hence, wanting to partner with Chinese automakers while telling the United States how horrible it would be if they were here.
Whether anybody wants to admit it or not, America needs China’s EVs. Without them, we will fall even further behind the rest of the world as the auto industry moves forward. The fact of the matter is that there are not enough EVs in the United States — and definitely not enough EVs that Americans want or can afford.
Most EVs in the U.S. are pricey. Luxury EVs keep getting cranked out despite how difficult it is to sell them. Tesla is pulling back from passenger vehicles to focus on its overpriced robot (honestly, for the best — the fewer cars with Full Self-Driving mode on the road, the better). Even Ford’s new $40,000 EV lineup is out of the budget for most regular Americans. Most European and Japanese automakers with affordable EVs see no reason to import them due to Trump’s tariffs and the decline in EV sales in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Chinese EVs are well under $20,000.
The United States should probably copy Canada. Let in a small number of them. Give the Americans who want cheap EVs some actually cheap EVs to buy. Why not? It’s not like they were going to buy a Maybach EQS anyway.
But it’s not just an issue within America. By isolating ourselves from the rest of the world, we are harming the American automakers that the government is pretending to protect. These brands have pulled back on their all-electric plans due to the United States’ current anti-EV stance. However, this means fewer EVs to ship out to other countries where EVs are thriving. It’s putting the United States and its automakers behind as well. American employees could be out of a job soon as well. With all of these automakers falling behind, they continue to lay off workers. Their outdated technology and overpriced vehicles can’t compete.
Ford knows this. That’s why Ford has partnered with a Chinese battery company. These carmakers can’t truly ignore Chinese EVs and Chinese technology just because it’s out of sight. It’s still out there for the rest of the world, leaving the United States behind. It feels like we are just holding some tantrum, willing to suffer just to prove a point.
We’re doomed and Ford is aware.
