Here is a vein of thought I'd like to explore.
China to ban production of petrol and diesel cars 'in the near future'
By Glenn Brooks | 22 August 2017
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/11/china-to-ban-production-of-petrol-and-diesel-cars-in-the-near-future
Quote:
China, the world’s biggest vehicle market, is considering a ban on the production and sale of fossil fuel cars in a major boost to the production of electric vehicles as Beijing seeks to ease pollution.
The move would follow similar plans announced by France and Britain to outlaw the sale of petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 in order to clamp down on harmful emissions.
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Ford Motor Company demands and relies on what is called "China pricing". That is if you want to get the bid as a supplier, you have to match a price they are getting from China.
If the government of China is disinterested in business related to the internal combustion engine this could perhaps cut off Chinese suppliers from their government funding and support of co-state ventures, right?
Another twist of the knife is the possible/looming trade war between the US and China making the long term planning of new vehicle platforms too risky for US automobile manufactures.
This forces or compresses an even more conservative direction in the short term profits seen on aging fossil fuel technologies that SUV's/trucks are based on.
I'm sure there is a full circle global analysis that goes well beyond the couple of points I've typed out, Ford didn't make the announcement based on the results of a Ouija board game they played.