Chinese car brands, no, but Chinese-built cars, yes - Chinese-Made Cars Are Already Here. We’ve Even Tested a Few.
New proposed tariffs are aimed at Chinese-built EVs, but cars made in China are already on sale here. You might even be driving one.
By Keith Barry May 14, 2024
A Polestar 4 at the Polestar factory in Hangzhou Bay, China. Models sold in North America will be built in South Korea. Photo: Polestar
President Joe Biden’s announcement of a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-built EVs may change some automakers’ plans to sell their electric vehicles in the U.S. But you might be surprised to learn that some American and European brands already sell Chinese-built vehicles here and have been doing so for nearly a decade.
The Buick Envision SUV (shown below) was the first mainstream Chinese-built car to be sold in the U.S., followed by the Volvo S90 and Polestar 2. Production of the latest Lincoln Nautilus SUV has shifted from Canada to China, and more new models from Volvo and Polestar are on the way.
CR reached out to these automakers to see how the new tariffs would affect their production plans. Spokespeople from GM, Polestar, and Volvo said they are currently evaluating the changes, and other manufacturers have yet to respond.
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