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Some US automakers — in addition to linked politicians — have been extraordinarily against Chinese language automakers bringing their electrical autos to the US market. It’s humorous — supposedly, most customers don’t need electrical vehicles, however permitting Chinese language automakers to deliver electrical vehicles into the US is a dire danger for the business, as a result of … they are going to be too compelling and too in style?

Hyundai is now leaping into this discourse as properly apparently. Final week, Hyundai Motor CEO Jose Munoz determined to warn the nation that if we don’t hold tremendous excessive tariffs and different boundaries in place, Chinese language automakers may invade the US auto market prefer it’s doing within the European auto market.

Hyundai is outwardly struggling in Europe, dropping market share and profitability there, as a consequence of Chinese language EV makers getting into the European market so strongly. Relatively than outcompete them and different automakers, Hyundai would identical to the US (and absolutely different nations) to basically shut the doorways and put large boundaries to entry in place for Chinese language automakers. The corporate broke out within the US market and grew tremendously previously few a long time, however nobody else ought to have the chance to try this, you recognize?

“Munoz mentioned Chinese language autos are 30% to 40% cheaper than rival fashions in some markets, together with Italy, Spain and France,” Reuters experiences. “That’s regardless of commerce boundaries together with tariffs or minimal pricing commitments that the European Union imposed on Chinese language-built ​electrical autos after concluding they benefited from unfair state subsidies.”

There’s additionally the nice comparability or management market of the UK. Not like the European Union (EU), the UK doesn’t have excessive tariffs on Chinese language EVs or every other vital boundaries to entry there. The consequence? Chinese language EVs are very fashionable there. “The UK, which ​previously was a really worthwhile, very robust market, has turn into like China,” Munoz claimed whereas in San Jose, California, final week. “All ⁠the highest sellers are Chinese language as a result of there are not any boundaries.” (As a result of there are not any boundaries and due to how compelling and aggressive these Chinese language electrical vehicles are.)

Whereas Chinese language constructed autos accounted for 9% of EU auto gross sales within the first half of 2026, they accounted for 15% of UK auto gross sales. There are different components at play as properly after all, however that’s a fairly robust indicator that Chinese language EVs promote higher in markets that don’t put up enormous commerce boundaries.

“The extent of innovation, the ​degree of enchancment, the know-how is ⁠unbelievable,” Munoz additionally mentioned relating to Chinese language electrical vehicles. … Um, yeah, so, we simply shouldn’t be allowed to buy such vehicles as a result of that may threaten the enterprise of legacy automakers? (Feels like a very not-free-market concept.)

I don’t assume Donald Trump or Republicans on the whole are going to loosen commerce boundaries to Chinese language EVs, and I don’t assume Democrats would accomplish that both for that matter. Nonetheless, with legacy automaker executives persevering with to talk out and warn about this, possibly there’s extra risk of it taking place than I’d assume. Or they’re simply that scared of what may occur if the US didn’t have 100% tariffs and different excessive boundaries to those vehicles.