Canada relies on foreign auto executives for its auto industry. It already provides huge taxpayer subsidies per job. There is certainly a possible future where all of those foreign loyal companies side with US to destroy Canadian auto production/investment.
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China could help save Canadian auto industry by providing motors and batteries for Canadian made EVs. Chinese investment to make goods from Canadian resources in Canada is a path for scale that includes global export potential of autos and other industrial goods to whole globe including China.
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If it doesn’t make economic sense to make our own tube socks, it doesn’t make sense to make overly expensive cars, either. There is a stronger national security argument for apparel, that needs yearly replacements, than solar, batteries, and autos that last 20+ years. More so, when they are not dependent on continuous international fuel supply chains/geopolitics.
Pressure on foreign executives to support Canadian production includes access to Canadian market. The stability of status quo will appeal to most people. But the threat/plan B of cooperation with China is both a path to manufacturing and resource FDI paid by China instead of taxpayers, and better quality of life through better value goods.
What we need is an auto pact with China. A tit-fr-tat cross-border supply chain. They make cars in Canada, buy parts from the Canadian supply chain for cars they make in China. and everyone wins.
If the manufacturers we have here don’t want to make EVs, we have no EV manufacturing jobs to protect. Unless we’re planning to live on ICE vehicles into the climate crisis, we have to get a source of EVs. The options are import and FDI (foreign direct investment (build factories here)). FDI is probably preferable since it gives us the ability to make the vehicles we use. If we go for import, we probably want the cheapest possible deal that fits the bill, unless we want to pay extra for a good reason. E.g. we may want to buy European. Of course we have to ask whether that’s worth the cost given that they source some of their components from China. I think some European autos are planning to use Chinese platforms for their vehicles. At that point it may or may not make sense to pay the premium. That differs from maker to maker. E.g. Renault’s latest EVs seem EU-made. More broadly, the less in corporate profits we pay for our EVs, the more money are left in our pockets to spend on other Canadians. The cheaper the EVs, the less the cost of Canadian businesses using them is and the more competitive they are.
The key is batteries. Honda is supposed to be making a battery factory (and whole EVs) in Ontario. It is a key “sensible option” to continue supporting. But there has to be a threat of abandoning all product sales from manufacturers who abandon Canada.
Chinese technology for battery plants in Canada using Canadian materials (other than lithium) can make good value EVs in Canada. I don’t know that Honda can do the same.
The Stellantis factory in Windsor seems to be on track to make cells this year. But someone has to put them in cars.
No.
- Their labour standards are way too low which means countries with good standards cannot compete (tariffs can balance this out though)
- They’re a foreign adversary so we should minimize our tech reliance on them as much as possible
- We don’t “need” cheap cars
Their labour standards are way too low which means countries with good standards cannot compete (tariffs can balance this out though)
This is politicized, but is more credibly claimed in construction and lower value manufacturing. Their EV advantage is based on robotics and battery tech.
They’re a foreign adversary so we should minimize our tech reliance on them as much as possible
This is just something we copy from US. There’s a need to befriend lesser enemies, though China has never threatened us.
This is just something we copy from US. There’s a need to befriend lesser enemies, though China has never threatened us.
Nonsense. They’re an existential threat to good allies like Taiwan and Hong Kong, and support other threats including Russia and North Korea.
Edit: And if you need specific risks to Canada, don’t forget the Chinese police stations, the 2 Michaels being detained, and interfering with our elections.
Their labor standards are a LOT higher than those in the US.
You’re forgetting something critical, cars are computers and can be updated or even bricked remotely with the current systems in place. This is an unacceptable risk from a foreign power, only a close ally (not the US anymore) should even potentially be able to supply these.
I would actually like to see any sort of over the air update systems be banned, it should only be possible when plugged in physically.
The only thing that should be possible remotely is reading info.
The computers in cars can NOT be ‘bricked’,updated OS or not. You need a LOT of evidence to support that claim’
https://www.theverge.com/2015/7/21/9009213/chrysler-uconnect-vulnerability-car-hijack
I mean, it’s literally already happened, and this was a hacker doing it so it’s even easier for a car company to do it.
Any vehicle with OnStar can also be remotely disabled as well, it’s literally advertised as an anti-theft feature. https://www.onstar.com/tips/stolen-vehicle-assistance-helps-stop-thieves
If your car can be contacted remotely (almost every modern vehicle) I guarantee you that it’s possible for the manufacturer to brick it. It may not even require an update, there could be a hidden command in the existing software since the software is not publicly available to validate, nor is it being validated by the regulatory authorities.
Almost all laptops you’ve touched over the last decade are made in China or Vietnam. Most computer motherboards are made in China or Vietnam. My Framework laptop is made in Taiwan but its mainboard is Chinese. Most Android phones are made in China or Vietnam. So are most iPhones.
All of the factory software loading happens at the place of manufacture. Some of the software is made there too. Some of these computers have had compromised factory software which has been subsequently fixed. Cough… Lenovo… cough. Yet Lenovo is used at Canadian banks and other critical infrastructure places.
What I’m trying to say is that the computers on wheels aren’t a uniquely problematic domain. We have regulation for secure domains that systems have to pass audits and such. The same mechanism can be used for cars of any manufacture. I don’t know how BYD software updates work by default but for example Ford doesn’t do software updates without explicit agreement from the user letting them do it. If BYD works differently, it can be forced to change. Do you think the EU let BYD sell spying equipment on wheels that doesn’t comply with the GDPR? I doubt it. We can ask for the same software compliance.
It’s far easier to detect software issues on a computer compared to a car, they’re much more open ecosystems for software
Kind of. The high level OS modules are using QNX, Linux and Android. Lower level modules can be more arcane.
Am working in NA automotive and data collection is very much discussed in terms of what’s allowed in different jurisdictions and modules are configured differently for different markets accordingly.
What does that have to do with how proprietary the auto systems are?
It’s far easier to detect a compromise on Windows or Linux than on a custom embedded system for which there is zero public documentation.
There’s already a precedent for this with most of our technology in our country and we already implement safeguards against this. I’m not worried about this being any different
No there isn’t
Any vehicle that can recieve an ota update can be remotely bricked.
You said “we already implement safeguards against this”
No there isn’t.
We normally don’t worry about products we buy having hidden bombs ready to be triggered by a genocidal government the manufacturer is beholden to. Same for bricking. It is bad for business.
I would actually like to see any sort of over the air update systems be banned, it should only be possible when plugged in physically.
A government agency independent of our spy/political systems, could administer all updates. wired or air doesn’t matter much.
