• @[email protected]
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    3716 days ago

    I’d argue it is.

    Just look how Amazon got where it is now: Sell way under market price, till local competition closed shop, then squeeze.

    • Frezik
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      1216 days ago

      It’s unsustainable to keep prices lower than costs. The Amazon example didn’t have low prices forever.

      • @[email protected]
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        1116 days ago

        Yes, I know. That’s why BYD is going to then squeeze the customers once they are locked in.

          • @[email protected]
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            16 days ago

            It worked for Wal-Mart

            Which isn’t really a sustainable business model, but it’s quite successful

            • Ulrich
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              116 days ago

              It didn’t work for Walmart the same way it didn’t work for Amazon

          • @[email protected]
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            316 days ago

            What is sustainable in today’s economy?

            Really, what Western corporation actually base their policies on sustainable growth?

            Take your time. I’ll wait.

            • Ulrich
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              16 days ago

              All of them that I know of. Which corporations do you see running unsustainable business models until they fold completely? Take your time, I’ll wait.

              The point is that they eventually change their tactics. In this case, they’ll have to eventually increase their prices.

              • @[email protected]
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                216 days ago

                Even big companies ran gigantic losses for years, just to undercut the competition and emerge as the only winner.

                Some do it because they have other cash cows Epic store milking Fortnite), others have VC funding, like Uber.

                • Ulrich
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                  116 days ago

                  Yes but after they win they have to raise prices…

    • @[email protected]
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      16 days ago

      I think your muddying sustainable and successful. It definitely can be successful, but its not sustainable.

      Its also high risk, especially if you can’t crank up the prices enough later

        • @[email protected]
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          416 days ago

          Sustainable implies that they can keep doing it forever without changing. Switching later means what they are doing is not sustainable. It might be successful, but its not sustainable.

          • Optional
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            516 days ago

            There’s sustainable practices and sustainable businesses. The latter is what others are arguing. Undercutting competition to take over a market is a sustainable practice IF you can hold out long enough. I’d wager the country of China can hold out longer than General Motors.

            • @[email protected]
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              216 days ago

              But the business model has to change in order to survive. The company cannot undercut forever, it actually needs to change in order to survive. The business model of today is not sustainable. They may have a large warchest, they may be able to crush GM, but once they do, or the warchest runs out, the business model must change.

              If you want to make the argument that their overall plan with the later change is sustainable, thats fine, but this current phase is not sustainable.

    • Ulrich
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      216 days ago

      You forgot the part where they raised prices on everything.

    • @[email protected]
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      115 days ago

      It might just be that, since BYD is serving such a large domestic market/population, that allows them to have cheaper cars? Something something, economies of scale. I’m no expert though.

      • @[email protected]
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        115 days ago

        There is a limit to that effect, though. And most observers agree that the state is subsidizing heavily.

    • @[email protected]
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      116 days ago

      BYD is already facing scrutiny for running Evergrande like accounting, and a lot of political pressures from other Chinese manufacturers. The risk is that they collapse like Evergrande, and that they drag public debt into it. The CCP might prop them up, so it light be safe. A car is different from a book, because you need lifetime service for it. If they go under, you might lose access to parts.