The Governator Welcomes China's BYD To California

by Bertel Schmitt

Published: April 30th, 2010

the governator welcomes china s byd to california

Thank you, God, or make that Uzume, for keeping me alive long enough so that I can announce this: The Governator himself, that Austrian incarnate of Red, White, Blue, Mom & Apple Pie, has received a starring role in China’s Xinhua newswire:

“California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on Friday that Chinese manufacturer BYD Auto Company Limited (BYD) will locate its North American headquarters in Los Angeles.”

“BYD is the first major Chinese mass-production automobile company to set up a headquarters in the United States,” said the governor. And he didn’t mention “HUMMER” with one word.

Schwarzenegger praised BYD’s “decision to choose California that was based largely on the state’s commitment to nation-leading green policies that create long-term demand for renewable energy automobiles and products.” Any inducements were not mentioned.

“California’s market-friendly energy and environmental policies are playing a vital role not only in making California more energy secure but also in bringing companies like BYD to our state,” said Schwarzenegger.

The impact on California’s job market is benign: BYD will create up to 150 jobs in California, but it’s a start. Amazing how much verbiage the Governator produced for 150 jobs – and we shortened the Xinhua report for brevity.

Also, don’t read too much car related stuff into the BYD HQ. They will be “responsible for sales, marketing, and research and development for its automobiles and energy products, which include solar panels, LED lighting systems and home and grid level energy storage units.” In other words, a sales office for everything the eager hands at BYD create.

Reverse engineering and cavalier attitude towards intellectual property were not mentioned.

#BertelSchmitt #BYD #California #China #Schwarzenegger

Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

More by Bertel Schmitt

Comments

Join the conversation

2 of 13 comments

Telegraph Road on May 01, 2010

Perhaps Mr. Universe thought that he was welcoming BVD to California.

Like Reply
Porschespeed on May 22, 2010

Apologies to those who are not old enough to remember 'Pumping Iron" but... Eet iz still like I am cuhming everywhere ven I find ze new zources of revenue.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Lichtronamo Watch as the non-us based automakers shift more production to Mexico in the future.
28-Cars-Later " Electrek recently dug around in Tesla’s online parts catalog and found that the windshield costs a whopping $1,900 to replace.To be fair, that’s around what a Mercedes S-Class or Rivian windshield costs, but the Tesla’s glass is unique because of its shape. It’s also worth noting that most insurance plans have glass replacement options that can make the repair a low- or zero-cost issue. "Now I understand why my insurance is so high despite no claims for years and about 7,500 annual miles between three cars.
AMcA My theory is that that when the Big 3 gave away the store to the UAW in the last contract, there was a side deal in which the UAW promised to go after the non-organized transplant plants. Even the UAW understands that if the wage differential gets too high it's gonna kill the golden goose.
MKizzy Why else does range matter? Because in the EV advocate's dream scenario of a post-ICE future, the average multi-car household will find itself with more EVs in their garages and driveways than places to plug them in or the capacity to charge then all at once without significant electrical upgrades. Unless each vehicle has enough range to allow for multiple days without plugging in, fighting over charging access in multi-EV households will be right up there with finances for causes of domestic strife.
28-Cars-Later WSJ blurb in Think or Swim:Workers at Volkswagen's Tennessee factory voted to join the United Auto Workers, marking a historic win for the 89- year-old union that is seeking to expand where it has struggled before, with foreign-owned factories in the South.The vote is a breakthrough for the UAW, whose membership has shrunk by about three-quarters since the 1970s, to less than 400,000 workers last year.UAW leaders have hitched their growth ambitions to organizing nonunion auto factories, many of which are in southern states where the Detroit-based labor group has failed several times and antiunion sentiment abounds."People are ready for change," said Kelcey Smith, 48, who has worked in the VW plant's paint shop for about a year, after leaving his job at an Amazon.com warehouse in town. "We look forward to making history and bringing change throughout the entire South."   ...Start the clock on a Chattanooga shutdown.