Have you noticed that hardly anyone is saying anymore, 'gasoline cars will be completely eliminated'? When we were in school, we all heard the saying: the Earth's oil is only enough for another thirty years. What happened? As technology progressed, more and more oil fields were discovered, and the proven reserves today are enough for the world for another forty years, making 'the more we use, the more we have' a reality. Electric cars do have advantages, but the problem is—if making electric cars themselves isn't profitable, then all the advantages don't mean much to car companies.

Initially, new energy vehicles were a way to restart the global automotive landscape, but in reality, the ones who really buy into it are still domestic consumers. The enthusiasm in foreign markets is low, and only a few domestic new energy car companies can truly make a profit. Most are supported by subsidies, and once the subsidies are withdrawn, their situation immediately becomes difficult.

In the past, domestic new energy vehicles were able to beat a host of joint venture gasoline cars because, frankly, they were 'rolled out.' The problem is—if the core weapon is price competition, the first to be hit will be the gasoline car business of domestic automakers themselves. Joint venture brands were previously reluctant to fully commit to electric cars because the profits from gasoline cars were stable and they didn't want to harm their own business. But now the competition is too fierce, and their market share has also been taken away, plus over the years, the new energy supply chain has been fully opened up by domestic companies, allowing these joint venture factories to 'use it as is,' and even transfer some model development rights to domestic teams, using our supply chain to counter our own new energy.

Doesn't this feel a bit like 'using one's own spear to attack one's own shield'? That's right, they are prepared for both scenarios: if new energy succeeds, they will continue to share the pie; if new energy fails, they can still harvest the market with mature gasoline car technology. And among domestic car companies, those who continue to invest in gasoline car research and development are already few and far between.

It sounds like we want to roll all joint venture brands back home, but from the consumer's perspective, what we hope for is not for one company to dominate, but for more brands and more intense competition. Ultimately, what benefits consumers is always technology and products, not sentiment.