As electric cars should be. Any more sustainable technology should be.

Yep. The answer is either shut down Chinese car imports or compete by making subsidized vehicles too. To compete would mean each competitor grows too as the technology and resources are cutting edge, building a solid foundation for future developments. We have to compete because of the potential impactful battery and electric motor technology will have in future.

Ford is seeing where they need to be to compete, recognizing they aren't there, and is wooing a business partner to help share technology. They may also just import and rebadge the cars and want to help spread the idea that Chinese cars are a hidden luxury so no one feels like Ford is importing cheap crap.

He said it on a podcast, discussing the future of EVs. He was praising the competition for what they are doing well, with the implication that Ford needs to do better in those areas.

“This Xiaomi car… is fantastic. They sell ten thousand, twenty thousand a month,” Farley said. “I don’t like talking about the competition much, but we flew [an SU7] from Shanghai to Chicago and I’ve been driving it for six months now, and I don’t want to give it up.”

Farley didn’t mention which version of the SU7 he imported, but it’s normal for automakers to test out their competitors’ vehicles to better understand what they’re up against.

Xiaomi doesn’t sell cars in America, and even if you went the “I’ll just bring one here” route the CEO did, there’s ~100% tariffs on them, so I’d bet he doesn’t see them as a competitor at this time and is just being somewhat candid.