America's Biggest Car Companies Are in Trouble

Plain English with Derek Thompson

Today, the media vibes around electric vehicles are all bad. But if you lift up and take in the big picture, electric vehicles and hybrids are taking over the market. Gas-powered cars are as much in structural decline right now as the cable bundle in TV.

Today’s guest, Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of the climate media company Heatmap, says that while EV sales are much stronger than the media doom-and-gloom narratives, something else is happening that deserves our attention. America’s Big Three automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (which owns Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep)—are in big trouble. China’s electric vehicles are going to hit Detroit "like a wrecking ball," he says. Joe Biden wants America’s green electric future to be made in America. But right now, the future of EVs is being made in China.

If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at [e-mail]. You can find us on TikTok at http://www.tiktok.com/@plainenglish_

Host: Derek Thompson

Guest: Robinson Meyer

Producer: Devon Manze

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