US electric car maker Tesla's former global sales and marketing chief Jon McNeill said that Tesla has studied Chinese electric vehicles(EVs)by tearing them down,and some techniques they've learned have been adopted in some of its best-selling models,Businesses Insider reported on Thursday.
McNeill,a Tesla executive for nearly three years and now sits on GM's board,said in the report that a lesson learned from Chinese EVs was to reuse same parts in different car models,which can be seen in Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y electric cars.CEO Elon Musk had said in Tesla's Q4 2018 earnings conference call in January 2019 that Model Y is 76 percent in common with the Model 3.
McNeill didn't say which Chinese EVs were torn down when he was with Tesla,but he recently saw BYD,one of China's top EV makers,take the idea of reusing parts even further during a teardown with GM,according to the report.
"If you tear down all the BYDs-same windshield wiper motor across all of them;same heat pump across all of them;same conduit across all of them,"he said."In other words,there's not a team that's designing a particular model,and they're off on their own."
McNeill added that the technique was"super smart because a windshield wiper motor really doesn't change or add to the experience,"said the report.
As a long-time automotive industry professional,McNeill once again emphasized the importance of cost reduction in the Business Insider report."The Chinese engineers are really disciplined about reusing parts underneath the hood that the customer can't see,and they save a lot of money that way,"he said.
Tesla's practice of learning from Chinese EV makers is not an isolated case.A Fortune report on November 11 reported that US carmaker Ford's CEO Jim Farley said that taking apart Tesla and Chinese EVs was"shocking"and pushed him to overhaul the company.
When taking apart competitors'vehicles,as is standard practice in the automobile industry,Farley said the company found Ford's Mustang Mach-E had about 1.6 km,or nearly a mile,more wiring than a Tesla Model 3.When it took apart vehicles from its Chinese competitors,the findings were similarly surprising,said the report.
https://fortune.com/2025/11/11/ford-ceo-jim-farley-shocking-discovery-chinese-electric-vehicles-model-e-brutal-business-decision/
Farley made frequent remarks about Chinese EVs.In June,the Ford CEO described Chinese EVs as"far superior"to their Western counterparts,and last month he said Chinese brands like BYD were"completely dominating"the global EV landscape,said another Business Insider report.
Analysts said that such remarks highlight the leapfrog development of the Chinese EV sector through rapid technological iteration,fueled by first-mover advantages and accumulated expertise,while traditional automakers still struggle with their EV transition.
China's NEV market has maintained robust growth momentum this year.In October,NEV sales surpassed 50 percent of all new car sales for the first time,marking a major milestone in the industry's rapid expansion,Xinhua News Agency reported on November 11,citing data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Chinese Foreign Minister spokesperson Lin Jian said during a regular press conference on March 22,2024,that the popularity of Chinese electric vehicles relies on China's technological innovation and superb quality in the midst of global competition rather than subsidies.Meanwhile,China has abolished all market access restrictions on foreign investment in manufacturing and remains open to international car makers who can fully share in the dividends of China's big market,the spokesperson noted.
