I really can’t comprehend why people think this is protectionism for US automakers as there are very few of them, GM, Ford, and Tesla. There are over a dozen more that aren’t US companies that still manufacture here that such a tariff would also protect, which is why people are talking about protecting the market not a couple of US companies.
How does nationalizing the auto industry fix anything and what companies are you even talking about here?
You talk about the modern era and what people want but this is in stark contrast to what these same people actually buy. You act like people are forced to buy the vehicles that sell the best when in reality it’s a voluntary decision and they sell the best because that’s what people want.
What you’re arguing for here is exactly the same thing that companies like Walmart do to small towns when they move in. Suddenly every local competitor is out of business, their employees wind up working for Walmart and spending their Walmart pay on items from Walmart. The town suffers while the owners prosper. This is like the textbook definition of cutting off your nose to spite your face all so you can selfishly and ignorantly buy a new car at a discount price.
This isn’t “out-competing the US market,” it’s the Chinese government decimating the US market and then controlling it. Your solution seems to be raising taxes or cutting services in order to funnel taxpayer money toward automotive companies. Sounds like something Trump would come up with. Why don’t you stop beating around the bush and just say you think we should bust up the unions and slash worker pay so that we can have cheaper cars and win this race to the bottom?