Tesla Has A New Chinese Electric Vehicle Competitor: How A Company That Used To Sell Cheap TVs Is Entering EV Race

Tesla Inc TSLA has dominated the electric vehicle sector for years, but is seeing its global market share under pressure in China and other territories with Chinese EV companies launching low-cost models.

What Happened: Tesla and the electric vehicle sector could have another rival soon with Chinese company Skywell unveiling new electric vehicles at the 2024 Paris Auto Show this week.

Skywell may not be a household name in the U.S. yet, but there's a chance that consumers are familiar with the company's Skyworth affordable televisions that are sold in America by Walmart and Amazon.

Skywell unveiled the Q hatchback electric vehicle at the auto show, as reported by Electrek. The vehicle could compete against other similar electric vehicle offerings like the VW ID.3, Cupra Born and BYD Dolphin, according to the report.

The Q is expected to go on sale in 2025 in Europe and be "competitively priced." While not all details have been released, the report notes that a larger battery option available could provide up to 300 miles of range and the 0-60mph time is quicker than the strong-selling BYD Dolphin.

The company best known for its televisions and electronics previously launched the BE11 in the U.K. and sold electric vehicles in Israel previously, Electrek reported.

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Why It's Important: While it's early into the Q launch phase, the Electrek report said the vehicle looks to be a potential contender in the electric vehicle space.

While a transition from making affordable televisions to affordable electric vehicles may sound like a stretch, many technology companies have evolved from their early roots.

Electrek shares the examples of BYD Co BYDDY previously making mobile phones before cars, and Volvo owner Geely making refrigerator parts before vehicles. Let's not forget that Nintendo got its start as a playing cards company before getting into video games.

How the company got its start shouldn’t be the concern here for Tesla and other EV makers, the major concern should be the potential lower price point.

The Skywell vehicle might not hit the market and might never be available for sale in the U.S. The potential release and focus on a lower price point will likely put the potential vehicle in competition with BYD and other Chinese electric vehicle companies.

These Chinese companies continue to put pressure on Tesla's global market share. While Tesla has been competitive on pricing for years thanks to its vertical integration, the company is getting beat in price by several models in the competitive battle for market share and units sold.

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Photos: Unsplash/Pixabay