While American politicians love to harp about TikTok’s Chinese owners and the national security issues that could bring, it may also be true that they worry that the platform is influencing an entire generation with quick hits of liberal political thought and economic theory. A recent survey from AlixPartners found that young TikTok users are increasingly seeing EVs on the app, with more than half of them saying they were aware of Chinese brands like Lynk&Co and BYD.
The firm surveyed 9,000 potential plug-in vehicle buyers in the U.S., and 58 percent of them said they’d seen Chinese EVs on the app. Narrowing the survey field to just 18- 25-year-old users increased the percentage to 76 percent, and 73 percent of people 25 to 35 responded similarly.
Users’ awareness of Chinese EV brands is surprising, given that none of the companies sell vehicles here. AlixPartners’ Mark Wakefield said the results “bode well if you’re a Chinese EV company exporting or ominously if you are a traditional automaker.” Young TikTok users are attracted to the brand’s advanced tech and lower prices, which are often on full display on the platform.
American automakers like Tesla have long been aware of the threat from Chinese auto companies. Last year, CEO Elon Musk said the company would start advertising after years of shying away from the practice, and Tesla has been locked in a back-in-forth battle with BYD over global EV sales records.
[Image: Shutterstock]
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