Suddenly, my materials become cheaper, but the customer doesn’t know.
Now I make something for 15$, sell it to you for 50.
That’s only the case if you have a monopoly on production. Someone else could also make it for 15$, and sell it for 49$, forcing you to lower your prices to stay competitive.
In the US, bans on foreign cars which limit the number of ‘someone elses’ pretty dramatically.
Personally I also suspect a bit of collusion - they could sell it for less and undercut the competition but they all make more money if nobody cuts their price.
That’s only the case if you have a monopoly on production. Someone else could also make it for 15$, and sell it for 49$, forcing you to lower your prices to stay competitive.
What is preventing this with EVs?
In the US, bans on foreign cars which limit the number of ‘someone elses’ pretty dramatically.
Personally I also suspect a bit of collusion - they could sell it for less and undercut the competition but they all make more money if nobody cuts their price.