Then the American brands need to step up their age-old strategy of getting lawmakers to restrict consumers' options so that they are forced to buy their low-effort, low-value, and low-quality good for another decade or two.

Maybe they can come up with another form factor that is too large and wasteful for any other part of the world to want, a sequel to the huge-ass SUV and pickup trucks, if you will. Maybe a raised van or a reduced-size tour bus, for the once-a-lifetime even when you wish you could pack ten people into the same vehicle.

We, Americans, have been told that "free market" was what we were championing and that the Cold War was as much about that as anything. They used "free market" to make healthcare the disaster that it is today, to ship manufacturing and skilled jobs overseas, and many other things.

Now that China, a vast and hugely industrious country has products to market to us, our domestic manufacturers are crying foul AGAIN.

Fuck that.

Japanese companies taught us that we didn't need new cars every four years because their lasted way longer than that, now Chinese companies are going to show our dumb asses that they can make better and more innovative cars for much cheaper.