{"id":93236,"date":"2026-02-18T10:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotive.einnews.com\/article\/893384127"},"modified":"2026-02-18T10:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:08:08","slug":"china-evs-threaten-automakers-but-guam-is-insulated-for-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/18\/china-evs-threaten-automakers-but-guam-is-insulated-for-now\/","title":{"rendered":"China EVs threaten automakers, but Guam is insulated – for now"},"content":{"rendered":"
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American auto industry leaders are sounding alarm bells over Chinese electric vehicle makers, warning of an “existential threat” to U.S. brands. But for Guam’s car dealers, the danger feels distant, at least for now.<\/p>\n

Major automakers told Reuters last December that China poses a “clear and present threat” to the U.S. auto industry, citing heavily subsidized Chinese manufacturers capable of undercutting American brands on price. A Yahoo Finance report echoed those concerns, with industry executives warning of Chinese overcapacity flooding global markets.<\/p>\n

Those pressures, however, have not landed directly on Guam’s showroom floors.<\/p>\n

“Currently, we are not seeing a direct impact in Guam, as currently there are no Chinese OEMs operating in our market,” said Ernie Galito, business development and sustainability director at Atkins Kroll. “If broader industry pressures were to affect us, they would most likely show up indirectly through manufacturer pricing strategies, production allocation, or model availability, rather than through immediate competitive disruption on island.”<\/p>\n

Galito said his dealership is keeping a close eye on global shifts anyway. “We do take the potential for increased competition into consideration as part of our long-term planning,” he said, adding that Atkins Kroll remains focused on building brand loyalty and maintaining competitive financing and ownership programs.<\/p>\n

Nissan Guam President and CEO Arnel Bonto said Chinese competition is forcing all automakers, not just American ones, to pick up the pace. “Competition from China puts pressure on all automakers, not just Nissan. Our head office is developing ways to counter this, such as innovating faster and delivering more value, but so far there are no effects on Nissan Guam’s sales or strategies.”<\/p>\n

Bonto welcomes the current U.S. barriers on Chinese vehicles as key safeguards, particularly for a market as compact as Guam’s. “We are glad for the protection offered by tariffs and import restrictions. Guam in particular is too small and already offers multiple brands.”<\/p>\n

On the EV front, Bonto said Nissan is leaning into its early mover advantage. “Nissan is a pioneer in EVs. As such, electrification is at the core of our long-term strategy.” He added that the company anticipates the arrival of the all-new 2027 Rogue, equipped with Nissan’s proprietary e-Power technology, as early as the end of this year.<\/p>\n

For Triple J Enterprises, the read is more direct. Triple J Senior Vice President Jay Jones said the existing ban on Chinese vehicle imports into the U.S. is the deciding factor. “My understanding, which the article confirms, is that Chinese vehicles are still prohibited from importation into the U.S. As long as that remains the case, I don’t expect much of an impact on U.S. dealers, including Guam.”<\/p>\n

James Rosenberg II, managing director of Triple J Technologies, took a broader view on where Chinese EV competition is heading and what it could mean for the island down the road. He said Chinese manufacturers are unlikely to target Guam directly, even considering the territory’s lower tariff exposure.<\/p>\n

“Yes, they could avoid the tariffs installed in Guam, but they would need USDOT safety regulations,” Rosenberg said. “But if they can’t sell in the U.S. mainland, there’s 150,000 people on an island in the middle of the Pacific – makes sense? No, not really. They’re easier going after New Zealand or Palau or something like that, where they don’t have to deal with all the regulations.”<\/p>\n

Rosenberg said he believes U.S. automakers share some blame for their own vulnerability. “I, personally, think that it is a bit of a protection mechanism for Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford. They’re so entrenched, their stockholders, their investors are so entrenched about profits today, and profits come from older technology vehicles. And they want to ride that out.”<\/p>\n

That short-term thinking could bring long-term trouble, he warned. “I’m hoping that we see a change in that mindset and that we buy enough time for these U.S.-based car manufacturers…that they are able to better adopt and get that kind of wave of newer technology, cheaper batteries, more reliable batteries, that they can convert their factories and their lineups to EV, and compete on a fair playing field.”<\/p>\n

Rosenberg also pointed to a potential upside for Guam. Because the island operates outside standard North American distribution chains, some foreign brands like Nissan, which ships vehicles directly from Japan, can offer more competitive pricing than on the mainland.<\/p>\n

“Nissan runs a good operation, not gonna lie,” he said. “And that’s something that we would like to see Guam kind of push towards as well.”<\/p>\n

For now, Guam’s auto market seems protected by its geography, regulations, and small size, making it an unappealing entry point for Chinese manufacturers. But with the global EV race heating up, local dealers are keeping a close eye, and that protection might not last forever.<\/p>\n

“I see both ends of it. But yeah, it’s going to be kind of choppy waters for the U.S. specifically,” said Rosenberg.<\/p>\n

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… at least for now. Major automakers<\/span> told Reuters last December that … Chinese competition is forcing all automakers<\/span>, not just American ones, … China puts pressure on all automakers<\/span>, not just Nissan. Our … he believes U.S. automakers<\/span> share some blame for their …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93236\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}