Do you think that without the bureaucracy that the big major auto manufacturers have to contend with, the Bhutanese may have an advantage? So much of me thinks that the reason the big auto makers don't have a fleet of viable electric options isn't because they can't do it, it's because they are locked in to a current product line and are beholden to other industries and powers that be. Who knows, ten years from now Bhutan may be a major player in an emerging market.
I hope for everyone's sake that that is true. They certainly don't have shareholders to please, so they can lose money for some time while they figure it out. They also don't have the pressure of making a car with all the best creature comforts that will fly out of the showrooms. But still, making a good car is not easy.
I have to imagine that the bureaucracy large OEMs currently face is easily trumped by all of their other advantages, -access to the best R&D, engineers, economies of scale, etc. The largest automakers currently have a problem delivering hybrid/electrics that compete with fossil engines on price, -even with government subsidies that are extremely generous you still have to be careful with your CBA calculation if you're considering buying one it seems like. tangentally, mk were talking about driverless vehicles on the way back from DC. We both agreed that fleets will be the first to adopt. The moment the cost of a driverless rig technology is lest than the cost of a trucker's salary over a few years, they'll make the switch. I think we're still waiting for hybrids/electrics to get there on the whole vs coal fleets for consumers.