TikTok makes Americans want Chinese EVs they can’t have

Bloomberg: Although Chinese brands have made rapid inroads in scores of global markets, they’re virtually nonexistent on US roads, thanks to a wall of tariffs, national security rules and automotive regulations. That hasn’t kept them from breaking through online, where social media algorithms serve up automotive thirst traps on TikTok and other popular apps, hyping affordable EVs and hybrids with luxury features and state-of-the-art tech. “They’re playing the long game,” Benoit says of Chinese carmakers. The vehicles are at the US’s doorstep anyway: Mexico is a top importer of Chinese cars, and Canada recently struck a deal with China to allow in a limited number of EVs…