Ford and GM Maintain China EV Partnerships, Trading Technology for Competitiveness
nashnova research
Ford and GM are deepening ties with Chinese partners for battery and platform technology even as trade tensions escalate — a high-wire act between confrontation and dependence that defines the American EV transition.
How is Ford partnering with China without giving up its core IP?
CEO Jim Farley drew a clear line: cooperate outside core intellectual property, targeting Europe and Southeast Asia.
Specifics: Ford will use CATL battery technology for a $30,000 electric pickup due around 2027, and has formed a joint venture with Geely in Spain.
Farley warned against handing full platform strategy to a partner, citing Ford's earlier tie-up with Mazda as a cautionary tale. This means → Ford wants Chinese component capability but will not cede chassis and vehicle-definition authority.
Why is GM extending its joint venture by another 20 years?
GM will extend its partnership with SAIC Motor by 20 years this August, driven primarily by access to EV technology.
Context: GM's China sales have halved from their peak to roughly 1.9 million units in 2025.
President Mark Reuss put it plainly: "We can't compete on subsidies, but we can compete on technology, engineering, and creating value for customers." In plain terms = volume is lost, but the technology window is still open — the renewal is about learning, not selling.
How far have the Detroit Three's market shares fallen?
Cox Automotive data: in Q3 2025, GM, Ford, and Stellantis combined are projected to hold just above 36% of the U.S. new-vehicle market — a record low.
Asian rivals Toyota and Hyundai, strong in hybrids, have held a combined share above 50% for two straight quarters.
This reflects a problem deeper than slow EV rollouts: a lack of hybrid models is the most immediate gap for the Detroit Three.
They want to restrict Chinese automakers and rely on Chinese tech — how does that square?
Congress is weighing legislation to permanently ban Chinese automakers from selling or manufacturing in the U.S.; the Detroit Three themselves lobby to maintain restrictions.
Yet those same companies are quietly deepening technology partnerships with Chinese firms to advance their own EV transitions.
CSIS scholar Scott Kennedy notes that Chinese automakers' competitiveness keeps rising at home and abroad, narrowing the window for American firms. This means → the "block and borrow" contradiction has no near-term resolution and will keep testing where each company draws the line.
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