{"id":78210,"date":"2023-03-06T14:30:19","date_gmt":"2023-03-06T03:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=78210"},"modified":"2023-03-28T13:40:31","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T02:40:31","slug":"does-chinas-rapid-rise-in-the-australian-car-market-pose-a-security-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/does-chinas-rapid-rise-in-the-australian-car-market-pose-a-security-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Does China\u2019s rapid rise in the Australian car market pose a security risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

The news that China was the fourth largest<\/a> source of car imports to Australia in 2022 would have come as a surprise to all but the closest observers of the automotive industry. Behind only Japan, Thailand and South Korea, sales of Chinese-made cars were up 61% on their 2021 figure to almost 123,000.<\/p>\n

The milestone marked another step in the remarkable rise of Chinese-made cars, which now represent<\/a> more than one in 10 sold in the Australian market. As recently as 2018, China was the 11th largest source of passenger and light commercial vehicles for Australia, with just over 10,000 vehicles sold. Since then, it has overtaken traditional major players like Germany and the US, and in some months last year was also ahead of South Korea.<\/p>\n

While brands like MG, Great Wall Motor, Haval and LDV have become common on Australian roads, it\u2019s not only Chinese manufacturers leading the charge. Australian-delivered Tesla and Polestar electric vehicles are also made in China. And while Australia is often derided as a laggard in the uptake of EVs, Tesla\u2019s Model 3 outsold<\/a> the long-popular Toyota Camry last year to take the top spot in the mid-sized car segment. Last month<\/a> it was the third most popular vehicle in the country, behind only the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes.<\/p>\n

Tesla may have had a head start in the EV market, but other makers are already catching up, with Chinese brand BYD already in second spot in Australia\u2019s small but fast-growing EV market. In fact, every one of the top five electric cars sold in Australia in February was made in China. Overall, 6.8% of vehicles sold in the month were electric, while the total number of EVs and plug-in hybrids on Australian roads almost doubled<\/a> over the course of 2022.<\/p>\n

So, why does any of this matter? As cars have become more technologically advanced, they have turned into what are essentially rolling computers. Modern cars are swathed in cameras and sensors and increasingly connected to the internet for \u2018over the air\u2019 tasks like updating software. They collect data ranging from location and routes driven to phone contacts and calls made by drivers. Such data could be used to put together a comprehensive picture of a person\u2019s activities, and, if a car\u2019s owner drives to work at a secure facility, for example, potentially pose a risk to national security.<\/p>\n

Researchers and hackers have already shown<\/a> that they can remotely stop the engines and lock and unlock vehicles made by numerous manufacturers, while others have tracked vehicle locations and gathered drivers\u2019 financial details.<\/p>\n

The data-heavy trend is only accelerating with the rapid uptake of EVs and development of self- and assisted-driving technology. As with any internet-connected devices, cars should come under scrutiny for the security of their systems\u2014and arguably more strict examination since there are literally lives at stake when it comes to the fallibility of self-driving technology.<\/p>\n

Tesla has been the subject of a number of lawsuits, the latest launched in the US last week alleging<\/a> that the company and CEO Elon Musk overstated the safety and efficacy of its \u2018autopilot\u2019 and \u2018full self-driving\u2019 systems over several years, creating a \u2018serious risk of accident and injury\u2019. It comes after Tesla recalled<\/a> 362,000 vehicles in the US after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u00a0found that the beta version of its full self-driving software (not available<\/a> in Australia) could increase the risk of a crash.<\/p>\n

As Wired<\/em> reported<\/a> last year, China has banned Teslas from the streets of certain cities for major communist party events, as well as military bases and other locations, out of what\u2019s thought to be concern that the vehicles\u2019 data could be exploited. Beijing has now banned automotive companies from sending that data outside of China.<\/p>\n

\u2018While keeping that data in China significantly heightens the likelihood that it could be used by state security services, Tesla quickly acquiesced to the new rules last year, opening a\u00a0dedicated data center<\/a>\u00a0on mainland China to satisfy the regulations,\u2019 the Wired <\/em>report said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear what the implications of Tesla data being held in China might be for Australian drivers, but concerns have already been raised<\/a> that it would fall under China\u2019s 2017 national intelligence law, which compels Chinese citizens and companies to aid the country\u2019s spy agencies if asked.<\/p>\n

Reports that \u2018tracking devices<\/a>\u2019 containing SIM cards were found in sealed components in UK government vehicles have highlighted concerns about the prevalence of Chinese-made parts in the wider automotive industry. Such devices could allow a vehicle\u2019s location to be tracked and would have gone unnoticed had searches not been conducted.<\/p>\n

Almost all major car companies source parts from China and some, including BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover, have reportedly worked with China Unicom, which is banned<\/a> in the US, to develop 5G vehicle connectivity.<\/p>\n

As ASPI\u2019s Critical Technology Tracker<\/a> has found, China is already a leader in many of the technologies that will be vital to the future of transportation, including electric batteries and the analytics and artificial intelligence required to process the huge amounts of data vehicles collect and, in time, integrate them into so-called smart cities.<\/p>\n

The Chinese car industry has also been linked<\/a> to forced labour in the Xinjiang region. Authorities are thought to have detained a million Uyghur and other Muslims there since 2017 and, among abuses the UN has found may constitute crimes against humanity, have forced many to work in industries including the production of car parts, tyres and batteries. Volkswagen<\/a> produces cars for the Chinese market in Xinjiang and has come under fire<\/a> for maintaining a presence there, though the company says it has seen \u2018no sign<\/a>\u2019 of forced labour in its plants.<\/p>\n

With a wide range of new electric and conventional vehicles coming on sale, China is only likely to increase its market share in Australia in the short term. Much in the same way that crash-testing standards are developed, it\u2019s up to parliament and regulators to implement guidelines that will keep drivers safe on the road\u2014and that means ensuring that cars and their increasingly connected systems are as protected as possible from compromise. Consumers also need to be aware of the potential risks to themselves, their families and their data, and consider whether a vehicle that\u2019s made in China\u2014regardless of the manufacturer\u2014is something they are willing to lay down their hard-earned cash for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The news that China was the fourth largest source of car imports to Australia in 2022 would have come as a surprise to all but the closest observers of the automotive industry. Behind only Japan, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":825,"featured_media":78212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17,52,2175,3478,365,1218],"class_list":["post-78210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-australia","tag-china","tag-data","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-trade","tag-vehicles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoes China\u2019s rapid rise in the Australian car market pose a security risk? | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/does-chinas-rapid-rise-in-the-australian-car-market-pose-a-security-risk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does China\u2019s rapid rise in the Australian car market pose a security risk? | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The news that China was the fourth largest source of car imports to Australia in 2022 would have come as a surprise to all but the closest observers of the automotive industry. 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