The cranes at the Port of Los Angeles have been working overtime lately. Since 2024, ZEEKR has shipped more than 3,200 CM1e units to the United States through this port, with the vehicles internally designated as "Ojai" by Waymo. Since 2026, more than 2,600 units have arrived, averaging around 300 per month. This comes despite U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles being raised to a staggering 127.5%. The wall built here is imposing: a 100% Section 301 tariff, layered with a 25% strategic materials surcharge, and topped with the standard 2.5% automobile import duty. The message is clear: Chinese EVs are not welcome.
In today's American market, the average consumer indeed faces nearly insurmountable hurdles in purchasing a Chinese-made car, and that reality holds true. However, sharp-eyed American netizens have spotted a glaring inconsistency: while they are shut out, Waymo, the autonomous driving company under Alphabet, is hauling in these very vehicles by the boatload. This has sparked a wave of frustration among U.S. netizens, whose comments, though varied, converge on a single core sentiment: If tech giants can buy Chinese EVs, why can't we ordinary people?
Massive Public Outcry
The story traces back to May of this year. Waymo, the American self-driving giant, began rolling out its new model, the Ojai, in small batches across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, simultaneously opening commercial services to the general public in all three cities. The vehicle features a B-pillar-less design with rear-hinged sliding doors, eliminating the risk of "dooring" accidents. Combined with an MPV-style low floor, it allows easy and dignified entry for everyone, from women in skirts to children and the elderly. The interior is packed with thoughtful details: grab handles on the A-pillars, small hooks on the seatbacks, charging ports beside the seats, and even braille on the buttons for visually impaired passengers.
As a result, during the vehicle's operation, many users and bloggers have given the Ojai glowing reviews. Even Fox News, a mainstream local media outlet, praised it as "the next step in the development of autonomous driving." Yet, as operations extended, more users began to wonder: neither American nor European automakers have produced a model like this. It wasn't until overseas blogger David Moss posted a real-life video showing batch after batch of Ojai units—each with hundreds of vehicles—being unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles that suspicions were confirmed. Clearly, these vehicles are not manufactured on U.S. soil. Another video revealed over 500 Ojai units already painted in Waymo livery, lined up and awaiting installation of autonomous driving kits. That video quickly surpassed 20 million views on X.
Guessing the Ojai's origin wasn't difficult, as its design is truly distinctive: rear-hinged automatic sliding doors, a B-pillar-less structure, and an extreme four-corner layout. Globally, the only mass-produced vehicle with similar design features is the Chinese-made ZEEKR Mix. While not identical, the Ojai is a derivative model, internally code-named by Waymo. This revelation ignited a firestorm on American social media, with netizens venting directly: "Big corporations can freely import high-value Chinese cars in bulk, but ordinary consumers are barred—how ironic!" "Why can big companies buy them, but we can't?" "Capitalists can purchase Chinese EVs, but citizens cannot—privilege is everywhere." "The government is desperately blocking cheap, decent Chinese vehicles, yet tech companies get them without question." "I want this car so badly—please let it into the U.S.!" "How much longer will American automakers hide behind policy protection?"
Even mainstream outlets like Forbes have spoken up for ordinary Americans. Citing customs bill of lading data from trade data firm ImportGenius, Forbes reported that since 2024, ZEEKR has shipped over 3,200 units of this model through the Port of Los Angeles, with more than 2,600 units arriving just since 2026—averaging roughly 300 per month. Beyond the 127.5% tariff on Chinese EVs, U.S. sales policies have long included regulations specifically restricting imports and sales of connected vehicles using Chinese technology, citing so-called "security concerns" and "data breach risks." The frustration and anger are understandable: why can companies import in bulk without hindrance, while everyday consumers hit a wall of tariffs and policy?
Americans Left Watching from the Sidelines
In truth, the outrage isn't unfounded, because asking Americans to buy domestic vehicles is increasingly unaffordable. Consider the numbers: in 2019, the average price of a new car in the U.S. was $38,500; by 2023, it had surged to $47,000. At that point, a report from a U.S. financial website in October 2023 indicated that about 60% of American households were already "unable to afford a new car." Now, the average transaction price for a new car in the U.S. has approached $52,000. For the top domestic automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis—their average model price, according to Edmunds, has reached $54,400, 13% higher than the industry average. The share of budget cars priced under $20,000 has plummeted from 21% to less than 5%. And that's just the purchase price—annual insurance costs are substantial on top of that.
In contrast, on other overseas markets, many Chinese EVs sell for under $30,000. This price chasm has turned Chinese cars into "dream cars" for more and more American consumers. But for now, they can only watch helplessly. Take neighboring Mexico and Canada, which have opened their doors to Chinese vehicles: the BYD Seagull sells for around $20,000, the Geely Xingyuan starts at $18,000 in Mexico, and the Leapmotor B10 can be had for under $30,000. In Mexico, a fully loaded BYD SHARK costs $47,000—compared to a similarly priced Toyota pickup in the U.S., it not only offers better fuel efficiency and power but also far superior comfort features. As one netizen put it: "With the same budget, you simply can't buy an EV this capable in the U.S.!"
What's more ironic is that neighbors aren't just buying these cars—they're driving cheap, reliable Chinese EVs across the border for sightseeing in the U.S. It's enough to make anyone feel left out. Even American dealers are openly enthusiastic about Chinese cars. A dealer named Rhett Ricart, who sells traditional brands like Ford and Chevrolet, has unabashedly praised the high value and smart features of Chinese cars, once stating, "If Chinese cars hit the U.S. market, they'd be snapped up like crazy." A California dealer added: "We get dozens of calls each month asking about Chinese cars, but we can only say, 'Sorry, they're not sold here.' If policy allowed, Chinese cars would absolutely become our bestsellers."
This has even led some "daring" Americans to build "Chinese EV Enthusiast" groups on social media, sharing strategies for "indirectly buying Chinese cars." Some explore buying used vehicles through Mexican dealership networks and shipping them back. Others make dedicated trips to Mexico for "human courier" purchases, driving the cars back across the border. In this environment where everyone loves but can't have these vehicles, watching someone else import them in bulk is enough to make American netizens see red.
Why Waymo Gets a Pass
Strictly speaking, Waymo's ability to import these Chinese models doesn't actually violate policy. Although the U.S. Commerce Department issued final rules early this year banning connected vehicles with Chinese or Russian software or hardware from the U.S. market in phases—citing risks that communication tech in connected cars could collect sensitive user data, posing a so-called "national security risk"—there are exemptions. Contracts signed before the rules took effect can continue to be honored. Waymo's partnership with Geely was announced in 2021, a full four years before the policy was implemented.
Furthermore, the rule targets "connected vehicles," and the Ojai units Waymo imports are likely just bare-bones vehicles—essentially chassis, battery, and powertrain, with no sensors, communication hardware, or software, and no data collection capabilities. After arriving at port, all Ojai units are transported to Waymo's factory in Mesa, Arizona, where local teams install radar, chips, storage, and other critical components in spaces pre-designed by ZEEKR before the vehicles are put into service. The truly "connected" parts aren't Chinese-made, effectively sidestepping the ban.
Waymo is also paying real tariffs. U.S. import filings show each Ojai is declared at a customs value of approximately $38,000. With the 127.5% tariff, the landed cost jumps to $86,500. Waymo then partners with Magna at the Mesa factory to install its sixth-generation autonomous driving system—13 cameras, 4 lidar units, and 6 radar sensors—a 42% reduction in sensor count from the previous generation, bringing the full kit cost to under $20,000. All told, each Ojai costs around $110,000.
Even at that price, Waymo has reason to celebrate quietly. The most common autonomous vehicle currently on Waymo's roads is a modified Jaguar I-PACE, with hardware costs exceeding $200,000 per unit. Jaguar has discontinued the model, making spare parts a headache. Even with high tariffs, costs are nearly halved, which explains why Waymo is importing aggressively—the 2,600 units shipped in the last eight months approach Waymo's previously disclosed cumulative fleet size.
Moreover, the I-PACE has a fundamental limitation: it was first designed as a "car for people to drive," then modified into a robotaxi. The steering wheel, dashboard, seats, doors, and body structure were all fixed before Waymo got involved. Sensors, computing equipment, power supply, cooling, and redundancy systems all had to be reworked around the original car's architecture. The Ojai flips this logic: from the project's inception, it was destined to be a robotaxi—flat floor, low step-in, sliding doors—born to carry passengers. One is a British car starting at $200,000 with a discontinued supply chain; the other is a purpose-built robotaxi platform for $110,000. The choice is obvious.
It's important to note, however, that Waymo purchases the vehicle's physical hardware, while the autonomous driving "brain" remains American. This isn't a story of Chinese auto brands entering the U.S. market; it's a tale of Chinese-made hardware platforms being integrated into the U.S. tech supply chain. The distinction defines the ceiling of this narrative. But it's already enough to leave Detroit's Big Three automakers as spectators—making the most noise at the table with the fewest cards to play.
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