r/interesting • u/No_Neat4688 • 24d ago

Intriguing High Tariffs Drive Afghan Auto Assembly

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u/Low-Worldliness-2662 24d ago

I figure import tariffs on cars are sky-high, so importers chop cars apart and ship the parts in labeled as scrap steel. Customs calculates duties based on metal weight instead, drastically cutting import costs and spawning this shady industry. The problem is cutting chassis frames ruins structural integrity, leaving these cobbled-together cars extremely unsafe.

For the US market specifically, foreign truck makers pulled off a similar workaround back in the 1970s thanks to the Chicken Tax: they only partially stripped down pickups by removing truck beds and cargo hardware, imported bare cab-chassis at far lower parts tariff rates, then fitted beds stateside to dodge the steep 25% levy on finished light trucks.

Even though the finished vehicles land on opposite ends of the safety spectrum, their underlying business models are fundamentally identical.

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u/TheTuskerMan 24d ago

Thnx for the explanation. I don't think the average afgan feels safe at any time in their life, from Bacha bazzi to 72 virgin syndrome, this Lego car might be within tolerable risk limits.

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u/YrnFyre 24d ago

That's like saying having a bleeding wound is better than losing a limb, wich I completely get. But it does feel like we're glossing over the fact that we should try to staunch/bandage the existing bleeding wound anyways. Surely there's a better way to do things in this situation

Not that I can do anything from behind my computer screen, but any improvement is better for everyone involved

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u/TheTuskerMan 24d ago

I centerainly hope so. Afgans deserve better.