White House trade adviser Peter Navarro criticized Ford over its reported discussions with China’s BYD for hybrid vehicle batteries, warning the partnership would strengthen a Chinese competitor while exposing the American automaker to supply chain risks.
“So Ford wants to simultaneously prop up a Chinese competitor’s supply chain and make it more vulnerable to that same supply chain extortion? What could go wrong here? Did Ford forget the rare earth extortion already?” Navarro wrote on X on Thursday.
Navarro added that the Elon Musk-led company Tesla would be “a footnote” in case the US does not contain China’s expansion.
“BYD is the latest predatory pricing kid on the block. Aim is to control global EV production—Tesla will be a footnote if this keeps up.”
Navarro called BYD “the latest predatory pricing kid on the block,” adding that the Chinese automaker aims to control global EV production. “Tesla will be a footnote if this keeps up,” he wrote.
The comments came hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that Ford and BYD are in discussions over a potential battery supply arrangement for some of Ford’s hybrid models.
The talks could include Ford importing BYD batteries to factories outside the United States, people familiar with the matter told the outlet.
Negotiations remain ongoing and a deal is not confirmed.
Navarro’s Trade Stance
President Donald Trump appointed Navarro as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing in December 2024, a role Trump said would leverage his “broad range of White House experience” and “extensive policy analytic and media skills.”
Navarro has been a consistent critic of Chinese trade practices.
In March 2025, he argued that massive government subsidies, lax labor conditions, and weaker environmental regulations give Chinese automakers unfair advantages in global markets.
The adviser has also taken aim at Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s manufacturing operations.
In April 2025, Navarro said on CNBC that Musk is “not a car manufacturer” but rather “a car assembler in many cases,” noting that Tesla sources batteries from Japan and China.
Ford’s Hybrid Push
The reported talks come as Ford pivots away from fully electric vehicles toward hybrids amid softening EV demand.
Last month, the Jim Farley-led automaker announced approximately $19.5 billion in charges primarily tied to its EV business.
Ford and BYD have an existing relationship. In 2020, Ford began sourcing BYD batteries in China for vehicles produced through its joint venture with state-owned Changan Automobile.
Chinese automakers remain effectively blocked from the US market due to steep tariffs imposed by the White House and an impending ban on certain software in new vehicles.
