Pretty sure if the article was titled "The $10k BYD Seagull EV is scaring Tesla" the person you are responding to wouldn't have commented, but the US auto industry is definitely not scared by small affordable cars seeing as that market is already dominated by South Korean and Japanese manufacturers in the US.
The difference is obvious. Current small Japanese and Korean cars compete directly with small American vehicles. They compete in the same classes and - by in large - follow the same product trends. A $10k or even $15k automobile would be in a class of its own in the American market.
