DEARBORN, Mi. – In a crafty workaround to China’s new 150% tariff on American vehicles, Ford Motor Company announced it will reclassify its F-150 Raptors as “Luxury Mobile Housing Units,” allowing them to enter the Chinese market under the nation’s affordable housing development exemptions.
“These aren’t trucks,” said a Ford spokesperson. “They’re four-wheel penthouses with Bluetooth.” The new classification enables the vehicles to bypass strict import taxes applied to foreign-made automobiles, thanks to a loophole originally intended to allow emergency prefab shelters into urban housing zones.
Chinese buyers reportedly love the idea. “In Shanghai, a 200-square-foot apartment costs $500,000,” said one customer. “Now I can live in a Ford with heated seats, tailgate speakers, and a better shower situation than my old flat.”
The move has spurred interest from U.S. real estate developers, who have begun pre-selling truck-based subdivisions under names like “Raptor Ridge Estates” and “EcoFord Commune.”
When asked whether this loophole might close soon, one Chinese official simply shrugged and replied, “Honestly, we’re just impressed they figured out how to make a truck qualify as real estate.”
