Aside: is Skunk Works not one word? Or at least in this context as a general description of the project, a skunkworks. Not the proper name for the Lockheed operation Skunk Works.

> if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” approach and form partnerships with Chinese manufacturers to get access to their technology, said Shay Natarajan, a partner at Mobility Impact Partners, a private equity firm that invests in transportation.

I'm skeptical American companies could pull the same trick, our culture overemphasizes short term outsourcing. They wouldn't get to step 2 of "steal and improve".