Chinese cars are coming.

[junorico24]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/11342/chinese-cars-coming-to-australia/

It's inevitable.I know it's going to be awkward in the " break the ice stage" of operation.People will have a mix of negative and positive things to say about it. Others will straight up, hate. And the Chinese are expecting this.They'll have to get it right first. With good quality and affordable vehicles.Which I am confident about. Specialy the latter. Japanese, Honda and Yota's are everywhere. Let the Chinese get into the mix, I say. And ya know they don't like the Japanese having all the fun. knaaw wha I'm talkin about? Look out!! I can't wait.


:clap:

[Bob_VT]

Google chinese car crash tests and don't de too shocked. Some of the cars (their GOOD ones) have even earned one whole star!:eek:

I think the words....."no thanks, I would rather walk" will be common...... but they will be affordable and some poor person will have a nice new car that will last only months!

[tuckevalastin]

well i know what I WONT be buying anytime soon. if the quality is the same as those little drink umbrellas (MADE IN CHINA sticker), ill pass

That's exactly what the generations before us said about Japanese cars. SAIC has been a close partner of GM for a while and there are talks of them buying Saturn and Hummer. At the same time a couple Chinese companies have taking cars to the Detroit Auto Show. It seems clear they are ready to break out of China just as Tata is ready to move beyond India.

[Bob_VT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5SRyG6UR2A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amFJwdg7O1E

[jclo3313]

They have been ripping tech from other countries for years. You would think that they could build a safe and reliable car, but I doubt it. Have fun with the Chinese auto makers I'm with Bob.

[facebreaker1212]

The Chinese reverse engineer anything they make. All their scooters and atv's and dirt bikes are made from almost exact copies of honda motors.

If they try that game here they will fail. Also the Chinese have never done well setting up dealer networks. Their game is making things, not making things work well.

[Bob_VT]

I'll bet that insurance companies will not insure them or charge the "high risk" rates for them.

[Loren]

If they can pull off a "low tech" car that is reliable and cheap, I think it could work for them.

Think of something along the lines of a base model Yaris, but about 3/4 the cost... and 3/4 the reliability, 3/4 the refinement, 3/4 the fun, etc.

Basically, what Japanese cars used to be.

[tuckevalastin]

As I said before this whole conservation sounds exactly like the conversation people had about Japanese automakers when they came into the American market.

[junorico24]

Got my eye on da YAris+Scion xb copy.. 2 in 1. That's how they get's down.

:respekt:

[nemelek]

A cheap car won't necessarily succeed. The Yugo comes to mind.

[thebarber]

As I said before this whole conservation sounds exactly like the conversation people had about Japanese automakers when they came into the American market.

x2

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Would you rather drive the said Chinese cars or this VW?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpU5azjCB8

:laugh:

[tuckevalastin]

It's strange how many people argued that bringing the Tata Nano to the US shouldnt be stopped by safety ratings because they didn't show anything.....

If Chinese automakers are going to move into other markets they will be forced to adhere to the safety ratings in those markets.

[Black Yaris]

I got to see quite a few Chinese cars last year at the Detroit International Auto Show.... they do not look 1/2 bad... most of the drivetrains are from other cars.... basicly Chinese body on another asian made drivetrain

[Loren]

A cheap car won't necessarily succeed. The Yugo comes to mind.

The Yugo didn't fail in the US market because it was inexpensive or even unreliable. It suffered from poor drivability (not enough power), which the US market will not tolerate. And it had emissions problems.

But, no, a car won't succeed JUST because it's cheap... though it does help!

[Bob_VT]

The Yugo didn't fail in the US market because it was inexpensive or even unreliable. It suffered from poor drivability (not enough power), which the US market will not tolerate. And it had emissions problems.

But, no, a car won't succeed JUST because it's cheap... though it does help!

Yes, with a touch more power Rodney King could have killed himself instead of driving over 100 mph! :eek:

Malcolm Bricklin introduced the Yugo, the Subaru and was fully engaged in the China Chery Automobile....... now his company Visionary Vehicles is looking at a hybrid. I think the failure to distribute the Chery was a big set-back for China.

[Kal-El]

Check out the Smart Fortwo's crash test for comparison...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz-s1sIoLhU

It has no hood and it still doesn't crumple past the doors and passenger area where the big Chinese cars with long hoods crumple all the way to the back passengers!

Amazing!

[junorico24]

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/05/busan_motor/image/ssangyong-actyon.jpg

I seen this ride.You still get comfort. And a car that delivers on performance. Everthing you pay for. Sat/nav etc A/C. Deisel or petrol.

[GeneW]

I heard that Yugos had a problem with spare parts. Zastva would not supply a sufficient number of them to keep the US fleet going at competitive prices. The Yugo was inexpensive, keeping it on the road was expensive.

I had a classmate who had one of these things...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJTYfAAMBqM

A little irony - the kid was six foot two inches and weighed at least 250 pounds. He looked like a bear. Used to have to wedge himself into the car.

I remember it for the odd stick shift - it sat just below the dashboard.

One time for a joke five guys jammed the car crosswise into two parking spaces. I've been told that someone wants to do that with my Yaris but so far nobody has done it.

Gene

[GeneW]

In contrast this what Toyota was selling in 1970... Much superior product to the Honda offering. I have this feeling that this car would NOT survive current US crash tests.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg8NrDS1lkg

The following brings back memories.... pedal pumping, something that nobody does with fuel injection and electronic engine controls...

(I don't know if she's an actress, but she's easy on the eyes...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuMfFwfbxGE

ALL cars went through this from time to time in the old days, unless you really took good care of them and set the choke well.


Chinese will eventually make a car that will be acceptable in the US. Let's hope that US car makers wake the heck up and start making something that everyone else wants to buy.

Gene

[YAR1S]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/cheryqq.thumbnail.jpg


haha...

[tuckevalastin]

BYD F0
http://www.byd.com/images/f1/F1-Exterior2.jpg

Brilliance Auto FRV
http://www.thetycho.com/beijing2008/brilliance_frv/brilliance_frv_2.jpg

Both companies will be at NAIAS in Detroit in January

[DFA]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/cheryqq.thumbnail.jpg


haha...

Those things are all over the place here in Panama. I've gotten into one of those once (taxi) and have seen a couple of crashed ones in the news.

Not to be an elitist ass, but I'd rather walk.

[churp]

Some people drive motorcycles which are fairly dangerous......why make a 4 wheeler that is safer unavailable. Freedom is a mater of choice....not what the rich want you to do! What is available here in the US is driven by who makes the money, not safety.

Zap 3 wheel vehicles which were legal in several states are now getting their registrations revoked ...... apparently someone isn't getting their share of the dough!

[GeneW]

Some people drive motorcycles which are fairly dangerous......why make a 4 wheeler that is safer unavailable. Freedom is a mater of choice....not what the rich want you to do!

Crash standards, bumper standards, side curtain airbags, ESC requirements and ABS requirements all jack up the cost of owning a car. All mandates by the government, not "rich folks".

Probably motorcycles would be banned but they're "grandfathered'. Kind of like how Aspirin and Tylenol are grandfathered... Tylenol and other Acetaminophen products are the leading cause of people requiring liver transplants in the US. Bet it wouldn't be legal if today's "safety" standards were in place when it was introduced.

Heck, does anyone recall the recent wrangling here about the Yaris coming equipped "Standard" with side curtain airbags, ABS and ESC? I opposed it because I wanted to drive what I wanted to drive, not what some Nanny State type wanted me and the rest of us to drive.

Ain't necessarily "rich folks", it's also Nanny State folks who want to protect people from evil profit seeking Corporations. To an extent they've made cars better, but you can go too far with any good thing. Especially incorporating "smart" technology which lacks adequate sensory feedback from the environment.

What is available here in the US is driven by who makes the money, not safety.

Hmmm...... I'll let the results of regulation speak for itself.



Zap 3 wheel vehicles which were legal in several states are now getting their registrations revoked ...... apparently someone isn't getting their share of the dough!

What was the stated reason, Churp? Were they going too slow?

Gene

[junorico24]

Chinese is on the menu. what's on offer? hmmm. Let it marinate for a while. Before digging in.

[ddongbap]

Chinese super car, 0-60, 7 sec.

[Bella]

Hmm - to all the Aussies here, is it just me or do they just look like rebadged/facelifted Daewoo's? The QQ basically looks like a facelifted Matiz.

If my thoughts are correct, sorry guys but these monstrosities have been on our roads in Australia for years now! =(

The scarier thought is that dealers would try and flog them off cheap here and people will actually be stupid enough to buy them! I would definitely rather walk than be anywhere near one of them on the road. Let alone the lack of safety, they would be just plain unreliable - like any other Daewoo!

Seeing things like that make me appreciate my Yaris even more! :redface:

[TLyttle]

Requirements for a good car: Reliable. Long lasting. A proper, continent-wide dealer system.

Even if it ain't that reliable, sometimes one can get away with it, if it has the other two. It is the third one that has killed off many, many makes, foreign and otherwise. Dealerships allowed VW to prosper, regardless of the derision in the early days, lack of dealerships took out FIAT, Citroen, Triumph, etc, not to mention AMC.

I suppose the Chinese could conceivably develop a dealer system, but it would need a VERY good product, and I am not convinced.

The earlier remark about the first Toyotas surprises me: the first Toys I saw had design and material flaws, but the workmanship was always outstanding; when I saw the way they were put together, I knew that there was trouble ahead for everybody: the US, the UK, Germany, the lot....

[tuckevalastin]

Hmm - to all the Aussies here, is it just me or do they just look like rebadged/facelifted Daewoo's? The QQ basically looks like a facelifted Matiz.

If my thoughts are correct, sorry guys but these monstrosities have been on our roads in Australia for years now! =(

The scarier thought is that dealers would try and flog them off cheap here and people will actually be stupid enough to buy them! I would definitely rather walk than be anywhere near one of them on the road. Let alone the lack of safety, they would be just plain unreliable - like any other Daewoo!

Seeing things like that make me appreciate my Yaris even more! :redface:



They aren't Daewoo's at all but Chery, the company that makes the QQ, ripoffed GM by copying the Daewoo Matiz. Supposedly they copied it so close that you can interchange the doors between the QQ and the Matiz. Not really any copyright laws governing these Chinese companies so it's common practice for the Chinese companies to completely copy other cars.

[PetersRedYaris]

Chinese products are a gamble. I've had Chinese electronics last far longer than Sony or Samsung products, but I've also seen crap I wouldn't touch. Can they make a car? Maybe. Check this out- http://www.tatankainternational.com/Products/Details.aspx?ID=13

It's actually licensed as an ATV, so maybe we can't put up with the Chinese cars, but if it proves to be reliable, I would buy one.

[tuckevalastin]

Some Chinese cars getting press at NAIAS this year

From BYD

the E6 (full electric concept)
http://www.treehugger.com/byd-e6-electric-car-002.jpg

the F3DM (Extended Range Electric Vehicle)
http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/imageSnag/f3dm.png

[bobselectric]

The following brings back memories.... pedal pumping, something that nobody does with fuel injection and electronic engine controls...

(I don't know if she's an actress, but she's easy on the eyes...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuMfFwfbxGE


Gene

Hey Gene,

"Just crap in the carburetor"

"How often do I have to do that?"

:wink:

[tuckevalastin]

Brilliance Automotive was at NAIAS. They pushed back their US entry date but did have a few models to show.

http://image.motortrend.com/f/auto-news/brilliance-rescinds-2009-us-introduction-no-set-date-announced/15960976+cr1+re0+ar1/brilliance-automotive.jpg

FRV
http://image.motortrend.com/f/auto-news/brilliance-rescinds-2009-us-introduction-no-set-date-announced/15961099+cr1+re0+ar1/brilliance-automotive-frv.jpg

M2
http://image.motortrend.com/f/auto-news/brilliance-rescinds-2009-us-introduction-no-set-date-announced/15961774+cr1+re0+ar1/brilliance-automotive-m2.jpg

M3
http://image.motortrend.com/f/auto-news/brilliance-rescinds-2009-us-introduction-no-set-date-announced/15962032+cr1+re0+ar1/brilliance-automotive-m3.jpg

M1
http://image.motortrend.com/f/auto-news/brilliance-rescinds-2009-us-introduction-no-set-date-announced/16862919+cr1+re0+ar1/brilliance-automotive-m1.jpg