Geographically specific 'Build Quality' - codswollop?

[rix]

I often read/hear this term banded around as justification for an artificial/inexplicable price differential.

I can live with 'things' varying in quality for a number of reasons, eg raw materials, machinery, staff etc,. However it irks me somewhat when it's implied that, for example a German built Mercedes is by definition, implicitly, better than a domestic US built Mercedes due to where the assemble it.

Anyone else?!

[HustleRussell]

In many cases it's not a myth though. In fact, it's not a phenomenon confined to the motor industry.
Of course that is not to say it's a general rule.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Yep.

My 'German built' Porsche (ok, it was a 996 model...) was by a considerable margin, the most ropey, unreliable car I've ever owned.

Conversely, my Valencia - built Ford Fiestas I've owned over the years and done starship mileage in (x2 - Mk.3 and Mk. 4) and my current Czech-built Skoda are amongst the most reliable, problem free cars I've ever owned.

[speedtwelve]

My brother had a US-built M-Class Merc. Subjectively, it was not of 'Germanic' build-quality, in that it pretty much fell apart. In contrast, a mate's German-built 1997 E-Class is still a mobile bank-vault despite being 16 years-old.

I'm far from being a German fanboy, yet I've had 5 fast VWs, and all have been solid and reliable. Japanese performance cars well-made but perhaps less reliable. My bacofoil Lancia Delta Turbo is one of the most mechanically reliable cars I've owned. My TVR was built in a shed in Lancashire by a bloke with a whippet, yet it actually feels like it would survive a war; that GRP is pretty solid.

[speedtwelve]

Come to think of it, Gaz, my Ryton-built Pug 309 GTI had 11 owners, had been stolen at least twice, was clocked, and bought from a dodgy Glaswegian with a pit-bull. Yet at an (indicated-but-probably-fictional) 140k miles I had loads of fun with it. It never let me down over a year or two, even on track.

[mnkiboy]

I've heard it said that the Mexican built Ford Focus mk1 wasn't a patch on the European built one we got over here.

[ging84]

it has little or nothing to do with actual geography, cars are built and designed for the markets they are sold in, if there is a perception of cars doing something well from a particular nation in one market they will always try and reinforce that, regardless of where they are actually producing or designing the cars, people only see the badge and see it coming from 1 particular nation, people in this country look at a honda and see a Japanese car, and expect very high reliability, if they don't get it, it puts them off buying another much more than it would on a brand where they never had such high expectations

[Pints]

The SA motor industry sees more strikes each year than Maggie had with the miners. I can't imagine that does tight deadlines and build quality any good.
RHD C-class or VW Polo issues, anyone?

[Noesph]

One of the most reliable cars I've had (although its body shell is tinny) is a 106 built in Aulnay sous Bois in Paris. It's very nearly 13 years old now, I've owned it for 6 and half years, and its never gone wrong. Doesn't even burn any oil. Trouble is I've kept it so long, its worth sod all now, but it's still faultless, which you can't guarantee if I got a new car.

The sad thing is, PSA is going to shut the Paris factory in 2014. Citroen's Conservatoire is there too.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usine_PSA_d'Aulnay-so...

http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/delve-into-citroe...