The Chinese are coming…..or are they?
Discussion
For more than a decade we have been told by the motoring press that the Chinese invasion was just round the corner. That the European car market was about to be transformed by a wave of cheap Chinese imports in the same way that Japanese imports flooded into Europe in the 1970s.
Well, it’s now 2014, so where are they? Where are all the Donfengs, the Cherys and the BYDs?
We know that Volvo are now owned by Geely, but the cars are still designed, engineered and produced in Sweden. MG is owned by SIAC, but that has hardly been a roaring success.
So, is the Chinese invasion ever going to happen? If so, when? Or has it all been over-hyped?
Well, it’s now 2014, so where are they? Where are all the Donfengs, the Cherys and the BYDs?
We know that Volvo are now owned by Geely, but the cars are still designed, engineered and produced in Sweden. MG is owned by SIAC, but that has hardly been a roaring success.
So, is the Chinese invasion ever going to happen? If so, when? Or has it all been over-hyped?
It's taken 20 years for Korean cars to be considered 'mainstream' in the UK, so they might have a way to go yet.
The big difference might be that back in the 90's and 2000's the Far East was trying to make cars to suit our tastes, now the West is trying to make cars to suit the tastes of the Chinese - perhaps they'll just focus on their massive home market.
The big difference might be that back in the 90's and 2000's the Far East was trying to make cars to suit our tastes, now the West is trying to make cars to suit the tastes of the Chinese - perhaps they'll just focus on their massive home market.
You are all I expect in possesion of an Apple device ?
Well, then you are using a Chinese product, well an American designed one, built in China
All very well scoffing at them but things change, my dad bought an MG6 and it is actually a half decent car, not fantastic but not terrible either, it does its job.
Shock Horror, in the sixties and seventies, German cars were generally regarded as comedy vehicles, they werent cool, as a kid in the eighties a mates dad had a VW camper, we insisted nobody saw us get out of it, embarassing, it was only when the mk1 Golf and Polo came along anyone took any notice of VW as a credible car manufacturer, BMW's and Audi's were very rare, oddball choices them.
Also, the Japanese, at one point they were regarded as China is now, ditto Korea and anything made by Skoda, all comedy s
te, only Lada hasnt come back credible.
Given a little more time, they will produce better cars, especially given that western folk move over there to oversee production and quality, some of the big manufacturers like BMW have plants out there,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Brilliance
The internet has made the world smaller and informatiom is shared a lot more quickly, so I predict that they will do something similar to Japan and Korea, only more quickly. Dont judge a countries capability on some crap knock offs.
Well, then you are using a Chinese product, well an American designed one, built in China
All very well scoffing at them but things change, my dad bought an MG6 and it is actually a half decent car, not fantastic but not terrible either, it does its job.
Shock Horror, in the sixties and seventies, German cars were generally regarded as comedy vehicles, they werent cool, as a kid in the eighties a mates dad had a VW camper, we insisted nobody saw us get out of it, embarassing, it was only when the mk1 Golf and Polo came along anyone took any notice of VW as a credible car manufacturer, BMW's and Audi's were very rare, oddball choices them.
Also, the Japanese, at one point they were regarded as China is now, ditto Korea and anything made by Skoda, all comedy s
te, only Lada hasnt come back credible.Given a little more time, they will produce better cars, especially given that western folk move over there to oversee production and quality, some of the big manufacturers like BMW have plants out there,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Brilliance
The internet has made the world smaller and informatiom is shared a lot more quickly, so I predict that they will do something similar to Japan and Korea, only more quickly. Dont judge a countries capability on some crap knock offs.
P-Jay said:
It's taken 20 years for Korean cars to be considered 'mainstream' in the UK, so they might have a way to go yet.
The big difference might be that back in the 90's and 2000's the Far East was trying to make cars to suit our tastes, now the West is trying to make cars to suit the tastes of the Chinese - perhaps they'll just focus on their massive home market.
This. I'm currently in Africa and bought the most reasonable looking car mag last weekend - turned out it was the South Africa version of Car magazine. Anyway they had all new car listings on the back and about 1/5th of all the cars were Chinese makes (Cherry etc) and the stuff they were selling, it reminded me of where the Koreans were about 10 years ago. Obviously the have a bigger market in SA than the UK at present but I can't help thinking they're not that far away. The big difference might be that back in the 90's and 2000's the Far East was trying to make cars to suit our tastes, now the West is trying to make cars to suit the tastes of the Chinese - perhaps they'll just focus on their massive home market.
Most cars you buy now are constructed from tooling manufactured in China (tooling is generally fixed in the UK as the quality is awful). Still don't understand why the like of Nissan and Land Rover send work out there, by the time the fk ups are sorted out, plus shipping, it must cost more?
So I guess they've invaded in a different way.
k ups are sorted out, plus shipping, it must cost more?So I guess they've invaded in a different way.
The Nur said:
Fixed that for you.
best just give up driving anything over 10 years old then....almost every car on the planet has a huge ammount of parts made in china...many made in germany or whatever country are simply "assembled in germany" NOT made there to sidestep the legalities of stating made in x country.. its all b
ks..would depend more on tried and tested OEM products against cheap knock offs also made throughout Asia..
- edit ... should have read the other posts before posting... beaten to it on all points!
hedgefinder said:
best just give up driving anything over 10 years old then....
almost every car on the planet has a huge ammount of parts made in china...many made in germany or whatever country are simply "assembled in germany" NOT made there to sidestep the legalities of stating made in x country.. its all bks..
would depend more on tried and tested OEM products against cheap knock offs also made throughout Asia..
I genuinely thought this thread was tongue in cheek. Seems I payed as much attention as you did.almost every car on the planet has a huge ammount of parts made in china...many made in germany or whatever country are simply "assembled in germany" NOT made there to sidestep the legalities of stating made in x country.. its all b
ks..would depend more on tried and tested OEM products against cheap knock offs also made throughout Asia..
- edit ... should have read the other posts before posting... beaten to it on all points!
I do not entrust my life to a Iphone. Apple also know very well that the QC is important. A situation where the Chinese are running QC is one I run a long way from. Talk to The American Tyre company whose design was altered by a Chinese engineer for profit. After a few blow outs and a visit to The Chinese company they finally admitted to removing a belt from the design.
telecat said:
I do not entrust my life to a Iphone. Apple also know very well that the QC is important. A situation where the Chinese are running QC is one I run a long way from. Talk to The American Tyre company whose design was altered by a Chinese engineer for profit. After a few blow outs and a visit to The Chinese company they finally admitted to removing a belt from the design.
So anything made in China will be dangerous, surely any car destined for the European market will need to be type approved, Euro Ncap tested and whatever other measures are in place to protect the consumer, I cant imagine the EU will allow Chinese death trap cars based on the hoops they want to make us jump through.The point about the 5 billion potential customers nearer to home is a good one though.
J4CKO said:
telecat said:
I do not entrust my life to a Iphone. Apple also know very well that the QC is important. A situation where the Chinese are running QC is one I run a long way from. Talk to The American Tyre company whose design was altered by a Chinese engineer for profit. After a few blow outs and a visit to The Chinese company they finally admitted to removing a belt from the design.
So anything made in China will be dangerous, surely any car destined for the European market will need to be type approved, Euro Ncap tested and whatever other measures are in place to protect the consumer, I cant imagine the EU will allow Chinese death trap cars based on the hoops they want to make us jump through.The point about the 5 billion potential customers nearer to home is a good one though.
A lot of the Chinese car makers aren't interested in the UK market. Why would they be? We are a tiny market compared to what the already have in China.
The only reason they still sell MGs here is because of the companies heritage and because the Chinese like the UK connection. The still see UK products as quality. The MG UK connection is a big selling point in China.
Who cares if the Chinese are coming or not. We should be more concerned that any form of UK manufacturing is slowly but surely dropping off the face of the earth...
The only reason they still sell MGs here is because of the companies heritage and because the Chinese like the UK connection. The still see UK products as quality. The MG UK connection is a big selling point in China.
Who cares if the Chinese are coming or not. We should be more concerned that any form of UK manufacturing is slowly but surely dropping off the face of the earth...
I hate to say it but it's a changing market out there and shock-horror, the UK really isn't the big player that 'it' likes to think it is.
We still have some technical brilliance, hence some great technology outfits over here but by and large we're a very expensive place to make volume items and our buying power isn't all that either.
We still have some technical brilliance, hence some great technology outfits over here but by and large we're a very expensive place to make volume items and our buying power isn't all that either.
I too think the Chinese brands won't break into the European market, but instead we'll see European brands making cars there and selling them here (such as MG does currently).
I suspect most people in the UK with a VW Golf or BMW 3-series saloon are probably unaware their car was built in South Africa, the same will be true in the future if/when Chinese built Volvos roll off the boat.
I suspect most people in the UK with a VW Golf or BMW 3-series saloon are probably unaware their car was built in South Africa, the same will be true in the future if/when Chinese built Volvos roll off the boat.
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