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At one point the Japanese where the new kids on the block then the Korean's, so the Chinese can't be that far away. As mentioned the regulations are stricter in the U.S, but with China's rising economy they should be able to atleast meet the minimum requirements. Anyways, Any thoughts on Ssangyong(Korean) coming to the U.S. They appear to be doing ok in Europe and with KIA/Hyundai's doing pretty well now my be the time.
You'd have to convince dealers to take a chance on the brand, and if anything, North America is a consolidating auto brand market right now. Isuzu, Daewoo, and Suzuki are gone from North America, and the US makers also shed sub-brands left and right in the early part of the 21st century.
What new thing would Ssangyong/Geely/Chery bring to the US market that would make enough dealers sign on to make them viable? Price? Used cars are good enough these days that a lot of people would rather just buy the 3-5 year old Camry or CR-V instead of taking a risk on a new brand, even if it's the same price as gently used. Design? We're all headed toward a common profile for each car class dictated by how well it does in the wind tunnel, even with the current administration easing CAFE rules. Je ne sais quoi?
And it will take a long time for people to look past the crash videos of older Chinese models. Just ask Suzuki about Consumer Reports and the Samurai, which seemed to be the start of the long decline for the company in the US auto market.
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Originally Posted by beachmouse
You'd have to convince dealers to take a chance on the brand, and if anything, North America is a consolidating auto brand market right now. Isuzu, Daewoo, and Suzuki are gone from North America, and the US makers also shed sub-brands left and right in the early part of the 21st century.
What new thing would Ssangyong/Geely/Chery bring to the US market that would make enough dealers sign on to make them viable? Price? Used cars are good enough these days that a lot of people would rather just buy the 3-5 year old Camry or CR-V instead of taking a risk on a new brand, even if it's the same price as gently used. Design? We're all headed toward a common profile for each car class dictated by how well it does in the wind tunnel, even with the current administration easing CAFE rules. Je ne sais quoi?
And it will take a long time for people to look past the crash videos of older Chinese models. Just ask Suzuki about Consumer Reports and the Samurai, which seemed to be the start of the long decline for the company in the US auto market.
My guess? Cheap electric in a large format platform like mid to large SUV. Build that with 200 mile range at $35-40k and they would literally fly off the shelves.
And those crash tests? You can watch crash tests of 5-10 year US models that are just as bad.
They have (Volvo in SC) and will more in the future, but my stance is the same, I will not buy them. Also I almost never purchase from Walmart and try to avoid (when possible) to buy China made products.
I cannot support a communist government to continue its dictatorship over more than a billion people..
Thanks, but I'm not that youthful. I remember that time well. But I don't remember stories about rubber band powered Japanese cars. People loved Japanese cars. The Big 3 was in decline, and Japanese imports were increasing. When I was growing up people weren't laughing at Japanese cars. They were making jokes about Ford Pinto's exploding gas tanks. The news was filled with stories about how shoddy American manufacturing was compared to Japan, and how we had to bail out the Big 3 because they couldn't compete with the Japanese.
The introduction of Japanese cars in the 1960s was less than 20 years after the end of WW2. There was still a lot of anti-Japanese sentiment, especially among war vets. The early Japanese models were considered underpowered, cramped and unsubstantial (due to their low weight and use of thinner body panels, etc., which were actually good ideas in terms of cost and fuel economy). But they weren't Detroit 'iron' with massive V8 engines, so they were derided out of ignorance.
Japanese cars into the early/mid-80s lacked the rust-proofing necessary for the winter climate in the northern U.S. They would often rust beyond repair long before their mechanical components were worn out.
But you are correct that the people who bought Japanese cars LOVED them....at least until a shock tower collapsed from rust!=) The Honda Accord was introduced in 1976 with waiting lists over six months long and selling for thousands of dollars over sticker price. They sold so well that Honda built a factory in Ohio in 1983 to supply the U.S. demand for the Accord.
The most likely avenue for Chinese brands to enter the U.S. market will be on price/value. That can go one of two ways, as those of us who were around in 1986 remember. Two cars were introduced for the 1986 model year from manufacturers new to the U.S. market. The base price of one was $3,990 and the other was $4,995, making them the least and second least expensive cars on the market.
What were those cars??? The Yugo GV and Hyundai Excel.
Hyundai is now the fourth largest automaker in the world and Yugo has been the punchline of jokes for more than 30 years.....and they barely made it five years in the U.S. market.
I cannot support a communist government to continue its dictatorship over more than a billion people..
I didn't really think about it until I read your comment. But there's a certain irony that a Swedish car company is owned by a Chinese company. Sweden is a social democracy and ranks higher than the U.S. in most standard of living and quality of life indexes (and they're happier than us) while China is pretty much the opposite.
That's not a Chinese car. That's an Indian Tata Nano. Most Chinese car buyers are affluent and pay cash. They no longer buy junk. China tends to not sell cheap cars for the masses because they they have enough traffic issues already. The top selling cars in China, other than a big Buick, tend to be upscale SUVs or VW Jettas / Passats.
We need to get it out of our heads that China is some sort of backwater, third world country. It is not. They have pockets of rural poverty screaming for modernization but given what I have seen over the last few months we have the same issues in the good ole US of A.
In the early 1960s, I was in Japan and I thought to myself, "They'll never sell these tiny cars in the US." But in 1966-67, I bought a Datsun Station wagon in the US! I have since owned several.
Perhaps the Chinese-made Volvo XC90 destined for the U.S. market has been delayed; however, a year ago I was told by a local Volvo fleet manager (whose owner has several dealerships) that the Chinese-made XC90's would be here by now. So, there has been a delay or change to that plan, then?
As of right now, the XC90 is being made in Sweden and Malaysia. The previous generation XC90 is built in China for that market. The plan is to move most of the S90 production to China where large sedans are still big sellers. There will still be some production in Europe. If sales volume increases in China, then the XC90 might be added to the line there.
With the new factory in South Carolina building the next generation S60, I wouldn't be surprised to see the 90 series vehicles built there as well as they will all use the SPA platform.
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