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The best and worst Chinese cars
The best and worst cars from China
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The Chinese year of the dragon is here and it's shaping up to be a big one for China's car industry. Finally, it looks like Chinese cars are coming in the UK in significant numbers.
China has been quietly building a big automotive presence around the world and has even dipped a toe into some European markets. The Italians have been able to buy the Chinese-made DR for years while in Britain, the MG6 and MGTF are Chinese-made (but assembled at Longbridge).
However, the next 12 months will see the arrival of the first all-Chinese cars in the UK when the Great Wall and Geely brands land on these shores. We'll get the wonderfully named Great Wall Wingle (renamed Steed over here) while Geely are bringing us the Emgrand EC7 - a Skoda Octavia-sized car for around £10,000.
The impact of these Chinese arrivals on our domestic car market could be profound and there's a lot for us to learn about the other new models that may be on their way. That's why we've assembled this gallery of the best and worst Chinese cars.
While the best Chinese cars can approach European standards of quality and design the worst are still a very, very long way off. We'll start with the 10 best that China has to offer and then move on to the lowlights...
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49Comments
29/01/2012 14:02
29/01/2012 12:17
Er, didn't we once deride Skodas? Just look at the style and quality of them now. Oh dear I was forgetting that it was the Germans who took them over rather than us. The early Datsuns from Japan (precursor to Nissan) had well shall I say quirky designs, but were reliable. I was initially ashamed that my local garage (a British Leyland as was then, though had gone through all the Austin and Morris cars in its earlier days) switched to Nissans due to their reliability. Quite frankly they were fed up of having to repair car after car under warranty because they had not been built properly. Datsuns also had every car rust-protected before being sold; again a plus because BL cars were reliable for one thing - rusting!
29/01/2012 08:53
There is so much blah talked about cars, (thanks to progs like Top Gear) which basically all look much the same, You cannot tell what they are unless you see the badge.
The reason we lost our car industry was strikes, the workers were so greedy they eventually priced themselves out of the markets.
29/01/2012 11:20
Trouble with British people is they are whingers, they whine about the lack of jobs here but don't support their own products, best cars on the road are the new Jaguars, thats why the Chinese are buying them up so quickly, they recognise quality. lets see them make something like a Rolls Royce engine, they couldn't reach that level of quality, all they can do is copy, and produce cheaply.
10/12/2011 16:06
@ A Bloke think you will Find it was Your left wing/communist trade unions who back and Finance the Liebour party who broke the back of British Car manufacturing in this country It was Liebour who under the orders of the Political Commissars in Europe who allowed British jobs and Work to be Transferred to Eastern Europe.
Vauxhall Cars in Luton was shut simply because the Liebour party (and Political Commissar Mandelson was running things by then because First Minister Gordon Brown could Not be Trusted) allowed one of the most efficient car PRODUCTION plats to close simply because they would NOT stand up against their Masters and the GM board
Germany and even lowly Belgium and Spain had the Guts Courage to stand up and tell them they where NOT going to allow any plants to be closed in there countries so many people Lost there jobs because the LIEBOUR PARTY WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AFTER THE INTEREST OF THE WORKERS let it happen
So my little socialist friend Get Your Facts Right.
and No I am Not a card Carrying member of the Tory party but old enough to remember all the ills that Liebour has inflicted of us the british working Class over the last 50 odd years
10/12/2011 16:36
Might as well get this in because MSN seems to in the hands of the Censors and refused to Allow free thought, and speech, Still we Might well have to get used to it because this is what it would be like under the Watchful eye of the Ubber Alles der Political Commissars in Polit Euro Land the Corrupt Organisation who would Rule us Completely.
Glad Cameron has the Bottle to Stand Up to Them and tell them where to go
RED ED MILLIBAND WOULD NOW DOUBT HAVE GURNED HIS WAY THROUGH A SPEECH PROMISING TO SIGN US UP TO THE EURO. PROMISING TO BORROW BILLIONS MORE CASH TO HAND OVER TO THE CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS TO SQUANDER, and of course we the smucks would be left to pay even More Taxes to pay it all back, this is on top of the Billions that Brown and his Clowns (Milliband being in his circus at the time don't forget) done when they where in power not so long ago, and like kettle not a member of the Tory's but a UK Citizen who wants to Protect what should be Ours and NOT given away to our (former !!! yea) enemies who those of you that can remember a bit of history
both France and Germany have stated "they cannot beat us at war so they will beat us economically" and This is What they are Trying To Do.
ICK BIN EIN ENGLANDED
09/12/2011 22:30
29/01/2012 10:22
29/01/2012 12:13
To David, you should stop flying right away, either Boeing or Airbus. You also should drop everything around you...you (or anyone else) know the reason, but you don't dare to admit it.
JLR sales number could not reach to Top20 in China...Don't be joking. JLR not only belongs to TATA, but also so many indians or others employed in JLR. Where are we? Nothing left in UK, only some losers who grumbling through Keyboard which is made in China.
29/01/2012 03:34
02/01/2012 20:07
Despite the hoots of derision made by your article, China has produced some interesting and easily affordable cars in the last few years. We have owned several. Our Mitsubishi engined BYD F3R gave us two and a half years of virtually faultless service before being traded in for a new Samsung SM7 (look it up on the web) and our Hafei Ruyii crew cab pick up was a steal at well under four grand and just what we wanted for light farm work in South America. It did far more than we ever expected of it considering its origins. We also invested in an unknown and unnamed ATV which has proved useful for running around on. If we have one criticism of Chinese vehicles it's the electrics which can be delicate and spares may not be so easy to obtain. Everything else is on the nail and you cannot complain considering the almost giveaway prices charged in some countries. Chinese vehicles here (buses, trucks, cars and motorcylles) are making big in roads in traditional markets are are now on every street. Their products can only get better.
10/12/2011 15:24
11/12/2011 13:59
Nice to see some circumvention of the new MSN policy of only being allowed to discuss fluffy kittens or Cheryl Cole.
I thought that getting people to your website was a commercial descision that generated more money for those with the most viewers.
I now don't go to MSN from one week to the next - it used to be 20 times a day.
10/12/2011 20:45
Well done Mr C. Time to go to the country and heave out the sandal and toga wearers. As for Sarko he's no Napoleon and Merkle ain't going to lead the 4th reich. Two bums lost at sea. Turn up the heat and give them no respite. And tell Clegg to shut his trap otherwise he can join the dole queue.
08/12/2011 21:19
08/12/2011 21:21
29/01/2012 06:04
29/01/2012 11:00
29/01/2012 20:57
Ethelred...The UK generates more ideas/inventions per capita than any other country???!!! What planet are you on? You must have been holed up in your self-induced 200 years sleep.
According to WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) and see wikipedia as well, the latest figures for patents applications & granted in 2010 are:
1. Japan: 502,054 & 239,338
2. USA: 400,769 & 146,871
3. China: 203,481 & 48,814
4. S. Korea: 172,342 & 79,652
5. Germany: 135,748 & 53,752
6. France: 47,597 & 25,535
7. UK: 42,296 & 12,162
Britain is not even a top 5 country anymore, and in terms of patents approved even Italy and Russia have more. We'd all like to believe the stories about British high-tech & innovations, but the reality this country has been sliding backwards for years in these areas.
29/01/2012 22:40
Ethelred, you can see the statistics at WIPO for patents filed by foreign residents as well. Japanese patents are filed mostly by local residents and not by foreigners. In the US the majority of the patent applications are done by foreign residents, but they're certainly not a British majority. Just like a lot of foreigners are filing patents here in Britain, just look at the German sounding names
It's not anti-British, it is just the reality.
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