How long until Chinese-made cars become common in Australia

epkh on 25/04/2019 - 20:16

So I have been looking at compact/mid level SUVs lately and recently looked at the H6 Haval.

From a features/spec vs cost point of view, the cars seem to be very good value, with the top of the range mid-sized SUV going for only 31k (this is the price for most of the entry level, mid-sized SUVs of other brands).

Obviously this is not taking into consideration running costs (although Haval also has 7 yr warranty) and other factors, but from what I saw, besides an unfamiliar brand name and a kinda off-looking car (I'm not sure what but it looks a bit unappealing to me), Haval seems to be a pretty good value car, even though I have never seen any on the road.

Taking into example phones, Huawei has only been internationally recognized as a competitor to Samsung and Apple a couple of years ago. I guess it didn't take them too long to get to this level.

So my question is, do you think Chinese made cars will ever be popular in Australia, and I guess, Western markets? I reckon 5-10 years. Competition is always good.

I don't own a Haval nor am I Chinese btw, just wanna know when it's socially acceptable to buy a Haval heh.

Automotive

Related Stores

haval.com.au
haval.com.au

Comments

  • Clear on 25/04/2019 - 20:20

    I've been seeing Great Wall on the road for years.

    • dcep on 25/04/2019 - 20:39

      before they decided to make it sounds better and call it Haval instead

      • pegaxs on 25/04/2019 - 22:20

        From what I understand, Great Wall is now their commercial vehicle venture and all the consumer grade stuff got moved to the Haval brand.

  • MrHyde on 25/04/2019 - 20:31
    +3

    Think I read that they all do very poor in safety features as well as reliability.

    Still need a few years to improve in those areas.

    • epkh on 25/04/2019 - 20:40

      Yeah that's true I didn't see any ancap safety rating levels on the site.

    • TheMindsetTraveller on 26/04/2019 - 08:25

      Whilst chinese cars perform badly in safety (compared to other new cars on the market), would it be fair to say driving a new chinese car is likely to be safer than driving a 10+ year old generic car? I would err on the side of yes.

  • SydStrand on 25/04/2019 - 20:35
    +7

    Right now, I wouldn't buy a Chinese car regardless of warranty, because resale value is terrible. But time will tell. Many people wouldn't have bought a Korean car 10 years ago, but Hyundai is now the 3rd highest selling badge in Australia. Even Americans got over WWII to buy VWs and Mitsubishis.

    Chinese makers need to overcome the stigma of cheap and unsafe. I think it'll be a while. Just look at how their domestic baby powder industry's doing.

    • Wystri Warrick on 25/04/2019 - 23:48

      Even Americans got over WWII to buy VWs and Mitsubishis.

      Lol.

  • dcep on 25/04/2019 - 20:36

    when it's socially acceptable to buy a Haval heh.

    when ppl live on the street

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJO3GsdtLZ0

    -

    when they roll out 300km range EV for $25k

    -

    when more brands get sold to Chinese company. Eg. Volvo , Lotus , etc.

  • whooah1979 on 25/04/2019 - 21:01
    +1

    Volvo SUV being made in PRC hasn't stopped soccer moms from buying them.

  • [Deactivated] on 25/04/2019 - 22:12
    +2

    Korean cars were pretty ordinary for many years and now they are getting close to Japanese cars. China is about 10-15 years behind Korea.

  • pegaxs on 25/04/2019 - 22:17

    I can’t wait for a Land Wing X7…

    And so many cars are already made in China and just have known manufacturers badges thrown on them… MG is another shitbox that wears a brand name over a Chinese made vehicle.

    • blitz on 25/04/2019 - 22:31

      I can’t wait for a Land Wing X7…

      You might be waiting a while: "On March 22, 2019, the Beijing Chaoyang District Court ruled in favor of Jaguar Land Rover, saying that Landwind had copied five unique design elements and ordered a cease of production and sales immediately, in addition to paying Jaguar Land Rover compensation."

      • pegaxs on 25/04/2019 - 22:40
        +1

        Well aware. I mentioned it a few weeks ago here somewhere. Thought I would throw it up here as a laugh.

  • edwardcr on 25/04/2019 - 23:03
    +3

    Let's hope they don't become common, given their generally abysmal ratings in the various safety tests in Oz and around the world.

  • justaperson on 25/04/2019 - 23:24
    +3

    It'll be once the chinese electric cars come into market in Australia that they'll take over. Circumvents any reliability issues and build quality issues with the chinese ICE cars themselves. Not only that but the chinese electric cars will be as affordable as the regular ICE cars in the market - at least thats my prediction.

    • Kangal on 26/04/2019 - 08:54

      That would be wise move.

      However, I don't see much wisdom getting utilised. Not to mention, that Lithium batteries cost quite a lot of money, so that really eats into your profit margin.

      It's gonna be at least another 10 years until we have an acceptable grid for proper fast-charging, range, availability, reliability, and market entry/mindshare.

      We're much behind the likes of Northern Europe and North America on this front. I'd say they would see the Chinese alternatives first.

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