Doesn’t matter how good a car is. The question is if they can pass all the necessary tests and regulatory certifications, and with import tariffs be competitively priced. It’s a very large barrier, which is why when a foreign car company places its flag in America (see Hyundai, Toyota, etc.) it’s a big deal because they are going to be investing many billions in advertising, dealership networks, lobbying, and so on. And they need to sustain it for a decade at least.
Personally I’d never buy a car made in China. Related, I find it pretty strange Volvo is trying to establish a luxury brand (Polestar) but instead of building Polestars in Sweden they are building them in China.
Oh don’t get me wrong, I test drove the Polestar 2 and liked it—miles better interior than the Model 3—but them being made in China was a deal breaker. I’m trying to buy less things made in China and dropping $60k on a Chinese vehicle doesn’t really fit that goal. Plus the shady software as you mention.
Here in Europe we can get Teslas assembled in China. Plenty of Tesla fans here have told me to get one from China because they are of way better quality than the ones assembled in the US.
Oh, the software isn't Chinese at all. You can trust me on that one. Source: I don't work for Volvo anymore, but I've authored both Volvo and Polestar 2 code, some of it in the latest 2.10 update.
which goes to show that luxury branding is worthless, if it's all just marketing. I want quality components, quality builds and long lasting performance. I do find that stuff built in china can have all of these qualities, but chances are they don't (and it's deliberate, to reduce costs). Then selling the product at a luxury price to maximize profit.
Definitely don’t agree with this at all. Go sit in a VW then sit in an Audi, or Toyota/Lexus, Hyundai/Genesis and tell me they are of the same quality. They are not.
Depends on how you define quality. A car that feels nice to sit on and drive may not be the most reliable way to get you from point A to point B consistently. The reliability of many (at least older) Toyota models is impressive, while German reliability has been mostly a myth in the 2000's.
They didn't say luxury is all marketing (ergo, the "if"); they said scoping your car as a luxury product while it's not devalues the meaning.
They then provided a specific example and pointed out that most products they've bought/researched from China (so, completely anecdotal) seem to be of lower quality.
Audi, Lexus, and Genesis are the luxury brands for their respective manufacturer. I think they’re saying that the cars sold under those brands are noticeably better quality than the VW, Toyota, and Hyundai branded cars.
I'm old enough to remember when people said they would never buy a Japanese car because of the lingering resentment over WW2.Some people won't buy Fords because of his alleged anti-Semitism. Some people won't buy Teslas. Times change but many people cling to their biases.
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which goes to show that luxury branding is worthless, if it's all just marketing. I want quality components, quality builds and long lasting performance. I do find that stuff built in china can have all of these qualities, but chances are they don't (and it's deliberate, to reduce costs). Then selling the product at a luxury price to maximize profit.
They then provided a specific example and pointed out that most products they've bought/researched from China (so, completely anecdotal) seem to be of lower quality.
Trabant
Yugo
Pinto
Gremlin
Vega
Fuldamobile
Goggomobile
VAZ-2101/Lada Riva/Zhigul
Imp
Ion
Cygnet
Polonez
and
Ford Mustang II (1974-1976)