#unpopularopinion China has the most exciting car industry today.
@gpowerf What about build quality though?
@trinsec real long term durability or PQ (Perceived Quality)? Long term durability I don’t know, the latest cars have not had a chance to age enough. In terms of PQ depends on the brand but a brand like NIO it’s at Mercedes Benz levels or better. The GAC I saw yesterday was on par with a BMW X3/3 Series and below, and notably better than something like a Tesla or any other mid-range American car.
@gpowerf What happens if you crash at X speeds and all that fun stuff? You know, with crash test dummies and such. Safety.
@trinsec again it depends. Something like a NIO ET5 has a 5 star Euro NCAP rating, making it one of the safest cars on the road. The first two cars to achieve 5 star ratings in the updated Euro NCAP rating were both Chinese, both NIOs. https://www.euroncap.com/en/press-media/press-releases/nio-sets-the-bar-high-in-euro-ncap-s-newly-updated-2023-safety-tests/
@trinsec but it’s the usual, you get what you pay for, safety isn’t cheap. NIO is on par with Audi, Mercedes Benz, etc… MG (SAIC), well not so much. You are about as safe as you are in a cheaper European car.
@trinsec then again, I’m not a huge lover of European cars. So I do have a bias.
@gpowerf Italian cars are regarded as 'meh'. French ones are a hit or miss. German ones are largely solid. Swedish ones are good too.
That's what I understand from my environment. (I don't have a car).
Japanese cars are popular as well.
@trinsec These are all generalities: BMW I like for their amazingly well set up suspension. Porsches are super well engineered too. Mercedes Benz are solid and durable. Audi and VW, meh for me hit and miss. Volvo generally good too. Japanese it depends, Toyota great, Mazda, Honda, and Isuzu also good. Nissan and Mitsubishi hit and miss.
@gpowerf Not disagreeing here that I and my environment generalized some things here. :)
Experience of my family:
Alpha Romeo: Bad (lost a wheel right after a garage checkup too! Dangerous situation 30~ years ago).
BMW: Excellent (dad's a fan, his BMW is by now an oldtimer).
Porsche: Good (dad's a fan)
Volvo: was fairly reliable
Suzuki: Great bang for buck, cheap and comfortable enough for that price, very agile in corners
Skoda: Bro loved it, reliable
Seat: Meh
There was this one Italian brand my bro had, I never saw a car with so many breakdowns in my life.
@trinsec most of the cars that I’ve really hated driving have been Fiats, one was a Renault. 😄 only Fiat I’ve owned was awful too.
@gpowerf Yeah, Italian cars are generally shit. And Frenchies are hit or miss. You're basically confirming this for me here. 😅
@trinsec I don’t know, something like a Fiat Panda has received a zero-star Euro NCAP safety rating. I don’t recall a single cheap SAIC that’s as dangerous (there could be, but I don’t recall). And seeing the attention to detail of modern Chinese cars like humble Trumpchis I’m choosing that as the safer option for me.
These aren’t cheaply made things, SAIC has at least one ex-Porsche designer. These companies have assembled good teams and aren’t simply doing cheap cars.