Not to mention a risk that the abs might not work, the airbags might be inferior or worse not deploy when needed or stability control delayed by a second ... you could risk being toast ... Just my pessimism on Chinese cloning
I heard they have a license to produce GM truck (ute) chassis, which is one generation behind whatever GM makes. So the chassis is kind of like (exactly) the last gen holden rodeo?
Also not sure if its still the case (now that they sell diesels & different configurations), but they were using mitsubishi motors.
So it cant be all bad. I mean we like our iPads, iPhones, etc that are made over there.
As mentioned above, in the past they had been cloning (ilegally?) japanese vehicles. Ive been to china a few times and its really common to see (older) Great Wall branded utes that look exactly like sheet metal copies of the Hilux, Daihatsu Charade, etc etc.
However the Chinese people are not idiots. Most of the poor quality stuff we know them by, they would never buy themselves, just export it to funny foreigners who want every last dollar trimmed off. They make that rubbish because there is a demand for it (not their own demand usually).
They do not have consumer protection laws like the consumers guarantees act, so it is a case of "buyer beware". Because of this they are mostly well informed consumers when it comes to large purchases like a motor vehicle. Great Wall motors sells well in china because they make pretty good vehicles for the price.
The road conditions in china are typically much worse than here. Huge potholes from poor maintenance etc, plus a wide range of harsh conditions like sub-arctic cities & harsh deserts. If a motor vehicle has a good history of working over there for many years in those conditions, and the Chinese people vote with their wallets that they trust that brand, then it should be pretty darn good here in NZ.
As for the guy above whose died after six months, shouldn't the warranty have covered it? And who isn't surprised that mechanics might moan about them...really.
My sister had a crash in her Lexus when the traction control messed up.
So yeah these are the risks we take with putting our lives in the faith of wizzy gadgets. Obviously some people will trust established 'players' in the market where quality is perceived better.
It will be interesting to see where this goes in 10 years, i'd imagine it will be much like Japanese and Korean manufacturing.
joker97: Not to mention a risk that the abs might not work, the airbags might be inferior or worse not deploy when needed or stability control delayed by a second ... you could risk being toast ... Just my pessimism on Chinese cloning
It has to meet nz standards though. The dog and lemon guide may be a good book for the op to read when researching a new car and brands to get. You do pay for what you get
My Kia Rio has fuel consumption rated at 6.4l per 100km, whereas the equivalent Chery model if I recall correctly is around 9l per 100km. The purchase price difference is around $4k, most of which would be offset by cost savings on the Rio in the form of lower fuel consumption, better reliability, and lower depreciation.
Some may still perceive Korean vehicles as cheap and nasty, but I can assure you that the build quality, ride and handling of a modern Korean vehicle is vastly superior to an equivalent Chinese vehicle.
Don't buy a Chinese vehicle just because the sticker price makes it look cheap as you may end up with an inferior product that doesn't actually save you any money long term.
Just google for the terms "great wall" and "asbestos" and see what you think.
When GW were getting approval to sell in Aus, they had to make various declarations about the vehicles. One declaration was that they did not use any asbestos in the vehicles. Well, they made the declaration and started selling the vehicles. Now, a few years down the line, it turns out that the brake friction materials contain asbestos as do some of the gaskets.
I wonder what other nasty surprises are in wait for the owners of those vehicles.
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