The Spies Want to Know: Do YOU Think Chinese Car Makers Will Be Able to Make Their Mark on US Soil?

why not every other country did. as long as they market their product correctly they can do just as well as anyone else

90 - 95% percent of the products in my home are made in China...and they are there not by choice. They are there because I have NO CHOICE! When I do have a choice...you can bet it won't be made in China! But that's just my personal opinion! For all those with the fake Guccis and Rolex watches...who will be soon driving fake BMWs and Lexus'...your only fooling yourself. By the way...that strange new car scent in your new Chinese made car...better make sure its not toxic!

Absolutely agree...If the Chinese produce a quality product at a reasonable price, then of course they'll sell here.

I know I'll never buy a car from a Chinese company. Especially a Communist Chinese company. If GM sold a car here made in China I wouldn't buy it.

I hope other american's don't either.

The 3.4 liter V6s in all Chevrolet Equinoxes were made in China. Many parts in GE and likely most other appliances are made in China. What is the difference b/t a part and a whole product besides image?

China's quality in the past decade has grown exponentially. Give them targets and they will reach them, at 5cents an hour. :-/

It seems everyone dislike/hates Chinese product here in US (at least as they claimed).. but why Chinese product is still everywhere and seems to take over more places.... mmmm....Unless American likes crappy stuff...
Chinese make millions of different products... how many have been exposed and recalled? one million brands?.. Last time I check US gov websites, most recalls are still for US products.

Chinese are coming... like or not.. they will dominate car industry...
China is only experiencing the dark and struggling time every industrial county went through before. But because of its size, complexity and manpower, when China takes over a industry, it won't give it up easily.. after all, there are 1.4 billion people need to work on something. Chinese are not lazy or dumb people. No matter what direction they are heading, they will make the world know and feel.. that's just a harsh reality.

Calling them "Communist" in every piece you wrote only shows You belong to last/lost generation. When I hear that, my reaction is "ah.. another lost grumpy grandpa....!" Close-minded Grandpa may be a good person. But he doesn't help on anything anymore. We just have to wait until he exits the show. Sorry grandpa!

Tim in PA

This shows that many of you have no clue about China. In china, you get what you pay for. Unfortunately, traders go to china to import the cheapest things sold there. This is because the cheap things will sell well unlike the expensive stuff which wouldn't be accepted by most customers especially when they see the " made in China " label. This is why China has a bad reputation for making low quality products. They don't, but people import their cheap items.

I may be selfish, but I do not want these to succeed. As an American, is it wrong to want American car companies to be #1? Once these other manufacturers start eating away market share, it will be harder for GM to make its comeback.

American cars are just as good as any you can thank the American media for trashing them over the years for a quick buck for there decline.

Come on upwards. Just NOW is GM meeting import brands in quality, short term for sure, but long term remains to be seen. Ford has upped quality quite a bit since Nasser left and right now is doing great. Chrysler still has me worried, if their interiors improve in materials it will make things seem better but I don't think they are quite up to par now with Honda et al.

Since I have own both foreign and domestic I have yet to see a huge difference in quality and materials honestly my Toyota was batter on gas but to get it to highway speed to merge in VA traffic was scary most times. Yes I fell for the it is cool to be an "Anti-American" rebel but soon after I purchesd my 2008 Malibu (for my wife) and drove it my eyes where opened to the possabilty of trading in my Toyota for somthing domestic next year. I for one will give them a chance based on how well the Chevy dose and so far so good it has exceeded my expectations.

China HAS rather massive quality control issues for some of the components and materials used to make vehicles.

The petroleum industry for example, generally avoids purchasing Chinese made pipe for the simple reason that the impurities in it are sufficient enough to make a rather large difference between the actual yield criterion and those listed. In some cases this difference has been as high as 40% of the listed yield. Depending on the well program you can get away with using it because the bust/collapse maximum criteria may never be met- that is, the pipe interior may never be completely full with an empty annulus (burst),or the annulus may never be full with a completely with the internal volume of the pipe empty (collapse). However, the criteria that is always met, because you know the depth of the wellbore is the tensile yield. The engineering safety factors used max-out at about 20%- that is a problem.

In addition to all of this, there are problems with the longevity of the pipe, as a petroleum wellbore is a rather corrosive place.

Put that material into a car, that has been designed for one criteria but has another, and you won't lose a $2 million dollar wellbore- you will lose people's lives.

There was also an instance about a year ago, of a Chinese electric drilling rig being used in Colorado. The operator had purchased it and wanted the drilling contractor to use it. It was MORE expensive than comparable rigs, and it was an abysmal failure. The electrical system failed daily- fuses broke which had to be shipped from China. It took them 4 times the time an average rig takes to drill a similar well- at a rather significant cost. In China there are literally about 100 people on the drill site, so when the fuses fail they just have one of them install it from the stock they have on hand. That model does not work here- labor is too expensive.

One final thing: it is an entirely VALID point to say that they are Communist, but for a reason that I think your rush to judgement has caused you to miss. It does not matter what you think of their opinion- that opinion, if it affects purchasing, is pertinent. Yes, almost everything is made in China and people purchase it, but there is a massive difference between small objects and a large purchase with massive associations to country of origin. There is a group of people who would not purchase a Chinese car simply because the Chinese are Communist. The exact size of that group- I do not know. I do know this though- you don't know either.

Over time the Chinese Automotive Manufacturing quality control level needed to win will be overcome and all the wishes in the world against their progress will not prevent them from succeeding. I agree its sad that manufacturing is gone from this country - we can't even manufacture a child's toy let alone mass market electronics. Its a shame what this dialogue is reduced to, meanwhile companies like Ford and GM who once had vast, vast resources can no longer produce product lines that can even win in their own market.

What a dumb comment from the sites number one Lexus fanboy.

I agree with everything said.....but let's not forget people laughed at those 'cheap and inferior' Datsun's, Honda's and Toyota's when they first appeared on our shores also! With all the other crap they sell from China you can bet that Wal-Mart will soon have an 'auto aisle' in their stores soon!!

I like The Great Wall Car Company's SoCooL Pickup Truck ô¿~

A friend of mine's father has a Chinese-built Great Wall Deer. it looks pretty much like a 90s era Toyota pickup Xtra Cab but slightly raised and a Toyota-inspired (my words) 2.2L pushrod gasoline 4-cylinder with multipoint fuel injetion. I drove that vehicle for about 150 miles or so and I can tell you, I was shocked. The ride was quite compliant, even if the steering was a bit lifeless. The clutch takeup was smooth and light, and the driveline was devoid of any shunting or excessive vibration. That old-guard engine was very smooth, quiet and wasn't too bad on the fuel either. The plastic on the interior was poorly fitting and of low grade plastic, to be honest, but never rattled. My feeling? China will eventually get it right. And get it right they will. Already we have heard that the government is consolidating a lot of the smaller manufacturers. It is becoming aware that you can't have 1,000 manufacturers and maintain standards. Look at some of your most prised possessions. "Made In China" is likely to be near to the label. I know, because my prised Saitek AV8R joystick is.

To deviate to the political, what many of you seem to feel is that communism is an evil idea. No it is not. In the strictest sense, China is not communist. It is Maoist. Go over to Wiki and read what communism is and tell me if that sounds like what exists in ANY so-called communist country. The truth, as is often said, is out there. Learn about something before you run off the mouth. I guarantee you will sound a lot more intelligent if you do.

Chinese cars could be a Yugo or a Hyundai. Its too early to tell. But one thing is for sure, they will most definitely try their best to penetrate the US market.

They will, and as far as I see Americans,,,they will do evrything to avoid that but at the end they will buy all those cars...How ever we shouldn´t, till they abandon the coummunism because that won´t be a fair competition for all the other "FREE" Countries around the world.

There is often a knee-jerk reaction that comes from mentioning Chinese products, but it is only partly justified. Yes, China does make products of questionable quality (and with questionable ethics), but it's not because they couldn't do better; rather, it is to satisfy the cheap cost/labor demands of the companies that utilize their labor.

Case in point: Apple is known for superior quality products. Who assembles many of their products? Quanta, a company in Taiwan/China. When I purchased a customized iPod for my wife, it was customized and shipped from China. The fault for shoddy Chinese products lies just as much with the companies who commission manufacture/assembly to Chinese companies with the intention of reducing cost and turning an extra buck; labor, parts, quality are thus reduced to shrink input cost.

I'm certainly not against making profit, but when product quality, safety and employment opportunities are sacrificed to squeeze an extra penny, it crosses the line from profit to sheer greed.

As for the subject at hand, I believe Chinese cars should not be taken lightly at all. They can/will learn, improve and certainly have an abundance of their own labor. Remember it was the same dismissive attitude towards Japanese brands through the 50s and 60s; now they trump American brands IN America.

"Those who do not learn from history..."

Yes, there is absolutely a market for less expensive cars even if the quality and safety aren't top notch. The Japanese started this way along with the Koreans and now the Chinese.

I work with the Chinese and directly import electronics goods. They have very good quality and design and manufacturing standards.

M53R is the only person who got it right. Yes, the Chinese will produce crappy products (poor design, poor materials, and low quality) if that is what the buyer wants. But don't confuse that with their ultimate capability. If fact, do not EVER underestimate their capability. The good company's there are just as good as any company here in the US.

The Apple iPod, Nike shoes, etc are good examples. They are excellent products mostly designed in China and manufactured to high standards and they are excellent products.

I would know since I also deal with Chinese factories.

Good to see someone knows what he's talking about. +1