What is your preferred Chinese car brand?

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Ramaphosa even had a Chinese car named after him.

View attachment 1926868

oh, what a Dong....
or do you need a long Dong to drive it?

 

[DreamKing]

other: none.

 

[DreamKing]

BYD​

The recent incidents involving BYD electric vehicles have raised significant concerns about the safety of these vehicles. A sudden explosion of a BYD EV reportedly launched the car about 5 meters into the air, and nearly 100 BYD vehicles were reported to have spontaneously combusted in a related incident. These events have sparked discussions about EV safety standards globally, as the root cause of such explosions is often attributed to issues with thermal runaway in lithium-ion battery packs. Authorities and experts are investigating the root cause, focusing on potential manufacturing defects, improper battery management systems, or external environmental factors that could have contributed.

good luck.

 

[Zellephant]

Therefore the simple truth is that they just don’t exist in those classes which would explain why you’ve never noticed them because clearly you are getting the poor people rentals.

This is the most absurd thing I have been accused of in a long time.

I’m not sure about you or why you rent cars, but I certainly don’t do it for my own enjoyment or to impress people. When I rent a car, there is a specific purpose behind why, and I therefor choose the best tool for the job, which in our case normally means renting 4x4 double cabs, or minibuses - and none of those have ever been Chinese - nor are they “poor people” rentals.

When it’s just for me to get from the airport to a meeting or two and back to the airport, obviously I will take the most affordable option, within reason, so it ends up being a group B or I get an upgrade to E, and it’s never, ever Chinese.

In Europe, I normally rent either a Skoda or Ford station wagon, or a Nissan primastar bus. For interest I logged into our Avis business account now, and checked vehicle availability in Paris and Brussels, and the only “Chinese” options are Polestar, and it’s limited to only one class of sedan. No SUVs, no small electric cars, no crossovers, no hatchbacks, nothing at all - everything is European…. So not sure where the 25% of the rental fleet being Chinese comes from. Because the picture looks similar over at Europecar, and Sixt and Hertz etc (from what I can see at their airport location parking lots)

 

[JacoCarlson]

Wonder if they also have spy chips...

 

[Lupus]

Because there is this confused market perception that the Chinese only do cheap and small…which they really don’t, at least not any more.

There isn’t really a Polo-class or lower Chinese car on the market that I can think of.

They kind of start in that mid tier but just do more for less.

So even the baby Haval Jolion would be a Group F car and I would imagine similarly for the Tiggo although the smallest one could maybe be an E.

Therefore the simple truth is that they just don’t exist in those classes which would explain why you’ve never noticed them because clearly you are getting the poor people rentals.

MG 3 is the only one I can think of

 

[Jean Claude Vaaldamme]

Yes there are...but not what you might think.

European car rental companies stock very few Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) primarily due to crushing residual value drops, severe replacement parts shortages, and aggressive new EU import tariffs.

While major firms like SIXT initially grabbed headlines by announcing massive, multi-year supply partnerships with Chinese EV giants like BYD, the reality on the ground has shifted drastically due to structural fleet risks because Chinese brands are still building traction with European consumers, their used-market demand is highly unpredictable.

Rental agencies survive on resale value since the replace most cars after a year.

Unlike historic European legacy brands, Chinese automakers do not yet have extensive, mature spare-part logistics hubs across Europe.

If a simple bumper or headlight takes 4 to 8 weeks to ship from China, the rental car sits idle. A vehicle sitting in a repair lot instead of being rented destroys a rental agency's profit margins.

So you used EV to make some point?
Nobody was talking about EV's. Does SA rental company even stock EV's
Or did AI get confused?

 

[TheMightyQuin]

So you used EV to make some point?
Nobody was talking about EV's. Does SA rental company even stock EV's
Or did AI get confused?

Sorry that I upset you. I'm sure after a cry and a good night's sleep you'll be right as rain again.

Then you can return to MyBB and fill your boots again.

 

[Wut]

I had to choose "other" as I've only really driven one and that's the Xiaomi YU7. Rented one when I needed to travel across states and don't really trust my Ford for long journeys.

 

[Speedster]

I had to choose "other" as I've only really driven one and that's the Xiaomi YU7. Rented one when I needed to travel across states and don't really trust my Ford for long journeys.

Impossible! You rented a Chinese car? We've been repeatedly told in this thread that never happens

 

[Pax]

Impossible! You rented a Chinese car? We've been repeatedly told in this thread that dl never happens

That is not what others said. Reread from the beginning. Next time I rent a car, I'll try to get a 'lectric just for the heck of it, especially important if offered a Ford it seems.

 

[Wut]

Impossible! You rented a Chinese car? We've been repeatedly told in this thread that never happens

They aren't completely wrong as Chinese brand rentals in the US are still a small minority. In the case of the YU7, only a few were sent to the US, most specifically to rental agencies to try to build interest in the model.

 

[Dee96]

Saw a Changan Uni S driving around.... Looked surprisingly smart

That segment has way too many options

 

[Zellephant]

I am not sure if its chinese or not, but I had the misfortune of driving past an ICAR dealership this morning. I dont have a favourite chinese car, but if that thing is chinese, its definately now my least favourite.

 

[Zellephant]

I am not sure if its chinese or not, but I had the misfortune of driving past an ICAR dealership this morning. I dont have a favourite chinese car, but if that thing is chinese, its definately now my least favourite.

good god, I see its a sub brand of cherry, so definately as chinese as it looks.

I just saw the pricing.......

between R550k and almost R700k for the AWD version - for something that ugly, and no bigger than a suzuki jimny - and with such piss poor performance....

The rear-driven variant offers peak outputs of 100 kW and 180 Nm from a single electric motor, resulting in a claimed 0-100 kph time of 11.0 seconds (and a top speed of 140 kph). The V23 RWD employs a 59.93 kWh battery pack offering a listed NEDC range of 360 km.

Meanwhile, the all-paw derivative adds a 2nd electric motor (so, there’s one on each axle), pushing maximum system outputs to 155 kW and 292 Nm. That, in turn, sees the claimed 0-100 kph time drop to 7.5 seconds, while top speed remains 140 kph. A larger, 81.8 kWh battery pack offers a listed NEDC range of 430 km.