Oh wow... here's what US automakers have in store for us...

[ReverendDeuce]

The following links are to YouTube videos showing crash tests performed on Chinese-made vehicles.

The reason this is relevant to Americans is that Chinese manufacturers are being courted by Chrysler and General-Motors (specifically Chevrolet) to sell them vehicles to be re-branded for the US market.

Chrysler is in talks with Chery (get it? Chery as in Chevy) for this purpose. I believe they are considering 2009 or 2010 to begin importation. Here is a video of a Chery Amulet being subjected to an approximately 35-mph frontal impact. My advice? Any sane person's advice? Avoid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Swzbt76wBM

No airbags, of course. But the Chinese do make them! Here's an example of the Jiangling Brilliance BS6 being hit by the same test. It has airbags! But really, after watching the video, you may wonder to yourself "What is the point?"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F06LjugtIUo

And for comparison, here is a Japanese-made Infiniti M-series. Yes, these cars can run nearly $70K fully equipped. This car got top marks on every test. Notice how the doors don't buckle, the front glass never bends, shudders, or breaks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e844XskszU

However, it's not just the luxury cars that give good protection! It all has to do with engineering, really. Here's a Korean-made Hyundai that also does exceptionally well, at a mere fraction of the cost of the Infiniti. It's not a conspiracy by the automakers to only protect those who can afford to be protected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwtvhkRBxQM

Current Mexican- and Canadian-made American cars fare just "okay", with a few extremely poor exceptions (such as the GM Daewoo products). Some of the videos you'll find of Pontiacs and Lincolns and Dodges are startling and embarrassing. However, American-made Toyotas generally have done very well. That being said, it doesn't seem to have much to do with price, but rather engineering prowess or, and more probable, sheer lack of motivating factors.

I stand by my assessment that the modus operandi for modern capitalism is to produce the lowest quality product with the highest profit margin that the market will possibly tolerate.

[flvegan]

1. That Chevy Amulet thing...wow

Honestly, I doubt these things will ever be allowed to be sold here without significant changes. In addition, they might be cheap, but imagine insuring one of these deathtraps. I can't imagine it would be cost effective to even write a policy on one.

[dysfunctional press]

2. no...i don't get it.

chery as in chevy?

i guess i don't 'get it'...:shrug:?

[ReverendDeuce]

6. Chinese change brand names around...

... to sound like more familiar brands.

Chery = Chevy
Panasoric = Panasonic

etc.

They've been doing this more in recently years. It's a very, very common practice over there.

[Atman]

3. The new Hyundai Veracruz beat the Lexus 350 in Road & Track Magazine

Squeezed by the gas prices and what it cost to feed our American-made SUV (a small GM S-10 truck), we bought a Hyundai Elantra hatchback almost a year ago. It's awesome. Lots of goodies for the money, good (but not awesome) mileage, rides like a bigger car. Anyone who considers buying a Chinese made car would do well to consider all the recent recalls we've seen. If they can't manufacture tires, fish, or even toothpaste without resorting to insane cost-cutting and outright fraudulent practices, can you really trust your family to a Chinese made front-end or brakes?

Stay far, far away from Chinese anything.

Words to live by. Literally.

.

[Edweird]

8. There may be a couple of exceptions, if you're willing to do your homework.

I've got a chinese motorcycle. Zongshen. It's a 200cc dual purpose. It's actually surprisingly solid for what I paid for it (1800 new).
There are many similar but inferior motorcycles for sale on the internet and e-bay for half as much. They are death traps. Zongshen has been around for a long time and manufactures more bikes every year than Honda/Yamaha/Suzuki/Kawasaki combined. An informed consumer is a safe consumer.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. Good, something to keep Ralph Nader busy.

[Nikki Stone1]

5. Funny that old Ralph hasn't been on fraudulent Chinese practices

Here are some Chinese cars unsafe at any speed, and old Ralph is playing Democratic spoiler again.

[JNelson6563]

7. Wow! Utter crap!

That thing crumpled like a piece of foil!

Out of curiousity I looked for a crash test for the car I recently got, it fared much better. 2006 Chevy Impala.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObcM4Oh8IMc&mode=related&search=

Julie--standing with labor by buying American