‘Twas the day before settling my kid in for another semester of college, and while at the southwestern condo to ensure things were alright I decided that a walk around the complex was in order; it had been a long drive and perhaps I could bag something interesting to share. After all, this has historically been fertile ground for tourists visiting from our southern neighbor to spend their exchange dollars and bring their interesting cars with them for weeks (or months) at a time, such as this Renault Duster Oroch pickup we saw a year or two ago in this same place.
Today though there were not one, not two, but three different juicy treats! Let’s take a look at this bounty beginning with the most interesting, and perhaps also the most significant. We’ll start with the foreign company that nobody seems to have a good answer to beyond throwing up protectionist measures, although it is part owned by an American company controlled by a household name.
Yes, that would be BYD (Build Your Dreams), with one of their largest shareholders being Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s wildly successful holding company. From the days of building crappy little Hyundai Elantra knockoffs for the Chinese taxi industry (at least that was my own first exposure to them about fifteen years ago), to now legitimately scaring every major automaker worldwide and gobbling up market share to the point of various governments deciding to just apply protectionist measures instead of their own industry competing, they’ve come from rags to riches.
This is one of their newest offerings in Mexico, the Song Plus DM-i, introduced earlier this year and my first exposure to it. This is a Plug-In Hybrid although a full EV is also available that apparently competes very well with the Tesla Model Y, Mustang Mach-E as well as VW ID.4, at least as far as battery size and general format are concerned. In this Plug-In Hybrid version though it competes against most mid-size CUVs, i.e. the meat of the auto industry these days and is more or less their current flagship model in Mexico (of the ones with BYD branding, they also build significantly more luxurious vehicles under other brand names).
We may think all CUVs are interchangeable and to a degree they perhaps are, however there isn’t anything in particular about this to automatically strike it off the table. No absurdly grotesque protuberances, no weird body/wheel size ratio issues, not abnormally thin or wide compared to length or height, and it’s even in the most ubiquitous color currently extant. Don’t think fit and finish is worse either, it all seemed to fit together as well as your average iPhone or laptop computer. In other words, a legitimate contender for most normal buyers’ dollars (or pesos in this case). I can see why the industry is concerned. I’d certainly consider this car if I was looking at the Buick Envision for instance…which is actually built in China too. It’s hard to knock the Chinese auto industry’s quality when you use the same place and populace to build and import some of your own stuff…that’s not to bag on GM, Volvo does it as well with the S90 and their Polestar sister brand, Honda has too (for Canada in the form of the Fit), Lincoln’s Nautilus hails from there as well (external link to Consumer Reports article).
The inside of this BYD seems to push all the buttons too. We may scoff at screens but today’s actual shoppers seem to buy them so manufacturers will keep making them. And no matter what she (or he or they) says, size does matter to buyers. Looks like that’s covered here as well, this seems to be the optional 15″ one vs the standard 12″ one. And it’s not just a sea of black inside either, so score another point.
Apparently BYD is testing a Plug-In Hybrid pickup truck in Mexico right now as well as scouting locations to built a plant there (or more than one). Hoo-boy, that would be grounds for a fight, nobody builds pickups like the ‘Muricans! (Uh, and the Japanese of course), but nobody offers a Plug-In yet… BYD has gotten a lot of press for value-laden EVs lately but the reality is that they do Hybrids and Plug-Ins just as well (in ability as well as volume, if not even more so, along with building their own batteries and most of their other components as well, i.e. saving money). So far Chinese hybrids (as opposed to EVs) aren’t being talked about being blocked if built in Mexico (which as you may recall is treated the same as building a car in the United States for all intents and purposes when it comes to importing them across that border, which has worked out very well for many other automakers including the traditional home teams). Anyway, I’m sure Mary, Jim, Carlos, (and Elon) are more than a little worried these days. Consumers on the other hand generally know a good deal when they see one. And Mexicans don’t just drive Vochos and beater Sentras, many have plenty of money to spend and a plethora of choices to spend it on.
So that brings us to our second tasty fruit, this slightly smaller Peugeot 3008. It’s about 6″ shorter in length than a current Mazda CX-5 if that helps with scale. This is a later second generation model built between 2021 and 2023, a new updated version was introduced last year. It appears these are built in various places worldwide but not in Mexico or South America, I’m assuming this one may hail from either China or Vietnam. Or maybe Malaysia, I doubt it’s from France or one of several African countries that also assemble it although I suppose it could be. It sure is built in a lot of places!
And why not, it looks as good (or better) than many others of its ilk, there are some interesting textures and styling features going on, it even has Tammy Faye-esque eyelashes in front! At least you can’t say you can’t distinguish it from a Hyundai or a Nissan or a Honda, no sir, it beats its own drum! (On a side note, the vehicles I’m showing here likely don’t directly compete, they are different sizes and likely target different parts of the market but illustrate a nice selection of choices at differing price points.)
The sleepwalking lion has long been a CCult favorite on these here pages and I’m sure that any number of us, if given the opportunity to live in a different part of the world than the 50 states (and Canada), would certainly at least take a look at the first Peugeot dealer lot we came across in search of suitable transportation.
The inside appears all up to date as well, with a cockpit style driver’s center with a neat row of toggly-looking buttons to push and prod to your heart’s content and your passenger’s annoyance, along with a de rigueur screen. The seats do look bolstered to a far greater degree than most vehicles such as this which bodes well. I kind of like that expansive looking shelf it’s got going on under the vents and wrapping toward the passenger side until out of frame as well.
I don’t know exactly how many vehicles like this we currently have for sale here in the Northern Fiddy, but I’ll be damned if I’m not interesting in looking at one that’s more interesting than all of the others. And for now, perhaps only since I can’t have it, this is one I want to see more of. Until familiarity breeds the familiar contempt of course.
And what of the sort of home team, okay, OUR home team? The mighty Chevrolet, purveyor of all things to…well, lets just stick with purveyor of all things I suppose. Here we have the current iteration of the Chevrolet Captiva, which our main audience will perhaps (or not) remember as the badge engineered version of the Opel Antara sold here as the second generation Saturn Vue and as a rental fleet only Chevy Captiva. Lovingly (or not so) nicknamed the Craptiva by more than one person. This one is unfortunately a little…homely looking. A little too bulky for its own good in my estimation. Not sexy. More flannel nightgown and knee socks. And maybe a book? Warm milk with honey for sure. Something’s just a little off.
While badged a Chevrolet it seems to carry more GMC styling cues, is that it? This one looks to be a 2022 or newer version, these are actually a rebadged Baojun 530 (a what? Baojun 530 I said) and sizewise is positioned between the slightly smaller Trax and the slightly larger Equinox. Sales seem to be holding steady at just under 20,000 or so a year which actually made it Mexico’s best selling SUV/CUV and these are built in China by the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture. There is even an MG-badged version sold somewhere so if you have access to a tweed cap and string-backed gloves, this might be the one for you, old chap, although this is surely not even remotely what I think of when I think of the Morris Garage.
To paraphrase Jules in Pulp Fiction, check out the big screen on Captiva! I don’t know that Chevy offers us gringos anything as large. They’re holding out on us! It looks pretty much as expected inside besides that 27″ or whatever Sony Trinitron front and center. But a perfect case of Chevy happily selling Chinese made stuff all over the world but not thrilled about the prospect of the guys literally down the road selling stuff against them at home. How bad can this car/CUV/SUV really be? I’m sure it’s perfectly fine and while the roads up here are in many cases awful, some of the roads south of the border are just as bad. So if it can hold up there it would hold up here as well.
The brass bowtie is known the world over… This is even the Premier trim level, the creme de la creme. Or crema de la crema?
That was the show and tell portion of our little forbidden fruitstand for today, perhaps you liked some of the offerings? Well, sorry, muchacho, no sopa for you! But if you could climb over the wall and plunk down your sack of pesos how many would you need to get in the game?
While exchange rates are variable and I have no idea about taxes or whatever other costs are involved, the current base prices for the current version of these models in Mexico seem to be as follows at today’s exchange rates (just for reference a Toyota RAV4 LE starts at USD$30,480 in Mexico whereas it is $28,675 in the U.S., it may very well be equipped differently though):
Chevrolet Captiva Premier (2024, newer version than featured here, 7 seater) – 549,400 pesos or about USD$29,200
Peugeot 3008 mid-level (2024, newer version but quite similar) – 627,900 pesos or about USD$33,406
BYD Song Plus DM-i Plug-In Hybrid (2024) – 778,800 pesos or about USD$41,434 (note that in China I believe this is sold for about the equivalent of USD$25,000). Current tariffs for manufactured-in-China cars imported to the U.S. are 25% so would (could?) that make it $31,250 in the U.S.? Or do we add 25% to the Mexico price making it $51,792? (This is HIGHLY subjective/speculative and not to be relied on as whatsoever factual.)
Enjoy the fruit, it’s ripe, juicy, and laid out there for the taking.
Hasta la Vista, baby!
Yep, Detroit is back to its usual and is running to the well-used, moth-eaten playbook: When a new threat arrives on the horizon, don’t try to compete, go running for government/tariff protection. Claim petulantly that you can’t possibly compete against something like BYD, don’t even trying, and count on big oversized pickup trucks to pull you through whatever the situation.
Given how GM, Ford, and Jeep/Ram, er, Stellantis have been spending the last 4-5 years getting rid of anything low priced in their product lineup, working to maximize per unit profit rather than protect market share, and, quite frankly, living for the next quarter while not giving a damn about the next 5-10 years I hope BYD comes over and kicks the hell out of them.
Just like Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai did in the past. Maybe one of these days they’ll finally learn something. Like not give up entire markets because they’re only interesting in the ‘easy pickings’ categories?
I feel for what you are saying, Syke. Corporate insanity: making the same mistakes as before and hoping for a different outcome. What was that saying about building a better mousetrap, guys?
Here in Australia we are living in a world without GM. Stellantis might as well not exist either, apart from the occasional Jeepoid thing. Seems to work just fine…..
Born in the USA 🇺🇸. Buy in the USA 🇺🇸. Dad worked 45 years at Inland Steel. This OLD Dog doesn’t like new tricks. My vehicles have always been American upscale sedans and convertibles. I have no interest in SUVS (glorified trucks masquerading as Luxury vehicles), crossovers or melted jelly beans! 🤮. Electrics?👎. To each his own, but for me all of these vehicles are definitely SPOILED, rotten Forbidden Fruit! I will proudly drive my 2007 Lincoln Town Car Signature Limited as long as possible. With proper maintenance and care, these will easily go 300,000 mi or more. I doubt any of these vehicles can match that. This post is an excellent show of what I deplore. Rant is now ended!
Good summary, old dog doesn’t like new tricks. Still the new pups don’t care about your reasoning and they’ll be buying these. When they’re old they’ll say their CUV hybrid plug in was good enough when they are young and good enough when they’re old. C’est la vie.
My main comment about all 3 of those vehicles is that it seems that they all would present gigantic rear blind spots for the driver. The BYD and Peugeot in particular. I’m sure that they all offer systems to alert the driver to unnoticed things in the blind spots, but for a guy who actually depends on turning his head to look over his shoulder, I could imagine the driving experience here to be frustrating.
But I’d gladly go for a test drive in all 3 just to see if I’m right.
“Forbidden Fruitstand ” is a great phrase.
My father has a 3008 of this or slightly older vintage, I’ve driven it including on a some trips of 600 km or so and didn’t have any problem with a blind spot and I do shoulder check so it seems fine.
Earlier this week I parked next to one of the older ex-rental car Captivas. I was a little surprised to see one.
I haven’t really thought about BYD exporting non-EVs, as they are so deeply associated with that. BYD did set up an office in the US a few years back to explore entry into the market, but then decided not to pursue it. But things are happening quickly.
The EU just enacted pretty high tariffs too on Chinese EVs; the exact rate depends on how much government backing/support/subsidies each manufacturer gets. BYD’s rate is lower than MG’s, which is part of a state owned company. And BYD is getting ready to build a plant in Hungary.
One relevant point to keep in mind: all of the Chinese manufacturers are exporting like mad because almost invariably they don’t make profits in their domestic market due to the intense competition and resulting low prices. This is particularly the case with EVs. Hence the very low prices of EVs in China need to be put in perspective: they are not profitable at these prices, and exports are key to making profits.
The question as to whether to try to keep Chinese EVs out of the US market (or not) is a good one. I read a survey recently that indicated that younger Americans were much more open to bringing them in even at the expense of the domestic makers. The reality is that the Big 3 make all their huge profits on big trucks and cars, and just like the Japanese were never able to really crack that market, it’s quite unlikely that the Chinese would either. The impact cheap Chinese EVs would have on the low end of the market is probably quite limited; it’s not like GM was making money on the Bolt, and Ford’s plan to develop and build a cheaper line of EVs is questionable.
The advantage of cheap Chinese EVs here is that it would encourage the growth of EVs (for environmental reasons) by lower income buyers.
I’m not arguing whether or not Chinese EVs are a good thing for the market (they likely are and without tariffs I’ll bet GM would be importing some under their own name), but rather interested in how there is a wide opening for cheaper, better offerings in what is (at least if one listens to the media) becoming all the rage, i.e. Hybrids and Plug-In Hybrids. If nobody else wants to offer them in volume and at attractive prices, and the Chinese want to, then go right ahead, let the consumer save money there that they instead have to spend on insurance, healthcare, groceries, and whatever else the boogeyman cost du jour is. It’s not like the cars/CUVs/Whatever beside big pickups have to be crappy to be cheap, just “cheaper” than what is on the table now.
But don’t complain later when those same companies build bigger, better, and far more expensive offerings (as they will/can/and do and once buyers are satisfied with their first one what’s the incentive to go looking at a non-familiar showroom unless you really want a big truck.) There are a lot of segments that aren’t pickup trucks – While the Sllverado, F-Series, and Ram may be the top three nameplates they do only account for around 1/8th of the total market. I think that part is missed by a lot of people simply due to the fact that it’s only spread across three competitors. That does leave 85%+ of the market open for anything that is not a full size pickup…
Yes, the prices offered in China are very (too?) low and it’s notable that the same (or virtually same) product is offered elsewhere in the world for much more, yet there is likely so much room for margin that China can offer a compelling product for just enough less than everyone else to get people to at least consider them – which is NOT what any of the companies that are building their products in China are doing, they (or so I believe) are merely using the cheap labor/parts as a way to goose the profit but selling at the same price they would if they were building it in Kansas. Still, for all the hand-wringing about dumping and selling below cost etc, isn’t that EXACTLY what Detroit did for decades in order to just get credits to sell gas guzzlers? Nobody complained then when Detroit lost money on every Chevette or Geo or Neon or whatever, yet money was there to help when it all came crashing down…which obviously would not be there if China were to run itself out of business likewise…(which they won’t).
We’ve seen this play out with Japan and Korea before but just blocking them or adding constraints doesn’t solve the problem, both of them eventually realized they could build their products here for less than at home! Oops. Actually designing and building competitive products does solve the problem, most of the prime-age buyers these days grew up familiar with imports, there is no stigma to that, in many cases there is actually status. There is no fundamental “right” to make a larger profit or “right” to remain in business, i.e. the free-market economy that is touted…
You, me, and perhaps most of our readership likely wouldn’t be the target market, but anyone currently under 50 from the coasts or under 35 from inland areas is well aware that imports are not all bad and they as well as their employers all spend large amounts of money on products built in China (phones, laptops, TVs, Audio/Video equipment, etc. The world has shown that the physical barriers to entry in the auto market aren’t nearly as daunting as they were purported to be as long as money is available, and there is a LOT of money available these days…
Great Wall, LDV and MG all sell here in respectable numbers, with BYD now ramping up speedily. Peugeot sells these 3008’s and others in tiny numbers (though sadly, after literally 101 years, Citroen is leaving: the brand sold 87 cars in the first half of the year!). Based on too many tales of industry insiders, it’s no secret as to why PSA products sell poorly: they’re crap (over time). Only silly brand loyalists (possibly or possibly not including me) still give the brands any credence.
Interesting point about demographics: LDV and Great Wall both had appalling starts here about 10-15 years ago, where they quickly (and rightly) gained a name for being atrocious. Time passes, older buyers die off (along with their prejudices both founded and unfounded), quality improves beyond compare, and now I reckon there’s a huge number of, say, under 40’s, who don’t give too much of a crap about brand loyalties in cars anymore. I’ve sat in the BYD’s, and the quality seems to my eye to be top-notch, reviews praise them as excellent machines, so at amounts well below what Tesla wants to charge, whyever not? BYD’s cheapest electric, the Seal, is mid-30K’s, vastly below any Musky starting point (and if certain things continue, the ordure attaching to that latter brand might become a significant deterrent to growth, but I digress).
Perhaps as the ultimate indicator of a fast-changing world, one can look at the symbology of nomenclature. When Great Wall launched, the name seemed comical. Now, just part of the landscape, and I guess fairly soon the Bling Your Dolphin brand will seem un-noticeable too.
As to the complex intricacies of world markets and dumping and so on, I don’t think it’s entirely silly to keep half a wary eye open on China and her outputs, as it’s not a remotely free country nor a real free market, balanced of course against the fact that claims made by large chunks of the West don’t necessarily stack up in reality either.
I drive a Citroen fewer than a handful of the car I have actually came here newer cars are more plentiful Peugeots are common really common, BYD yeah plenty about EV and not theres no tariffs here and good cheap EVs from China sell well, China leads in EV development.
It is interesting to see these Stateside. You find the most unusual things there!
Reading this a day late. I got distracted by the link to the Renault Oroch, and never did come back!
BYDs are reasonably common here, there is even one in my little town. While generally attractive vehicles, early experiences with Chinese vehicle quality were not favourable, and I would still be wary.
You do see Peugeots (sleepwalking lion indeed!) now and then, but I don’t know if I’ve seen this one. According to Justy that’s possible. They’re something of an unusual choice, probably selling mostly to brand enthusiasts. I can’t say I like some of the discordant styling features (eyelashes, mascara tracks) but at least they make it look different. Pesronally I’d rather have a Mazda.
And the Craptiva. Much derided down under when available under the defunct Holden brand; glad to know we’re not the only folk to call them this. People bought them, but did anyone ever buy a second? As for the big screens, I would prefer to reach for a familiar 3D control located an inch or two away from anything else, but then cars were simpler in my day…
It’s a well known fact that totalitarian regimes make the best cars. Just look at Yugo, Lada, etc.
Don, I realize you enjoy playing the troll and thank you for clicking my post repeatedly now, but surely you don’t believe that China’s current capabilities and prodcuts in terms of auto production are similar to those of 1970s and 1980s Russia and Yugoslavia, do you?
Go take a look at the current Buick Envision (100% built in China) and explain to us how it’s built any worse than the Buick Enclave (built in the USA). Same with the current Volvo S90 (China) as compared to the V90 (Sweden). Same with any Polestar EV (China) compared to any other EV (US, Korea, Germany, Mexico).
There’s a very good reason the US and EU producers are frightened of “the totalitarian regime” named China and its products even though consumers can’t/won’t tear themselves away. The world taught China how to build quality goods (gave them the means, tools, and education) and now is furiously backtracking as the genie is now out of the bottle rather than remaining the tame producer of cut-price goods that can be slapped with a western label and sold at full market price. China now wants to (and is clearly able to) produce goods that are bought by societies the world over that benefits its own companies (some such as BYD with western investors). And those products are increasingly things that consumers want and our own producers won’t make.
But if you really want to believe that the best China can produce is vehicles on the level of a Yugo GV then good luck to you, sir. If you wish to respond in a reasoned manner, great, if you want to just try to post another sensationalist video without any context or just a pithy line of sarcasm, that’ll likely be deleted. Add something of value or don’t bother, please.
Indeed, Chinese automakers will have to overcome the stigma of previous Chinese cars sold internationally, not to mention they will have to distance themselves from well known companies like Temu and Wish.
Yugo has more in common with BYD than you think. Yugo was also backed by a Western investor, and by eastern bloc standards the Yugo wasn’t bad compared to Moskvitch, Trabant, Dacia, Zaporozhets etc. Yugos initially sold well to great fanfare.
They also have at least one thing in common with the Pinto. They catch on fire.
https://www.carscoops.com/2024/05/byd-reportedly-sees-10th-showroom-fire-since-2021-as-another-store-burns-down-in-china/
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/fans-take-byd-task-recall-confusion-clouds-chinese-ev-makers-image-2022-06-30/
And here we go again. What do Temu and Wish have to do with a Chinese vehicle manufacturer unless you’re suggesting that GM, Volvo, and Ford are using Temu or Wish to source some vehicles they sell in the U.S.?
That appears analagous to someone suggesting they better not buy an American-made vehicle because of Amazon or Walmart or maybe Burger King. But to play your game you could just as easily associate Chinese automakers (some such as BYD that ARE in fact already seeing success enough in other countries to scare those countries and others such as the US where they don’t sell cars with other manufactured in China products such as every generation of Apple iPhone, most IBM laptops until they flat out sold the division to Lenovo, many (most?) other TV, audio, video, camera, computer, and assorted other higher-end tech products…This is what a large part of the western world is afraid of.
Don, I’m quite sure you’ve never seen, certainly never touched, and absolutely never actually been inside a BYD car. I’ve watched dozens of senior Japanese auto executives pour themselves over the BYD exhibits at the Tokyo Motor Show and spend significant amounts of time inside the cars, touching everything, remarking on everything to their cohorts, and none of them got back out with of the cars with expressions of levity or disrespect. When Japan, Inc. takes an auto company seriously, we all should take heed.
Perhaps the American manufacturers (and some of the European ones) are afraid of the stigma of their own products and some of the absolute dreck they have sold in the past and in some cases continue to sell. One of which you yourself invoked near the end…Again, why would someone not consider a Chinese made car when Ford and GM are themselves selling Chinese made cars in the USA? Apparently they believe they can produce a better car at a lower cost there rather than here (or Mexico/Canada) and make money doing so. China can just cut out the middleman and is increasingly willing to do so.
Malcolm Bricklin trying to successfully import Yugos has zero to do with any company in China exporting their vehicles, it’s not even a precedent, not sure of your point here. His actual success in establishing Subaru earlier simply gave him credibility enough to try it again (and fail, as with many of his endeavors post-Subaru). I’m quite sure the Chinese have smarter folks in their back office (or even on the ground here) than Bricklin did at the time as well as far deeper backing/pockets and certainly think and plan beyond just the end of the next quarter or their own golden parachute deployment date.
Your first link tries to suggest on the surface that a BYD car caused a fire, this is exactly the misleading stuff I warned you about once already. However the “article” of the misleading headline you linked to itself clearly states that, and I quote, “In a statement, BYD acknowledged the incident, writing that “it was initially determined that the fire location was located in the office or roof of the second floor. It cannot be ruled out that the fire was caused by a short circuit or aging of the wiring,” as translated by Google.” Sure, when a building catches fire in the office above a showroom perhaps the cars below will burn when the building collapses on them. Not seeing any relevance whatsoever but of course that wasn’t your intent. Be careful Don, you are getting to the point where it won’t just be your comment that gets deleted.
Your second link sure makes them seem on track with GM and Ford’s relatively recent history, I can’t tell if you think Ford and GM are quality operations or not? Or perhaps BYD is quite a bit better since BYD produces and sells significantly more volume of battery powered vehicles that people are actually buying and thus the mentioned recall pales in comparison to the ones involving the Bolt and the various incidents with the Lightning? Or are you trying to insinuate something about a cover-up such as Ford with the PowerShift transmission debacle or GM’s ignition fiasco amongst others?…But again, irrelevant.
Don, I’m not sure what any of your points here were. You certainly didn’t address anything beyond trying to double down. Let it go.
First I disagree with your claim that GM cars catch fire just as much as Chinese cars do. If 10 GM showrooms burned down, I doubt you would wave it away with yet another whataboutism like you do with BYD. What are the odds that all 10 BYD showrooms had bad wiring. The Reuters article which you dismissed stated that the cars had a history of catching fire. There are numerous videos on social media complaining about cars catching on fire. Which story do you think is more likely?
Why do you use GM as a benchmark for everything? If car maker X has a car with a defect, then why is it no big deal if some GM car also had the same issue on a much smaller scale? GM won’t be BYD’s biggest competition unless it decides to make full size petroleum powered pickups and SUVs. Tesla will be. Why no comparison with Tesla?
I have seen Chinese cars, in person before. I don’t remember if it was a BYD because they all look like old Toyotas to me and I have known people who have owned them long term, their view is much different than yours. They view Chinese cars as being less desirable than Western brands. Most people buy Chinese cars because they are cheap and they can only get Western brands at huge mark ups.
Finally please do not call people names, insult them, or threaten them simply because they disagree with you.
Where did I claim that GM cars catch fire just as much as anyone else, show me that quote please. In fact in the case of the Bolt, their only EV sold in any substantial volume to date in the U.S., I understand that there are 19 confirmed cases of fire attributed to the original batteries, 18 of those to the first generation of 2019 and earlier. Out of a total of several hundred thousand sold, that’s a quite small number. I don’t take social media seriously because it lacks context and it has been shown that negativity sells more and attracts more eyeballs than positivity.
I don’t (and did not here) use GM as a benchmark, I mention GM because they themselves currently import Chinese-manufactured product (Buick Envision) just as Ford do with the Lincoln Nautilus as well as Volvo and some others. In other words, explaining that Chinese quality seems to be acceptable for Western manufacturers such as our own “home team” to slap their label on and sell them alongside their other products at prices in line with their other offerings. But when it comes to actually directly competing against them, everyone runs scared and looks for protection. If Chinese vehicles really are as crappy as you and others seem to believe, what is everyone afraid of? Tesla, btw, doesn’t import Chinese made vehicles into the US, but they do into Canada (for now), although that is likely to change very soon.
I don’t particularly care one way or the other if you like BYD’s current styling or engineering, but the ones that “look like old Toyotas” are likely nowhere near current models, the first BYD’s I’m familiar with look like the first-gen Hyundai Elantra and were used as taxis in central China for years (circa 2009). Old Toyotas are generally considered to be excellent cars though. GM is certainly scared of BYD as a manufacturer/competitor, Ford’s CEO has actually recently said so (specifically that the US industry needs to adapt, improve, or merely become a small regional player selling one type of product as they will be surpassed by everyone else, realizing that pinning all your hopes on one type of product (large trucks) is not necessarily a winning formula). Elon Musk of Tesla openly mocked BYD a decade ago, this year he is the first to admit and verbalize that they are his biggest legit competition everywhere except the US.
BYD builds far more than just EVs, the one featured above is not an EV, it’s a hybrid, the exact market segment that everyone is hailing as the segment starting to really take off in our market. As I said I have not driven one, but I have been in several current models and they look and feel just like anything from any other manufacturer from the US, Japan, Western Europe, or South Korea, i.e. competitive on the surface at least.
You’re welcome to disagree with me just as I disagree with you. I take issue with you just dropping off video and photo grenades in various posts with zero text or explanation of what your point is, or in other cases one sentence comments such as the one you left here on 8/18 that adds zero to the discussion besides insinuating that old Ladas and Yugos are comparable to BYD’s current offerings. In those cases I just assume you are trolling given zero other context and wonder why you even bother to read the post, given your level of (non)-interest in the subject matter.
Oh dear, that Craptiva is simply dreadful to look at… Thankfully we only got the previous generation of (Holden) Captiva – a workmate had one, it was unpleasant. Still a reasonable number around, as well as plenty of new BYDs and Pug 3008s.
On the Peugeot bandwagon, we own a 508 RXH and a 308 SW, so when they’ve been in for servicing I’ve had the opportunity to drive a couple of 3008s, as well as its Citroen platform-mate, the C5 Aircross. Both are great to drive – the Peugeot sportier, the Citroen comfier. I thought the Peugeot interior looked too sci-fi when it was released, but in person I find it works well and I like it a lot. Looking at the instruments above the small steering wheel felt quite natural after about a minute – although it helped that my old R33 Nissan Skyline’s Momo steering wheel was similarly tiny. There are some really interesting textures and detail design going on inside and out; I feel Peugeot’s current styling stands out in the marketplace.
I parked next to a C5 Aircross recently two Citroens in a tiny backwater village in the Hokianga is a rare sight it is as big as my C5 but without the clever suspension its taller no doubt weighs more engine range doesnt include the one I have which for diesels is the one to have, do they not have a sport suspension setting and auto ride height adjustment, sounds like I’d prefer my car.