Here's What Jalopnik Readers Think About Chinese Cars

Chinese cars are coming. How soon is anyone's guess, but I'd be surprised if a major Chinese brand isn't selling cars in the United States by the end of the decade. I wanted to know how the readers of Jalopnik felt about that, so I asked them. Over the weekend I posed a question to the Jalopnik commentariat, asking them to weigh in on how they would feel about Chinese cars sold here. Naturally, their answers did not disappoint. 

The people who stand to benefit from proliferation of AI like to say that it is "inevitable." Based on how AI seems to siphon money and natural resources from the world in exchange for making everything more expensive and reducing employment. Whether humanity will be willing to accept that trade off forever, I'm not so sure. However, I would argue that Chinese cars are actually inevitable. The Chinese auto industry not only benefits from the world's largest economy and serious support from its government—in ways the U.S. government will never support an industry—but its products seem to have already been widely embraced by almost every other major car-buying country on the planet. 

The United States is the second largest car-buying market, ahead of Europe and behind China itself, and the Chinese brands desperately want access to the U.S. market. For now the government is implementing protectionist trade practices to keep the domestic Big Three from facing stiff competition from China. The rumors of America's free market capitalism are greatly exaggerated. 

With newly announced tariffs on cars built in Canada, it seems the current administration won't be happy until the only cars on the road in America are built here. Do we really want to see ourselves become Brazil? Without competition, American cars will only continue to get more expensive and lower quality. That doesn't seem like the kind of car I want to buy. 

There seem to be three camps of people in the Chinese car debate, mostly for, mostly against, and unsure. Let's go through some of these answers. If you have input, or didn't get an opportunity to answer this question when it came around the first time, jump in the comments and let us know. Let's dig in.

I thought we believed in capitalism here in Murrica, don't we? May the best cars ("best" being defined as "suitable to the market") win, no?

Suggested by Michael Smith

This comment is at least seasoned with a little bit of sarcasm, but it's increasingly clear that the U.S. government is actively picking winners and losers. We haven't ever had a truly free market, but it's becoming less free by the day. 

Terminal-stage capitalism symptoms.

I honestly don't see how American automakers survive this without partnering with Chinese automakers (like they are already doing). I live in a de-facto U.S. protectorate, and if most of the Geely, SAIC, BYD and Dongfeng products overwhelming our streets make it past 3 years here without major issues, there will be no American car (or European, Japanese, Korean, etc) market share to talk about.

The more the U.S. waits, the more difficult it will be for traditional automakers to survive. Or maybe they continue to choose protectionism over the long run to ensure the original (?) Three survive. Truth now is U.S. made cars make very little sense in the Global South. Most "American" cars here are really made in Mexico 😆

Do not be afraid of China. China is ruled and driven by Workers, not oligarchs, despite what CIA, Mossad and the ruling Epstein-class say and have all others parrot around. Every time you hear slander towards China, communism and socialism, there is a terrified oligarch mobster paying for it.

Suggested by Ideas Nuevas

Three years is really all the American consumer needs from a car before they trade it in for the next new thing and roll their negative equity into the next car. 

Americans always hear politicians refer to our 'free market' credentials, but successive administrations have effectively blocked importation of inexpensive Chinese vehicles. The US gov't enacts rules, regulations and tariffs to effectively create a protectionist and captive market for the Big Three, Japanese, Korean and Euro brands. But does the average American benefit in any way as new car prices hover around $50K, and used around $27K?

The strange thing about this is that the Chinese are working the 'free market' and expanding market share globally. Their cars have increased in quality and people want them. Granted, their gov't subsidizes their auto industry, but historically, we've done the same, so that point is moot.

Bottom line... I would certainly allow Chinese vehicles to be sold in the US, but it would put a serious hurt on US auto manufacturers.

Suggested by Darren Rosenbaum

Perhaps it's a little ironic that the 2009 auto industry bailout was intended to see American automakers invest in their future competitiveness, building new infrastructure for hybrid and electric vehicles. Unfortunately, the American way dictates that corporations only look three months into the future at a time, and that capital has to be reserved for stock buybacks. 

If you want good American cars, good Chinese cars in direct competition are the best way to make that happen. Otherwise, American manufacturers have little incentive to improve/innovate.

Suggested by Cax

Yeah, it really does go against the American way to build higher quality and innovative products simply because your customers deserve better. Why improve when you can rest on your laurels?

A rising tide lifts all ships.

Republicans (pre-MAGA) claim to the party of free markets. I have not ridden in a Chinese car, but I have seen plenty all over Europe. They look great, and I'm jealous.

In the US, we are stuck with bloated, expensive, inefficient trucks and SUVs by a dwindling number of "domestic" manufacturers, all of whom receive big government bailouts every few years to stay in business because of poor business models.

Bring in the Chinese, it'll force the big three to deliver more competitive, efficient, and innovates models.

It really is only a matter of time anyway.

Suggested by Dan123

You are far more optimistic than I am. Americans have been conditioned to be such price-conscious consumers that I fear it will be a bloodbath. As you will see in the next group of answers, the only fight American car buyers can put up against Chinese cars are jingoism and propaganda.

Chinese cars being sold in the US will break the back of the greedy and corrupt UAW. Democrats won't allow it to happen

Suggested by kajohns64

A fascinating response. I would love to see an analysis of your brain scans. 

They don't meet the DOT safety regs for airbags, lighting and crash testing.

put all that into them and watch the price climb to were we are in the US.

Suggested by Steve Maurice

They don't meet DOT safety regs because they aren't tested for DOT safety regs, because they aren't sold here. Inexpensive Chinese cars are currently sold in Germany, where they meet TUV and Euro NCAP requirements, which are much more strict than DOT. In fact, the Euro NCAP five-star rated BYD Dolphin Surf is sold in Germany for just around 20,000 Euros (about $23,300). 

Never allow yourself to become dependent on your enemy for your needs.

Suggested by tigerseye

A suspicious mind creates its own isolation. If you view everyone as an enemy, you make no friends. 

You people who want these cars aren't paying attention. You have your collective heads in the sand, and you are ignoring the most critical issues just to save a buck.

Suggested by Cone Bunny

You've just described the American economy for the last 25 years. 

if you let a seagull in, it will eat your lunch.

Suggested by TN Cyclist

If you feed a seagull enough times, you have a pet. 

No. Hell no. No way. No thank you. This is an entire industry that is the result of years of Chinese protectionism, Chinese tech thievery, and over 100 billion dollars in subsidies. If you're thinking now about the bailouts that the American car companies (we are down to two) Ford didn't take money and GM got around 11 billion. And people screamed about it. If China were playing fairly, I'd say sure. They do not ever play fairly.

Suggested by David S

You're right, the United States is definitely playing fair on the global economic stage. Our government has definitely never committed acts of regime change and war crimes in an effort to uphold the interests of American corporations. We effectively built the Chinese tech and manufacturing industry into the behemoth that it is because we wanted cheap and plentiful labor. It's only fair that they used their government money to incentivize building stuff better than we ever could. 

Let them sell a capped number of cars in the US. 100,000 a year? Would be a win for everyone. Competition is good, letting China destroy US car industry is bad. Goldilocks was right, and Goldilocks is the right answer.

Suggested by Dan Kesten

This seems like a good compromise, though it will likely have similar impacts to what the import cap on Japanese cars had in the 1980s, pushing their cars upmarket and increasing prices for everyone. 

The Chinese car industry is currently in an unnatural state, much like what happened in the USA in the 1920's.

There are hundreds of companies all scrambling to be one of the last survivors as the domestic market deteriorates. They are dumping product into the rest of the world to maintain production, even at negative margin.

I would wait until they go through that shakeout and we know the remaining companies are actually selling cars for a profit before we open our arms and legs to their products.

Suggested by Vanillasludge

Much of that shakeout has already happened. China's "Big Four" state-owned manufacturers, SAIC Motor, FAW Group, Dongfeng Motor, and Changan Automobile, are the backbone of the industry with lots of joint ventures to their credit, and private powerhouses like BYD and Geely have moved up the rankings for sales volume recently.

I'm torn on the Chinese cars. Love the tech. Love the price. Also realize that interconnected cars that can be controlled electronically could pose a risk to a nation. It's not too hard to imagine them being stopped on every bridge over every overpass and under every underpass in the country at once. It's not a giant sci-fi leap to get there. Sucks but still a potential reality.

It's also not a leap for these things to become a modern Christine, whether it's a Tesla or a Chinese car. It locks your doors. It threatens to destroy you unless you key in your PIN number to initiate a bank wire. sounds paranoid & unlikely today but I bet it won't 10 years from now.

Suggested by Bernie Knaus

I think you may have been watching too many science fiction TV shows. 

America & Wall Street has erased every reason on ethical grounds of not buying products from China. The US made China great again for a buck. Not only if their products fare well in quality but if they build the car designs we actually want, hell yeah. The American consumer will buy them......if we still have a job. Support your local Private Equity Firm /S.

Suggested by Nomoto

Blackrock, State Street, and Vanguard all thank you for your service.