Unsafe Chinese cars? OUCH!

[kaisen]

Chinese Brilliance BS6.
Okay, I know this video is in German, but you'll still get it:



Story here: http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/22/brilliance-bs6s-adac-crash-test-is-anything-but/

"For all the crowing about Chinese cars and how they're an inevitability, if this is the kind of safety that they'll bring with them, have fun finding buyers. Back in April, Brilliance's head honcho said that this very model, the BS6, would be imported to the US either later this year or in 2008. You know what? Keep it."

[Porsche-O-Phile]

People are surprised by this?

[Christien]

I'm not at all surprised about these crash tests, in fact I'm getting really sick of hearing about cheap, poorly made goods imported from China (wheat gluten for pet food, kids toys with lead paint, etc.). Not sick of hearing stories about it, but sick of the fact that we keep importing garbage simply because it's cheap. When will people learn that you get what you pay for?

But for these cars to be sold in NA, they would have to pass DOT crash tests, would it not? So hopefully there'd be some weeding out of crappy cars. Are there measures in place to ensure that the cars supplied for crash tests are somehow better than the ones to be sold to the public?

[MRM]

I have a first hand example - with Porsche content, no less. Last August I flew into Beijing in a downpour. The family met me at the airport at about 10 pm and we hopped into a taxi to negotiate the trip home. Traffic was a nightmare and eventually we saw red flashing lights marking the inevitable accident. We came upon a small domestic car that had rear-ended another small car, pushing it into a Porsche Cayenne.

The first car was smashed, the driver hit the windshield and there was a huge star where he hit. He was sitting by the side of the road, obviously hurting but trying to look not hurt. The middle car was destroyed. The body was pushed back to both axles. The Cayenne was almost undamaged. It was hit on the left corner of the rear bumper and it looked as though someone had backed into it in a parking lot accident.

The star on the windshield was pretty bad but the driver's head didn't go all the way through. That, combined with the speed traffic was traveling before the accident suggested to me that the first impact was about 30 MPH.

[on-ramp]

i think that passenger compartment is made from plastic to reduce cost.

[kaisen]

As someone else commented, it looks like they wanted the whole car to be a crush zone.

[thrown_hammer]

China! Pffft. Korea is where it's at baby!

[HardDrive]

An unsafe Chinese product.....imagine that.

[nostatic]

laugh all you want. They'll get it right eventually. Remember Kia and Hyundai when they first came to market?

Hubis is killing this country.

[lendaddy]

Is Hubis some sort of Cali weed?

Anyway, they will still sell. And I agree they will keep getting better but I doubt they'll ever be "good", that's just not what they do. They do adequate...cheaply.

[kaisen]

Originally posted by nostatic
laugh all you want. They'll get it right eventually. Remember Kia and Hyundai when they first came to market?

Hubis is killing this country.

I agree with you 100%. There, I said it. On record.

[nostatic]

You're thinking of kudzu

I agree that *today* they do adequate/cheap. But they are changing as a country. Soon they will be doing better than good. And we'll be left in the dust unless we get our act together. Unfortunately I don't see that happening...

[nostatic]

Originally posted by kaisen
I agree with you 100%. There, I said it. On record.

I'm getting worried. I've been in agreement with Higgins, now you. Even Len and I see eye to eye on some things. Next thing you know Sammy will make me a godparent to his kid or something

I think we are past a crossroads, and into desperation time. This entire country should be level red, not for terrorists, but for the loss of our world economic advantage. China and India are going to bury us. All the while we'll be watching reality tv and management will be pointing fingers and cashing fat bonus checks, while unions bleed us dry and cash fat bonus checks. The schools will focus more on test scores and less on creativity, while colleges go bankrupt charging ridiculous amounts of money for antiquated modes of information delivery, only to be propped up by foreign enrollment...who get their degree then go back to China or India to continue burying us.

[lendaddy]

I agree that we are headed for a hurtin', though I doubt we agree as to why.

Socialism and over regulation of business has killed us. There is no good reason to run a business here other than to be closer to the customer.

We should be proud of and nurture our businesses, they are our lifeblood. Instead we seem to be trying harder than ever to force them out.

[teenerted1]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
I agree. They will get it right in the near future. After all, adding more steel and safety bars to the car, whereas in the US that would cost $350, in China, it costs $3.50.

-Wayne

maybe we can get that up to $35 if we stop sending them all our recycled steel, and make them pay fair market prices for the other raw materials we send for them to send back as finished products...

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by teenerted1
maybe we can get that up to $35 if we stop sending them all our recycled steel, and make them pay fair market prices for the other raw materials we send for them to send back as finished products...

They buy our steel on the free market, but not as much any more as they are now the worlds largest exporter of steel. Yea that's right, didn't take long either.

[teenerted1]

just looked at the video
looks like the need to keep some of that extra steel and install it in some of their cars.

[kaisen]

I'm not sure that a few reinforcements here and there will correct the performance of that car. It's structural engineering looks to be deeply flawed. But, they WILL get it right, maybe on their next design (copy?).

[NICKG]

remember the name CHAMCO...you will be hearing alot from them. Based right next to me (1 door away), they are planning to have a $2500 car in the USA by 2010. I beleive they just hired a guy named Steve Saleen as the point guy...

[kaisen]

Steve Saleen: from $250,000 S7's to $2,500 Chamcos.
Insane or brilliant, you choose.