Quote:
Originally Posted by Deschodt
I recently took a trip to costa rica, and saw the change from 15, 10 and 5y ago...
That is a country where there always were a lot of european cars we don't even get but also asian brands we'd never heard of... The local gov't does not forbid or seem to restrict Chinese imports...
Today every other car is Chinese. The cheaper euro brands are essentially gone.. There are a few Audis, porsches, BMWs but that's it... the rest has been completely replaced by brands you never heard of. I stopped counting after 15 ! Brands that sometimes you cannot even read the name of, looks like pictograms. Chinese makers prefer creating new brands vs new models under each brand. It's like setting foot on an alien planet.. The net result is it's now absolutely undrivable in the capital because the Chinese cars are so much cheaper (actually decent too) that as a result the number of cars on the road feels like double what it was, gridlock everywhere.
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I noticed the same thing in Bangkok earlier this year.
I envision the high end European brands will stay around but be forced to stick to the high end boutique market and dramatically cut back on production.
China will take over the vast majority of the car market. The few electric Chinese cars I've ridden in were every bit as good as any low to mid range European or Japanese car and they can't compete with China on price without tariffs.
And if the world decides hybrids are the better way to go, I expect China will step up and fill that market too.