[StarrySky]

Never say never!

I actively seek to avoid buying stuff with a Made in China label, and Chinese brands. Even if it is a well-known brand, I have a habit of scanning the internet to check if the parent company is Chinese. Avoiding Made in China stuff is quite difficult, but avoiding Chinese brands has been easier so far.

But with the way the automobile market is going, who knows? Well, I guess there will still be Tesla from Giga Berlin to fall back on

[shancz]

Voted No.

To me, the form, underpinnings, fuel, powertrain etc. all have to sync in as one and keep the inner me happy. The Chinese anyway lose on some of those fronts.
But for purely emotional reasons, not going close to any Chinese vehicle, EV or ICE.

While the intertwined relationships in the globalised world with People's Republic of China as the "factory" and especially when it comes to electronics and Li-Ion batteries is a fact. I would rather take a route of minimal involvement of the said place rather than give up and accept their products.

[EeshanChatterje]

Tbh, if BYD was allowed a factory in India, I would most likely consider it. In the absense of the same, I am iffy as if there is any kind of geopolitical tensions between India and China, availability of spares can become very challenging. It probably won't get to something like this, but why take the chance!

The EVs being launched by Indian makers, even with chinese / german parts will be pretty good, imo. in that scenario, I'm very confident that my next vehicke is an EV by Tata / Mahindra - 3-4 years from now. That is, if tesla is not yet in India.

The call option on FSD is just too tempting to pass up.

[Pennant1970]

Originally Posted by DicKy

NO.

Call it jingoism or whatever. Stubbornly stand by it.

As car enthusiasts we have our irrational, emotional reasons. Treat this as one.

Plus 1.

Nothing to do with border issues or ultra-patriotic fervour, but China under their present political setup is an inimical state. Most, if not all "private businesses" tithe to the Xi regime and caucus. I cannot bring myself to contribute to such a regime, even if it is microscopic in portion.

Of course, I also am against battery based electric vehicles due to environmental reasons. But that argument is for another day .

[qaqa]

The base technology for Chinese EVs is definitely mature, especially compared to other offerings in the Indian market. Chinese manufacturers have the scale, depth of experience and integrated supply chains to come up with robust power trains.

Maybe the one nitpick I have is the typically "Chinese" quirks in their cars - odd designs (Atto3, dash), too much bling (Hector) etc. But these are minor points and the Chinese are really moving to mature neutral designs quickly.

Technically, I would have no hesitation in buying a Chinese EV. I would be more confident in its reliability and performance than most domestic or European makes.

However, the one thing that makes me take pause is the overall government policy towards Chinese car manufacturers. The government is already constraining what MG and BYD can do in the India market. If relationships with China sour further, I wouldn't be surprised if the government tries to push out Chinese makers. If at all the manufacturer is booted out from India, car owners will be in soup. Arm twisting by blocking imports of parts and spares is also possible. Maybe if the manufacturers all move to Govt blessed JVs (like MG's forced marriage with Sajjan Jindal) this risk would stand mitigated.

So, technically yes would be happy with a Chinese EV. Practically would wait for geopolitical issues to be sorted or JVs with Indians are in place before buying one.

[Mr.Ogre]

MG and BYD may have sorted EV's, however I am strongly biased towards Japanese (Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Mazda) and then Ford (not necessarily in that order) when it comes to buying cars.

Hence for me it is a resounding NO and I do not think that's ever going to change.

It has got nothing to do with "Chinese", because I have been using Android phones ever since and I am a big fan of Chinese made Android phones. I used iPhones for a few years and vowed to never go back to them unless somebody else is paying for it. I don't even want to talk about Samsung and LG android phones. They have been a major disappointment.

When it comes to automobiles though, I prefer to stick to the Japanese and Ford.

[ValarMorghulis]

Nope.

I don't have any product of any Chinese company at home. No Mi, Xiaomi, etc.

Products made in China and sold by different companies, yes. Example: iPhone.
But I wouldn't knowingly contribute to the PLA.

[MadinMumbai]

No. It’s a matter of perception. I would not be willing to buy a China made EV unless I can be sure that it adheres to the same quality standards as their product offerings across the world. It’s been my experience that China dumps, with the connivance of Indian businesses of course, inferior quality products on us. A car has too many safety and quality considerations to let slide a dip in quality, unlike the toxic toys and decorations flooding our homes in this festive season. Changing this perception will take a demonstrable effort from Chinese companies.

[sai_ace]

TW: Unpopular Opinion

Unless someone is paying you to pick a car or if someone is offering you a free car, there is no point in mixing patriotism in your purchase decisions. It is your hard hard earned money. You have already paid your due to your government through your direct taxes. On top of this you are paying them throughout your automobile purchase and ownership journey with indirect taxes.

Pick the car that works best for your from a pure automobile experience - cost, driving, ownership (maintenance) and service. Everything else is superfluous - including brand association, status, country of origin etc. Most in the latter list are just children of marketing.

In a nutshell, stop giving imaginary pats on the back for buying an Indian product simply because it is Indian. Indian cars have become so good today, that we need not buy them just because they are Indian. We can happily buy them because they are superior automobiles compared to their competition. Period.

In the same vein diss a Chinese car for being a poor car; not for being a Chinese car.


PS: I know I will receive a lot of Flak for the above, but this is my opinion, and for good or bad I will keep this as my first and last response on this topic.

[Comrade]

If we as a society can flaunt our Chinese-made (American-designed) iPhone Pro Max phones, then why shouldn't I buy a well-made EV from China. I have near and dear who are very happy with their MGs (ICEs as well as EVs) and BYDs, and I would not mind owning one myself.

Also, where do cars like Volvo EX30, Smart #1 by Mercedes etc fit in grand scheme of things? Don't they have Chinese involvement in considerable manner? Wouldn't we buy them?

It is a known fact that Chinese manufacturing is all over the spectrum, from bottom of the barrel to the world's best quality! Just rejecting products based on the country of origin is not smart spending. If a product is well-made but from China, I would still buy it.

[FiatDiesel]

Voted Yes. Why shouldn’t I buy if they are offering quality products at competitive prices?

Data security?? How about today’s news of leak of personal Aadhar data of 82 Cr Indians to Dark web!!

[RMN]

Voted, No. Mostly cause I always find Chinese products to have some sort of quirkiness/tackiness - not the interesting kind too. MG Hector, while a good car, I had the same feeling with slow ICE and some of the design choices. Same with the BYD EV - the styling of the air vents and the build quality of most of the elements were just not attractive.

[clementw]

There are two parts to this for me personally, would I buy a Chinese vehicle? Yes, considering that many of high tech products that we currently buy have a strong Chinese connection, the earlier fear of poor quality does not hold good anymore.
Would I buy an EV? At present no, because the desirable cars are imported and quite excessively priced, maybe if they are made in India and the price is affordable, yes.

[PreludeSH]

I will not. I don't think its inevitable to buy one. By the time I would own a EV, I could buy from others. Except for the batteries they produce in billions and might have a cost advantage how are their EVs superior ? They might seem value for money. But any normal car compared to German/Italians will also be value for money.

I still haven't made my mind to buy a Korean car (some hangover after long stay in US). So not an issue not buying a Chinese car in general and EV specifically.

[cdrajeevkumar]

Voted for "Yes Definitely"

1) Would you consider EV made by a Chinese manufacturer if not now, maybe 5 years down the lane? Yes/No. What are the reasons

5 Yrs down the line, YES but immediately, NO.
China has been dominating the EV segment for a long time now. They seem to have perfected the art of building an EV with true long range capabilities. So my bet would be on Chinese EV as the preferred choice by a vast majority of the population

2) At what price point compared to the current Nexon EV Long Range? Below or above?
Below Nexon EV Long Range

3) Would you wait for other markets experiences to see how durable these products would be in the long before deciding?

5 Yrs down the line, enough data would be available to make an informed decision. Even otherwise, given the affordability & popularity, it would be a given that Chinese EV is my preferred choice.

4) What is your biggest concern with a Chinese made EV? (Durability/Reliability? Data Privacy? Build quality/Quality concerns?

In the past, anything chinese was dubbed "Poor" in quality & durability. But that image has had a massive makeover with Chinese made goods, going the extra mile! So with that being addressed, I believe, everything ticks off!