Recently we ran a TimesLIVE poll asking South Africans whether they are ready to put their motoring prejudices aside and buy a Chinese car.
Earlier cars from that country were very affordable, but suffered build quality issues and Chinese carmakers quickly discovered that local motorists appreciate value for money, but they don’t do cheap-and-nasty. A number of brands, including Geely, Chana and Chery, quit the country after their budget-priced cars failed to attract decent sales.
Now Geely has returned with a range of new vehicles that are almost unrecognisable from their uninspiring predecessors. The new Tiggo SUVs have impressive levels of modernity, safety and sophistication with prices that still undercut more well-established brands. The same applies to Haval, with modern new offerings such as the H6 and the Jolion, and its sales have soared as a result.
Our poll sought to determine whether South Africans felt Chinese cars had crossed over into credibility, as happened with Korean brands Kia and Hyundai a number of years ago.
The tide seems to be shifting, though the poll results were close with 36.71% of respondents saying they would buy a Chinese car and 34.01% saying they wouldn’t.
Our poll dug a little deeper and 21.19% said that for the same price they’d rather buy a second-hand car from a better-known brand, 7.15% said they owned a Chinese car and were happy with it, and only 0.94% said they owned a Chinese car and were unhappy with it.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
POLL
Would you buy a Chinese car? Here’s how you voted
We asked whether South Africans are ready to put their motoring prejudices aside and buy Chinese cars, and the result may surprise you
Image: Supplied
Recently we ran a TimesLIVE poll asking South Africans whether they are ready to put their motoring prejudices aside and buy a Chinese car.
Earlier cars from that country were very affordable, but suffered build quality issues and Chinese carmakers quickly discovered that local motorists appreciate value for money, but they don’t do cheap-and-nasty. A number of brands, including Geely, Chana and Chery, quit the country after their budget-priced cars failed to attract decent sales.
Now Geely has returned with a range of new vehicles that are almost unrecognisable from their uninspiring predecessors. The new Tiggo SUVs have impressive levels of modernity, safety and sophistication with prices that still undercut more well-established brands. The same applies to Haval, with modern new offerings such as the H6 and the Jolion, and its sales have soared as a result.
Our poll sought to determine whether South Africans felt Chinese cars had crossed over into credibility, as happened with Korean brands Kia and Hyundai a number of years ago.
The tide seems to be shifting, though the poll results were close with 36.71% of respondents saying they would buy a Chinese car and 34.01% saying they wouldn’t.
Our poll dug a little deeper and 21.19% said that for the same price they’d rather buy a second-hand car from a better-known brand, 7.15% said they owned a Chinese car and were happy with it, and only 0.94% said they owned a Chinese car and were unhappy with it.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
MORE:
POLL | Would you buy a Chinese car?
Behind the price tag: are we paying too much for cars in SA?
SUV SHOOT-OUT | 2022 Chery Tiggo 8 Pro vs Haval H6
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos