MG/ Chinese plan massive global expansion within 2 years......

[TStag]

According to some other forum MG is planning to open a new car factory in China, Russia, Vietnam and one in the USA (in Oklahonma). These will be in addition to a plant already open in China and a plant in the UK. They also plan to relaunch Austin Motor cars within the next 3 years on top of all this.

 

Just thought it was worth mentioning. I think some people tend to think that thhe Chinese aren't going to be a threat, but MG's plans are funded by a major investment bank in China and all the engineering and design is being done by UK companies. They plan to sell fast cars at a good price with a minimum of 5 years warranty.

 

MG is just the tip of the iceberg I think. Sure they have some way to go but are the Americans, Europeans and Japanese ready for the Chinese car industry to roll into town I wonder?

[TStag]

:lastyear:

 

Ok, ok, but I'm not sure people thought they would get so far so fast....

[Catalepsy]

Chinese would not have gotten this far without the Americans building cars there. Technology transfer will evetually threaten us. However, we need the cheap labor... My personal experience with Chinese cars is best described as driving a car with a wheel missing. They are horribly styled, grossly underpowered (like pedal to the metal to go up a mild incline), poor reliability, and you're pretty much dead in any accident.

 

They will probably correct all that in a few years because they do imitate extremely well. They can make copycat products like nobody's business. My feeling on it is...Cars are different than CDs or clothing. Americans have an emotional connection with our cars. Do we want to buy a car knowing that the government owned company is doing forced abortions, murder/imprison political decedents, brutalizing Tibet, and so on and so on.

 

 

 

 

Ok, ok, but I'm not sure people thought they would get so far so fast....

[atomcat68]

Chinese would not have gotten this far without the Americans building cars there. Technology transfer will evetually threaten us. However, we need the cheap labor... My personal experience with Chinese cars is best described as driving a car with a wheel missing. They are horribly styled, grossly underpowered (like pedal to the metal to go up a mild incline), poor reliability, and you're pretty much dead in any accident.

 

They will probably correct all that in a few years because they do imitate extremely well. They can make copycat products like nobody's business. My feeling on it is...Cars are different than CDs or clothing. Americans have an emotional connection with our cars. Do we want to buy a car knowing that the government owned company is doing forced abortions, murder/imprison political decedents, brutalizing Tibet, and so on and so on.

I don't believe this. Americans don't care about America and would buy a car built by the Taliban if it was sold here. Americans are brainwashed to believe everything made in America is the worst crap ever. The Chinese will come and kick ass.

There are 2 types of American industry. 1. the ones who were taken over by foreign competition, and 2. the ones who weren't taken over yet.

[NickF1011]

Ok, ok, but I'm not sure people thought they would get so far so fast....

 

So far so fast? Where can I buy a Chinese car today?

[Catalepsy]

I guess I'm not that down on America just yet. Chinese is not only a threat to America, but they are a much bigger threat to the Japanese and Koreans. However, the Chinese have some issues too...with wealth & education, people will demand more freedom. I suspect eventually there will have to be a show down. How it will turn out is anyone's guess.

 

 

 

 

I don't believe this. Americans don't care about America and would buy a car built by the Taliban if it was sold here. Americans are brainwashed to believe everything made in America is the worst crap ever. The Chinese will come and kick ass.

There are 2 types of American industry. 1. the ones who were taken over by foreign competition, and 2. the ones who weren't taken over yet.

[jpd80]

Chinese would not have gotten this far without the Americans building cars there. Technology transfer will evetually threaten us. However, we need the cheap labor... My personal experience with Chinese cars is best described as driving a car with a wheel missing. They are horribly styled, grossly underpowered (like pedal to the metal to go up a mild incline), poor reliability, and you're pretty much dead in any accident.

 

They will probably correct all that in a few years because they do imitate extremely well. They can make copycat products like nobody's business. My feeling on it is...Cars are different than CDs or clothing. Americans have an emotional connection with our cars. Do we want to buy a car knowing that the government owned company is doing forced abortions, murder/imprison political decedents, brutalizing Tibet, and so on and so on.

 

Like the Buick Park Avenue.

Remember, Hyundai and Toyota were laughed as crappy cars. Toyota took 20 years to build its name, Hyundai 10 years, China? see the pattern.

[156n3rd]

Thinking globally........instead of building and buying more cars..............why not re-introduce the iron horse (no, not motorcycles) to the public. You know, mass-transit and trains. End pollution and global warming. Put train lines across America again and un-clog the roads!

[TStag]

The interesting thing is that the Chinese are planning to ship highly specked MG ZT's to the UK with a lot of kit on and a 5 year warranty for £14500. The car in question is a few years old, but it's Mondeo sized and was heavily influenced by BMW when it was designed, in many ways it's very similar in quality to the Jaguar X type (and is about the same age). IMO the car is better than anything coming in from outside Europe (e.g Kia) and it's better value than most cars on sale. A brand new Mondeo for example start at 15k with low spec. But the MG ZT is fully loaded at that price.

 

Whilst this in itself may not be anything to panic about, it's worth considering that the Chinese are paying the Brits to design and engineer all the cars. They simply recruited all the old MG engineers and brought a few more people in from Lotus and Arup. In other words they already have the ability to match the West! I even heard that when they bought MG they also got production lines installed by BMW and then moved some of them to China. The production lines are some of the most advanced in the world, apparantly, and are being operated by some of the lowest paid people in the world.

 

To top things off MG has a brand with serious equity in the UK and a following in the USA. Ok, so this may be one Chinese company to have bought a Western Car maker. But how long before other's go the same way?

[retro-man]

Do we want to buy a car knowing that the government owned company is doing forced abortions, murder/imprison political decedents, brutalizing Tibet, and so on and so on.

Take a walk through the hardware store and start reading labels. Then the electronics store. Then the clothing store. Then the toy store. You might pose the same question to the executives and shareholders at Hasbro, Mattel, Stanley, Black and Decker, General Electric, Nike, etc. etc. etc.. I'm afraid the verdict is in about what Americans will buy: "Everyday low prices!" (Where's that vapid little smiley-face icon?)

Edited May 21, 2007 by retro-man

[NickF1011]

Thinking globally........instead of building and buying more cars..............why not re-introduce the iron horse (no, not motorcycles) to the public. You know, mass-transit and trains. End pollution and global warming. Put train lines across America again and un-clog the roads!

 

Would be a grand idea, but there's a few problems:

 

1. Who is going to pay for it?

 

Unless they raised taxes or took funding from somewhere else, it wouldn't be the government doing it. I don't see any private enterprises willing to take on such a task either.

 

2. How are you going to convince anyone to actually use it?

 

Despite high gas prices, people are still driving more than ever. People love their cars, they love the freedom associated with driving anywhere they go. Convincing them to use mass transit on a large scale is going to be difficult.

 

3. Where do you build it?

 

Out in rural areas this isn't much of a problem, but once you start approaching large metro areas such as those along the east coast, you start to run into logistical nightmares when trying to get people to agree to let a railroad run through their back yards.

[Catalepsy]

Well, my entire point was that cars are different than DVD players or some toys. I think Americans have an emotion connection with our cars. Although I do also propose that most Americans are not aware of the horrifying things the Chinese government do. The media obviously do not report any of it because it is not of American interest for Americans to stop buying Chinese (since we invested so heavily in the country as you stated).

 

I do a lot of business in China and I go there often (as in 4-5 times a year). It's just one of those countries where if you say 1 bad word about the government, you are gone. See all this Bush bashing in the US and Clinton before...that would never happen in China because they killed everyone that disagreed with their leadership.

 

I guess you are probably right...most Americans will be too concerned with TV shows, video games, the latest trends, food and Paris Hilton to care what they buy. Plus the media and commercials are way too powerful...and we are way too conditioned to realized we are becoming zombies.

 

 

 

 

Take a walk through the hardware store and start reading labels. Then the electronics store. Then the clothing store. Then the toy store. You might pose the same question to the executives and shareholders at Hasbro, Mattel, Stanley, Black and Decker, General Electric, Nike, etc. etc. etc.. I'm afraid the verdict is in about what Americans will buy: "Everyday low prices!" (Where's that vapid little smiley-face icon?)