10 Surprisingly Awesome Cars From China
Soon, car manufacturers fear that China may dominate the world’s car market. It is not hard to do as they already manufacture cars for top automobile manufacturers thanks to cheap labor and material. So, even if you wouldn’t buy a car directly from a Chinese manufacturer, you should consider that the car you are driving or thinking about may have been assembled in China. For instance, Volvos in the next few years will be built in China (and even some Chevys). Buying a Chinese car is not always a bad thing, but the Chinese are renowned for clones and subpar products. But who knows, maybe in the future, a Chinese car may be the only choice that you have.
Not all Chinese cars are outright garbage, but they do have a few that are questionable. They also have some good vehicles in the luxury car segment. When we think about Chinese brands, we think about Geely, FAW, Great Wall and Dongfeng. Usually, most of their designs are bad copies of the models we know and they may make the vehicles with parts that Japanese and Korean manufacturers refuse to use. Though they do have some questionable cars, many are actually pretty decent and affordable. Here are some Chinese cars that are good.
10. GEELY ICON CONCEPT
The Geely Icon looks very much like its design was copied from either Range Rover or Volvo XC40. If you don’t know Geely, you’re not alone, but it is soon expected that even the layman Chinese citizen will soon know about the manufacturer.
Because the car looks like a high-end SUV, it may have mass export appeal in the Asian markets especially if it costs a lot less than a popular manufacturer’s high-end SUV.
Despite being a concept car, it should soon go into production as Geely hasn’t produced a concept that has not gone into production within a year.
9. HONGQI CONCEPT
When we first saw the name Hongqi, we sort of thought we read Hyundai. We had to look twice. Hongqi is made by FAW a company known for making state limousines for China’s elitist class.
With this concept car, it seems as if they are trying to break into the coupe market, so the elite can drive themselves.
I don’t know about you, but this car looks like the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Concept car from its side profile. The Chinese are known for copying car designs and making clones, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they copied a million-dollar vehicle.
8. BRILLIANCE V3
The Brilliance V3 is a subcompact produced by Brilliance Auto and launched in China in 2015. The car actually deserves to be on this list because it is one of Brilliance’s best seller. If this car were exported to the US, it could cost less than $10,000. The V3 has a glitzy exterior and standard equipment. The car also comes with an extended warranty. Unlike most of the competitor cars on the market, the V3 actually has a unique look. In 2017, the car got a facelift, with chrome grills and connected headlamps. You can get this crossover with either a manual or automatic transmission.
7. QOROS 5
The Qoros 5 is designed and engineered in Graz by Magna Steyr. It’s not really popular out of China per say, but the vehicle is pretty decent.
It is one of the vehicles on this list that is comparable with a lot of the midsized SUVs that are offered in Europe.
This vehicle though is not one of the cheaper models offered in China, it is considered to be a premium and luxury vehicle that is valued at about US$29,000. A lot of people actually would not be willing to buy an unnamed vehicle for this price in other markets, no matter how good it is.
6. CHANGAN EADO
The Changan Eado is a pretty decent midsized sedan that has excellent design, performance, handling, fit, finish and generally a good overall quality. It was designed in Turin and it is a sedan that you want to love, as it looks good and drives well. It may be a bit pricey for an unknown car manufacturer, retailing a little under US$16,000 for its fully loaded model that comes with leather seats. A comparable SUV may retail for a bit more, but consumers may prefer to buy a car from a manufacturer that they are familiar with, even if it’s more expensive to do so.
5. LUXGEN U5 COMPACT CROSSOVER
The Luxgen is a Chinese manufactured vehicle that is on par with European manufacturer’s offerings. While some compare the Luxgen U5 to the Toyota CH-R that it mimics, it is unfair to compare both cars because while he fully loaded version comes with a continuously variable transmission, it costs a lot less than the CH-R that has similar features and power. Another impressive feature of the car is the size of its touchscreen which is an impressive 12 inches. If you are in the market for a car, and you also have a budget, you should definitely get it.
4. WEY R57
Wey has sort of become a household name in China as the premium brand of Great Wall Motors, similar to how Acura is Nissan’s. Nonetheless, their R57 is a model that they plan to export to Europe and the US by the start of 2020. The R57 is one of their models that has a high perceived quality. The design is pleasing, and Wey has put in a lot of effort into branding the product, but we are not yet certain about the drive dynamics. Nonetheless, we wish Wey and Great Wall Motors all the best with their efforts to outsource to the US with the new tariffs.
3. GEELY X1
The Geely X1 is shorter than the Ford Ka small car. A top of the line model in this car would retail for under US$9,000 in China and you can get the base model for about $6,000.
It seems as if you get a lot of value for your dollar in China.
The Ka+ a comparable car, retails for about $11,500 if you were to get it in Germany. So, if you ever move to China and you want a small car to navigate the city, or you get the opportunity to get your hands on this car, you should get it.
2. DONGFENG A9 AEOLUS
Dongfeng is known for their line of pure electric cars, hybrids, multipurpose vehicles, and dual fuel cars. This is a pretty decent idea in a country that is known for having one of the highest carbon emissions in the world.
This car definitely gets some attention and established Dongfeng as a serious competitor in the Chinese automobile market.
If the manufacturer was more popular, consumers would have begged Dongfeng to put the concept sport electric vehicle into production.
1. FORD ESCORT
You may actually be a bit surprised to see the Ford Escort on this list considering that Ford is an American manufacturer. However, the Escort has been on sale since 2015 in the country and some have actually manufactured in China. Even if the vehicle is assembled in China, we are aware that Ford manufactures some of the best vehicles we know. The Escort is also popular in Europe. The one sold in China though has been facelifted and it is a really decent small saloon that can be used as a city car, transporting most of the family comfortably.
