SAIC in trouble? Others are growing, SAIC continues to decline.

[fred12345]

He does comment early on that MG calculations are as reliable as the Western brands.

He isn't talking about MG here.

Yes I noted that but it's this generalisation that Chinese cars are bad that I find annoying.

 

[AlexC]

Yes I noted that but it's this generalisation that Chinese cars are bad that I find annoying.

Exactly, Zeekr has beautiful looking cars (001, 007, 7X, X), BYD (2025 Seal looks great), Xpeng, Xiomi (SU7), all fantastic, and will kick legacy brands into bankruptcy, unless a major miracles happen, which will take massive investment in the whole supply chain (both USA, EU), automation, robots, minimal labour costs, and AI for FSD. GM is utterly dead, with no hope of revival under the current brain damaged leadership, and we see where VW is headed, with others to follow.

 

[Bam Bam]

Yes I noted that but it's this generalisation that Chinese cars are bad that I find annoying.

I think he is an honest reviewer.

He reviews Chinese cars all the time and says what he likes and dislikes.

Being a Norwegian professional car reviewer and early adopter of Tesla, he has a lot of EV experience and is worth listening to.

Though I suppose his reference point is often Tesla or the Korean brands he likes.

 

[AlexC]

I think he is an honest reviewer.

He reviews Chinese cars all the time and says what he likes and dislikes.

Being a Norwegian professional car reviewer and early adopter of Tesla, he has a lot of EV experience and is worth listening to.

Though I suppose his reference point is often Tesla or the Korean brands he likes.

I wish everyone would a) come up with informative video titles (and post titles) and b) add video chapter markers so everyone knows what information is covered.

 

[Anon70]

With SAIC being market leaders in a lot of tech they will probably have more partnership deals for components (battery packs) as well as making their own vehicles. So that should keep them around for a while.

MG to launch first electric car with solid-state battery in 2025 | Autocar

MG parent SAIC accelerates cheaper, more energy-dense batteries and the first is due in a production EV next year

www.autocar.co.uk

 

[AlexC]

With SAIC being market leaders in a lot of tech they will probably have more partnership deals for components (battery packs) as well as making their own vehicles. So that should keep them around for a while.

MG to launch first electric car with solid-state battery in 2025 | Autocar

MG parent SAIC accelerates cheaper, more energy-dense batteries and the first is due in a production EV next year

www.autocar.co.uk

Yeah, next 12-18 months is going to awesome for EV's and tragic for legacy auto. If you compare the EV's coming out of China to the Legacy EV's, it's beyond embarrassing, like comparing to horse and cart!
I'm hoping the next significant update of the Xpower has a long range version & sports seats. Apparently there should be an interior refresh early next year. The wireless charging / drive select panel is all wrong, needs to go lower like every other brand.

 

[Bam Bam]

I wish everyone would a) come up with informative video titles (and post titles) and b) add video chapter markers so everyone knows what information is covered.

Yeah, unfortunately making videos is all about having a clickbait thumbnail that makes people want to click - 'best ever?' 'worst ever?' etc.

Sadly that is a big part of the process and it has nothing to do with the quality of the content.

Yeah, next 12-18 months is going to awesome for EV's and tragic for legacy auto. If you compare the EV's coming out of China to the Legacy EV's, it's beyond embarrassing, like comparing to horse and cart!
I'm hoping the next significant update of the Xpower has a long range version & sports seats. Apparently there should be an interior refresh early next year. The wireless charging / drive select panel is all wrong, needs to go lower like every other brand.

I fear you are right about legacy auto, but it may take longer than a couple of years.

They will try to get their states to bail them out to save jobs.

Difficult to predict which ones will survive, but I can imagine some forced mergers and lots of surprises as happened with the British car industry in the 60s and 70s.

Germany, Japan and the USA are going to go through what the British industry went through as a result of German and Japanese competition.

Good for EVs?
I'm not sure a legacy auto disaster will be good for EVs. What would be best would be for the legacy brands to sort themselves out and make good value EVs.

Competition is good for the consumer.

The French government has at least realised what is going on and set Stellantis and Renault to making cheap EVs with big subsidies.

Ford and VW have been talking a good game but haven't cracked it.

 

[AlexC]

I fear you are right about legacy auto, but it may take longer than a couple of years.

They will try to get their states to bail them out to save jobs.

Difficult to predict which ones will survive, but I can imagine some forced mergers and lots of surprises as happened with the British car industry in the 60s and 70s.

Germany, Japan and the USA are going to go through what the British industry went through as a result of German and Japanese competition.

Good for EVs?
I'm not sure a legacy auto disaster will be good for EVs. What would be best would be for the legacy brands to sort themselves out and make good value EVs.

Competition is good for the consumer.

The French government has at least realised what is going on and set Stellantis and Renault to making cheap EVs with big subsidies.

Ford and VW have been talking a good game but haven't cracked it.

Yeah, there will be a lot of consolidation and partnerships. SAIC needs to unpartner with GM & VW, dragging them down. Chinese manufacturers are already buying up various brands, as happened with MG. Legacy auto is gonna have to do what China has/is doing to lead on EV's, massive automation, robotics, but it maybe too late already.

 

[riddick]

Yeah, there will be a lot of consolidation and partnerships. SAIC needs to unpartner with GM & VW, dragging them down. Chinese manufacturers are already buying up various brands, as happened with MG. Legacy auto is gonna have to do what China has/is doing to lead on EV's, massive automation, robotics, but it maybe too late already.

The problem is that automation is certainly important, but specifically at VW, there are unions that will be strictly opposed to anything they perceive as leading to layoffs. Reportedly, in Germany, it is quite difficult to lay someone off, especially when active unions are involved.

 

[AlexC]

The problem is that automation is certainly important, but specifically at VW, there are unions that will be strictly opposed to anything they perceive as leading to layoffs. Reportedly, in Germany, it is quite difficult to lay someone off, especially when active unions are involved.

Yes indeed, EU workers rights far superior to inadequate rights in USA. It's a tricky one, the UAW is going to bankrupt GM, do they want a payout now, or get next to nothing in 1-2 years time. But this is the nature of innovation & competition - compete, or die.

 

[DB Go Rex]

I agree range is random but works for me. I gave up on that YouTube video after 30 seconds.. "yo, what's up" "Chinese cars baaad" ...
What I paid for mine - although I don't like some bits and pieces too - I'm over the moon. Whether it stays that way or not, I don't know - same as with any cars when they go wrong ...

Bjorn Nyland has probably done more independent testing on Chinese EVs than anyone else out there. It is torture testing

He has also owned a gen 1 MG ZS EV (amongst a bunch of Tesla's).

You may not like the style but he 100% knows what he is talking about.

 

[Anon70]

Yeah, next 12-18 months is going to awesome for EV's and tragic for legacy auto. If you compare the EV's coming out of China to the Legacy EV's, it's beyond embarrassing, like comparing to horse and cart!
I'm hoping the next significant update of the Xpower has a long range version & sports seats. Apparently there should be an interior refresh early next year. The wireless charging / drive select panel is all wrong, needs to go lower like every other brand.

Starting to see speculation on this already, PetrolPed had a recent Youtube video discussing his thoughts and Dave from the Dave Take It On Youtube channel also has made his thoughts on this known on many occasions

 

[fred12345]

Yes I noted that but it's this generalisation that Chinese cars are bad that I find annoying.

Came across this:

• The Wall Street Journal detailed a 2023 test drive that Ford execs took in a Chinese electric SUV.
• CEO Jim Farley and CFO John Lawler were apparently shocked and impressed by the quality of the EV.
• "Jim, this is nothing like before," Lawler reportedly told Farley. "These guys are ahead of us."

Ford's CEO and CFO took a drive in a Chinese EV. What they said about it reveals a lot about the state of the US auto industry.

"These guys are ahead of us," Ford CFO John Lawler was said to have told the company's CEO, Jim Farley, after the two drove in a Chinese electric SUV.

www.businessinsider.com

 

[DB Go Rex]

Came across this:

• The Wall Street Journal detailed a 2023 test drive that Ford execs took in a Chinese electric SUV.
• CEO Jim Farley and CFO John Lawler were apparently shocked and impressed by the quality of the EV.
• "Jim, this is nothing like before," Lawler reportedly told Farley. "These guys are ahead of us."

Ford's CEO and CFO took a drive in a Chinese EV. What they said about it reveals a lot about the state of the US auto industry.

"These guys are ahead of us," Ford CFO John Lawler was said to have told the company's CEO, Jim Farley, after the two drove in a Chinese electric SUV.

www.businessinsider.com

I don't dispute Chinese maker's ability to build in quality and perceived quality.

They just can't write stable software.

I'd be interested to hear Jim Farely's opinion if he had live with the infotainment system and the safety systems on a BYD or a MG for year...

 

[Ruislip Resident]

I don't dispute Chinese maker's ability to build in quality and perceived quality.

They just can't write stable software.

I'd be interested to hear Jim Farely's opinion if he had live with the infotainment system and the safety systems on a BYD or a MG for year...

I've lived perfectly fine with MGs for just over 2 years now.

 

[fred12345]

I've lived perfectly fine with MGs for just over 2 years now.

I got mine in April and so far I can't complain either - few times I had to switch screens on audio and few times Satnav annoyed me by showing up fist on start-up instead of "home" screen but other than that - fine with me. Yes, I would love to change "desktop" settings and make it as I like it (would't we all?) but - the car works, I'm happy, so far no real reasons to complain ...

They just can't write stable software.

I can't comment on quality of software but considering this is all fairly new technology, few bugs here and there are to be expected I guess ... Do you know whether the software is the same for all MG models or not? If not, that could be part of the problem if they have 5 different ones for 5 different models ... Might improve further down the line when they have only one running for all models ...

 

[Bam Bam]

I don't dispute Chinese maker's ability to build in quality and perceived quality.

They just can't write stable software.

I'd be interested to hear Jim Farely's opinion if he had live with the infotainment system and the safety systems on a BYD or a MG for year...

EV Reviewers complain a lot about the software in legacy auto cars, especially VW.

I get the impression that it is Tesla (best all round) vs. Chinese (mixed but generally good) vs. legacy (very mixed).

 

[DB Go Rex]

I've lived perfectly fine with MGs for just over 2 years now.

With respect, Ruislip, you aren’t Jim.

 

[DB Go Rex]

EV Reviewers complain a lot about the software in legacy auto cars, especially VW.

I get the impression that it is Tesla (best all round) vs. Chinese (mixed but generally good) vs. legacy (very mixed).

Put it it this way… I’d take the usability and stability of my old Ioniq 38 kWh every time over the gen 2 ZS, even though the MG has a newer setup.

 

[Ruislip Resident]

With respect, Ruislip, you aren’t Jim.

Ok then. Whilst I can't speak for any other particular car of any model or brand, if he had, had my particular car over the past 2 years, it would have been perfectly fine, software / infotainment wise for over those 2 years. Unless the software would have behaved differently just for him.