Car Hire Lottery

[Jobbo]

I'm in Poland and currently have a BYD Seal hybrid.
[...]
for a cheap car

BYD use Seal in the name of various models and some aren't particularly cheap - the Seal saloon isn't for instance.
I am guessing it's a Seal U (SUV) because I saw tons of them as rental cars in Scotland earlier this year. Which is a bit cheaper. The Chinese are really doing well with interior quality on a budget now; the MG HS is similarly nice inside.

[V8Granite]

The material feels nice and the one I have doesn't have a single rattle or squeak. I do get a vibration when the engine kicks in though and when you hit a bumpy road it's far too firm and not really in control, it feels like it's much taller than it is and the space inside is pretty rubbish for the size of car.

It's much better than I was expecting and my moans may not be down to the make but down to how modern cars have to be maybe. The user interface is awful but I remember that from a few cars in the last few years, this is the most screen heavy car I've driven though.

Dave!

[Jobbo]

It's been a while since I drove the Seal saloon and I was impressed with everything about it except the way it drove, which was utterly forgettable. Great as a rental, ideal for people who don't like cars as an appliance. But the western car industry may die by a thousand cuts.

[dinny_g]

But the western car industry may die by a thousand cuts.

What's so different about the Chinese market when compared to other interrupters that have arrived ?

When Japanese cars arrived in the UK market in the late 60's and early 70's they found a foothold and and built a market share. Same with Korean cars. But then, no matter how good Japanese and Korean cars are, there have always been people who'll buy the Ford, buy the VW, buy the BMW etc.

The argument of "They're just as good only a lot cheaper" could have been said about Toyota's, Kia's etc but still, they have their share and the "western manufactures" have their market share.

The Corsa is still the best selling small hatch, the Golf, the best selling family hatch, the Fiesta the most popular second hand small car.

Financing a new BYD or Leap on a PCP is a very different prospect than buying one outright, on a HP deal after 3 or 4 years and with 70k or 80k miles on the clock.

I'm still not sure why the market is "Panicking"... apparently

[V8Granite]

My worry has always been the fact that they would happily just pull out of a market completely if it suited them and you would be left with a paperweight.

The fact that this BYD is not allowed on site because it is chinese, a national infrastructure site, is also a bit of a worry. We have had personal examples of the chinese industrial machine stealing information, parts etc.

Dave!

[Mito Man]

These Chinese cars are really impressive when you consider that they’re sold for half the price in China.

[Jobbo]

But the western car industry may die by a thousand cuts.

What's so different about the Chinese market when compared to other interrupters that have arrived ?

When Japanese cars arrived in the UK market in the late 60's and early 70's they found a foothold and and built a market share. Same with Korean cars. But then, no matter how good Japanese and Korean cars are, there have always been people who'll buy the Ford, buy the VW, buy the BMW etc.

The argument of "They're just as good only a lot cheaper" could have been said about Toyota's, Kia's etc but still, they have their share and the "western manufactures" have their market share.

The Corsa is still the best selling small hatch, the Golf, the best selling family hatch, the Fiesta the most popular second hand small car.

Financing a new BYD or Leap on a PCP is a very different prospect than buying one outright, on a HP deal after 3 or 4 years and with 70k or 80k miles on the clock.

I'm still not sure why the market is "Panicking"... apparently

A few things:
- A lot of the parts in modern cars will be Chinese-made even if the cars are assembled in Europe (electronics).
- China is massively more resource-rich than Japan, Korea etc
- Tariffs and trade agreements prevented the Japanese from flooding the market here. So Honda bought into Rover then built their own UK factory to get access to the market and did quite well. Toyota built a factory too. Nissan did and created the best-selling car of the 2010s, the Qashqai.
- Western car makers like VW, Ford, Stellantis etc are visibly struggling with reducing revenues and profits already. BYD has state backing; it is quite literally buying market share to push out the competition. It's not a fair fight.