[karles]

Are people willing to gamble on long-term economic growth and prosperity (locally) by buying a chinese car for the individual, personal savings/value?

I can't help but feel this is a very shortsighted strategy for buyers. The world is pretty unstable at the moment, and throwing a huge industry in the hands of China for the sake of getting a cheaper/bigger ("I want MORE for LESS") car, seems awfully risky.

It also seems to be in direct contradiction with the whole nationalist agenda that is sweeping across the west these days...

[rightbyte]

So e.g. Danes would buy BMW:s over BYD out of patriotic duty or what? Almost no one cares. There is some 'irrational' support for local brands but many countries have none.

The European and Amrican car manufacturers are full of them self and want to sell premium vehicles to rich people. That is the fundamental problem. Covid gave them hubris.

[herbst]

As European but not German or Czech I couldn't care less about where my car was made. The idea of a 'local' car doesn't really exist, when there is no car industry in your own country.

[karles]

You're wrong. Factually wrong. Plenty of smaller companies deliver parts and services to the European car industry. Here in Denmark, Danfoss had to fire 200 people because of Volkswagens decline.

Buying a chinese car means that you directly support the chinese regime, and that you directly undermine a "local" European competitor.

But if you're fine with that, and you just want the "biggest car for the least amount of money", you do you.

[ElevenLathe]

I'm from Michigan and this whole debate looks a lot like ones that I've seen talking place about "buying American" my whole life. At one time in my hometown, you would worry about getting keyed in parking lots if you drove a "foreign" car. I'm told that even earlier, Fords and Chryslers were at risk (it being a GM town).

Ultimately though, even the "Detroit" automakers decamped, first from the cities themselves to the suburbs, then to nonunion states in the South, and finally to Mexico and overseas. Meanwhile, foreign automakers invest heavily in their North American facilities.

There's nobody keying Hondas in the high school parking lot during home games anymore.

The point is that, no matter how much we want locally made cars, and to take pride in the work and industry of our neighbors and countrymen, we can't impact this as consumers. Moralize all you like about your car purchase, but your behavior one way or another won't stand in the way of transnational capital flows.

[herbst]

So there is car Industrie in Denmark? That's what I am saying.

[lnsru]

I simply have fear, that Chinese cars will have horrible problems with the availability of spare parts. I don’t want to wait 2 years for replacement door or hood after small accident. First teslas had horrible drivetrain parts. I don’t want volunteer as a test driver for Chinese brands.