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You would be happier in a Chinese car

Worldly-Upstairs2020 | 2026-03-17 06:44 | 2 views

A bit long but there needs to be some background.... It took Toyota half a century to become the dominant player in the then highly protected Australian car market. Toyota used (and still does use) Australia's harsh environment as a proving ground to create arguably the most reliable motor vehicles on sale in the world today. It wasn't easy. They struggled for a while with a reputation for being cheap and nasty, nobody wanted to buy "Jap Crap". They overcame this to eventually become Oz's top selling brand, a position they have held for nearly quarter of a century. Fast forward to today and the Chinese have taken a leaf out of the Japanese playbook, except it's a lot easier now as Australia no longer has much of a car industry to protect. Oz also has a free trade agreement with them. So the Chinese can sell their vehicles tariff free into a rich western country with discerning buyers. To be able to test in the harsh environment unhindered is a bonus. Canstar Blue is one of Australia's ratings agencies that use both consumer and expert advice and surveys to rank brands across multiple areas. It is arguably the major ranking organisation for motor vehicles. This is their 2025 vehicle brand rankings for customer satisfaction. They polled people for vehicles purchased in the last 5 years: 1. GWM - Great Wall Motors 2. Mercedes Benz 3. BYD - Build Your Dreams 4. MG 5. Toyota 6. Ford 7. Kia 8. Mazda 9. Nissan 10. Honda Three of the top 5 brands are Chinese, as are 2 of the top 3. This isn't just about reliability - Toyota gets five stars for that, but overall customer satisfaction. Interestingly GWM gets 4 stars for reliability. On a related note Ford Global CEO **Jim Farley** visited Australia in early March 2026 for a "transformational" trip aimed at addressing the intense competition from Chinese automakers, shaping future product strategy. Laughably, people are still writing the Chinese off, saying their products are cheap and nasty, same as they did the Japanese. The survey above shows that this doesn't hold water anymore. One final thing to ponder, the best selling ute (pickup) in Australia, for private buyers, is the BYD shark. [https://www.canstarblue.com.au/vehicles/overall/](https://www.canstarblue.com.au/vehicles/overall/) [https://www.drive.com.au/news/toyota-hilux-and-ford-ranger-not-as-popular-among-everyday-australians-as-it-may-seem/](https://www.drive.com.au/news/toyota-hilux-and-ford-ranger-not-as-popular-among-everyday-australians-as-it-may-seem/)

Comments (5)
Lost_Title_7528 2026-03-17 06:52

Don't you mean Japanese?

Prestigious_Load1699 2026-03-17 07:00

That’s an interesting survey. I have no experience with Chinese cars here in America.  For my part, Honda and Toyota remain the best overall car manufacturers. Japan still seems to be on its game.

Worldly-Upstairs2020 2026-03-17 08:40

A decade ago they were absolute garbage. Five years ago they were meh. Today they have some cars that are worth at least a look. The best example is probably the GWM Tank 300. It's one of the most capable offroad SUVs available for any money and it's cheap.

tobotic 2026-03-17 19:54

Currently I'm sitting on a comfy armchair in my home. I'm pretty happy. I can't imagine being outside in a car would make me happier.

christoph95246 2026-03-17 22:31

I am from Austria. My family has an Mercedes and MG, both electrical. What should I say. The Mercedes is the first e car from Mercedes on an actually e Plattform and not an modified fuel Plattform. It is around 9 to 10 years old by now and it used to have a range about 250km (officially 240) and nowadays you get a 160 to 180 depends on the driver. The MG officially has 420km and you are able to get 360 out of it with our most eco driver. And the range is literally the only point why I would take the mg from 2024 instead of the Mercedes. Literally everything in that fucking Chinese car feels wrong. It isn't particularly bad or bad designed. But everything lacks that last bit of being actually good. And if you think "oh yeah, that's an point. But the mg is far cheaper than the expensive Mercedes" Hell no, the first real e car from Mercedes was back then actually cheaper than the mg 8 years later and I included the inflation. It honestly bothers me every fucking time I drive the MG. How the hell is the Chinese car more expensive and worse at the same time? Before electric cars were a point my family mostly bought Toyotas. Toyotas are very fine and good to drive with low maintenance. VW is also pretty good. And if you think I am pro German cars, bmw feels a way more wrong than the mg. And another story. My brother had an accident (not his fault). The reparations needed more than half a year. It was extremely hard to get the parts from China. If you have a problem, you really have it

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