Any of you who have talked to me about cars anytime in the last year or so have probably immediately dismissed most of whatever it is I said—and it's possibly because I've been on a big Chinese car kick lately. They're nutty and cheap, and I think it's vastly interesting stuff.
I ran across the China Car Times today which reminded me how fascinating I find the Chinese car market. And not even because it looks like some sort of novelty act or sideshow at the moment.
I think it is because I remember how much I derided Korean automobiles a decade ago, and how astounded I've been in the last three or four years when they've clearly gotten their crap together. It's a clear illustration of how an entire country can go from building plasticy econoboxes to surprisingly competent machines. It's also the same story the Japanese played out...although I only caught the tail end of that one.
So now that I've got some appreciation for how this sort of thing can happen, I'm eager to watch it unfold.
Hopefully that explains why I'm so jazzed about things like the, err, Geely HQ.
What's interesting to me is the attitude behind it. They "knew" that when the Daewoo LeMans came out, it'd be sub-par. Not total crap, but nothing to ever write home about. And then they improved on it. And sold more. And kept going. The longevity of their strategy is fascinating to me. It's the big flywheel that once it's going just needs a little bump every once in a while to keep spinning.
--Z
I agree with the conclusion, but I don't think manufacturers set out to build something they're not proud of. Sure, the LeMans was cheap and light, but I bet the engineers were quite pleased with how cheaply they brought it to market. Consumer reaction aside, the part where you actually build the product is something the engineer has to be proud of. It's far too easy to get burnt out otherwise.
--D