Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Varche on 10 September 2023, 10:40:38

Title: Chinese cars
Post by: Varche on 10 September 2023, 10:40:38
A new dealership is opening here in Andalucia to sell Chinese cars. Very impressive.

Four brands - DFSK, Seres, SWM and Invicta. Never heard of or seen any of them. Maybe I lead a sheltered life! I have seen MGs on the roads.

Risky venture?. Italy has just divorced itself from the ill fated BRI. Most of our Spanish friends do not buy anything Chinese , well certainly not from any of the Chinese shops that are like Wilko in UK but 20 times the size.

I suppose they will be competitive on price. The Dacia 4x4 s sell really well here and seem to be durable.

Any Chinese car dealerships in Britain and is there an appetite for Chinese cars?
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: ronnyd on 10 September 2023, 10:52:34
Have a MG dealership, who are owned by SIAC, around the corner from me. Must admit that their SUV's look quite impressive. Just a shame that an iconic name in British motoring history has gone down this route.  :(
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: STEMO on 10 September 2023, 11:04:28
Lotus have a new electric hypercar in the pipeline, another Chinese brand.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Rangie on 10 September 2023, 11:41:02
We have WH Brand in Lincolnshire for all the new MG models , the dealership seems to have a very loyal following.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: STEMO on 10 September 2023, 11:54:42
We have WH Brand in Lincolnshire for all the new MG models , the dealership seems to have a very loyal following.
That's just silly old duffers who think MG is still British.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Mr Skrunts on 10 September 2023, 11:58:00
Sure I have seen some pics of the last few months, one of them being a rip of of a Rolls Royce and sadly making it look better than RR themselves
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 10 September 2023, 12:17:59
I hear good things about the chinky MG range.

They seem to be good value for money.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 10 September 2023, 12:19:55
https://youtu.be/rQzjrxT33DQ?feature=shared (https://youtu.be/rQzjrxT33DQ?feature=shared)

£36495.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Mr Skrunts on 10 September 2023, 12:34:02
I hear good things about the chinky MG range.

They seem to be good value for money.

Sadly I dont think they look nice :-X
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 10 September 2023, 12:53:46
I hear good things about the chinky MG range.

They seem to be good value for money.

Sadly I dont think they look nice :-X

I tend to agree. They look ungainly.......but perhaps they are like those girls who are far from pretty but still an excellent shag. :)
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: STEMO on 10 September 2023, 12:59:10
When they release this, people will think it's a British sports car, not a Chinese rip off of a British sports car:

https://www.mg.co.uk/new-cars/mg-cyberster
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Mr Skrunts on 10 September 2023, 14:31:37
If the Chinese ever clone a Senator, make it as comfprtable and put 400BHP under the bonnet I may be interested.  Dont care what the brand name is as I have a full set of original badges tucked away somewhere
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Rangie on 10 September 2023, 15:41:00
Our local cab firm used to have mainly old E class Mercs, they now have a fleet of 22 reg MGs various models of the range, have used them seem okay, wouldn't buy one myself but certainly up to the job.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: BazaJT on 10 September 2023, 16:29:29
Invicta? Now there's a real blast from the past! Started 1925 in Surrey stopped 1935.Several attempts to revive the brand over time with the last failing in 2012.Prices for the original[particularly the 4.5L Meadows engined cars] are now over the half million pound mark.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Keith ABS on 10 September 2023, 19:02:00
 Our security team chose an electric MG SUV as their new patrol vehicle.In two years it broke down more times than anyone can remember. Luckily, it was leased so it got thrown back as unfit for use and contract ended
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Sir Tigger KC on 10 September 2023, 19:26:44
If the Chinese ever clone a Senator, make it as comfprtable and put 400BHP under the bonnet I may be interested.  Dont care what the brand name is as I have a full set of original badges tucked away somewhere

If they ever do, it will have a big electric motor under bonnet, but you'll probably only be able to go to the corner shop and back!  ;D
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Varche on 10 September 2023, 20:39:05
Quote from the article.

“In October, a premium range of the Seres brand will arrive, the SF5, which competes directly with the Tesla," Guillén said. It will cost 60,000 euros, with a range of 700 kilometres of autonomy and 500 horsepower”

That isn't a bad range but I bet it isnt while using all 500 horses!
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 10 September 2023, 21:26:25
I hear good things about the chinky MG range.

They seem to be good value for money.
An interesting definition of value for money.

Put another way, when was the last time you saw a Proton on the road?
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Nick W on 10 September 2023, 21:58:09
I hear good things about the chinky MG range.

They seem to be good value for money.
An interesting definition of value for money.

Put another way, when was the last time you saw a Proton on the road?


A more relevant question, at least around here, is when did you last see a new taxi that wasn't an MG5 estate? The reason for that is they are the best value for money for the job. Taxi drivers are like farmers; they'll spend serious money on equipment, but only if there isn't an alternative.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 10 September 2023, 22:35:10
No, they buy them for the kickbacks.

Doesn't make them any good.

Intact there are better, cheaper options...

https://www.thetaxicentre.com/new-taxi-sales/mg/#
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: STEMO on 10 September 2023, 22:40:29
Most of them around here are Toyotas, with quite a few Dacia Logans.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Nick W on 11 September 2023, 07:47:50
Most of them around here are Toyotas, with quite a few Dacia Logans.


The older ones are Priuses. Before that, they drove Octavias until they realised that high urban mileage, diesel VWs were an expensive proposition. And that's before you consider the easily damaged sumps....


It's not just Taxis either; there's at least six MGs within a five minute walk of here and a similar number of Dacias, all of which replaced either Skodas or Hyundai/Kias.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 11 September 2023, 21:07:51
How the Joneses have fallen >:D

Thanks to ULEZ there's a mad rush at work to buy newer shinier cars in order to comply and this the extra costs, rather than taking a more pragmatic approach and trading their newer non compliant cars for older non compliant ones.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: STEMO on 11 September 2023, 21:13:57
How the Joneses have fallen >:D

Thanks to ULEZ there's a mad rush at work to buy newer shinier cars in order to comply and this the extra costs, rather than taking a more pragmatic approach and trading their newer non compliant cars for older non compliant ones.
I don't get the 'newer' bit. I drive a seven year old Vauxhall diesel, and it's compliant.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 11 September 2023, 21:49:49
How the Joneses have fallen >:D

Thanks to ULEZ there's a mad rush at work to buy newer shinier cars in order to comply and this the extra costs, rather than taking a more pragmatic approach and trading their newer non compliant cars for older non compliant ones.
I don't get the 'newer' bit. I drive a seven year old Vauxhall diesel, and it's compliant.
Newer than what's currently owned ;)
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Nick W on 11 September 2023, 22:50:04
How the Joneses have fallen >:D

Thanks to ULEZ there's a mad rush at work to buy newer shinier cars in order to comply and this the extra costs, rather than taking a more pragmatic approach and trading their newer non compliant cars for older non compliant ones.


That was a friend's idea, as it 'justified' buying a 40 year old TR7. This one is his third, although the last one was a much better car.




Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 11 September 2023, 23:27:44
How the Joneses have fallen >:D

Thanks to ULEZ there's a mad rush at work to buy newer shinier cars in order to comply and this the extra costs, rather than taking a more pragmatic approach and trading their newer non compliant cars for older non compliant ones.


That was a friend's idea, as it 'justified' buying a 40 year old TR7. This one is his third, although the last one was a much better car.
Is there actually any possible justification for buying a TR7?
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Migv6 le Frog Fan on 12 September 2023, 17:15:22
No. There wasnt in the 70,s and certainly isnt now.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Nick W on 12 September 2023, 22:05:24
How the Joneses have fallen >:D

Thanks to ULEZ there's a mad rush at work to buy newer shinier cars in order to comply and this the extra costs, rather than taking a more pragmatic approach and trading their newer non compliant cars for older non compliant ones.


That was a friend's idea, as it 'justified' buying a 40 year old TR7. This one is his third, although the last one was a much better car.
Is there actually any possible justification for buying a TR7?


The terrible slant-four engine(there's a prototype at Gaydon with an O-series which would have been a considerable improvement) did them no favours, although they don't drive any worse than all the other coil sprung, live axled(Cortina, Mirafiori, Firenza, Mustang2 etc) cars did. And the very 60s/70s rear axle sited so far forward makes them look just as odd as their contemporaries.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 13 September 2023, 12:23:07
Most of them around here are Toyotas, with quite a few Dacia Logans.

It's an Asian thing.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: STEMO on 13 September 2023, 14:57:00
Most of them around here are Toyotas, with quite a few Dacia Logans.

It's an Asian thing.
The Asians around here drive mercs and jags. Really.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: BazaJT on 13 September 2023, 21:52:32
Still quite a few Prius taxis round here other than those they're mainly Insignias.
Title: Re: Chinese cars
Post by: Varche on 13 September 2023, 22:19:25
Buy cheap Chinese or support European car industry?

Same thing is happening right now with solar power industry. European companies set up and the Chinese are subsidising their solar which is putting European companies out of business.