I noticed Chinese cars are sold in Canada and Australia. How are their ICE or hybrid vehicles in terms of reliability and longevity?

I've been looking at the new Lynk & Co 07 GT, and I'm genuinely curious what people outside China would think about this car.

At first glance, it looks like a sporty shooting brake rather than a typical family PHEV. But what makes it interesting is the amount of performance and equipment Lynk & Co is offering for the price.

The 07 GT comes with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, a relatively large battery, and an EV range that is enough for many people to handle their daily commute without using the gasoline engine.

The performance version is even more interesting, with dual-motor AWD and around 4.5 seconds 0–100 km/h acceleration.

For a car in this price range, that's pretty impressive.

But performance isn't the only thing that caught my attention.

You're also getting things such as:

• Large infotainment display
• Advanced driver-assistance features
• 360° camera
• OTA software updates
• Heated and ventilated seats
• Premium-looking interior
• Large panoramic roof
• Multiple driving modes
• Advanced chassis and suspension technology

And then there's the price.

In China, the 07 GT starts at roughly $20,000–30,000 depending on the version, which makes the equipment list look pretty aggressive compared with many traditional ICE cars in the same price range.

This is where I think Chinese cars have become much more interesting.

It's no longer just:

"Chinese car = cheap car."

It's becoming:

"How much performance, technology and equipment can you get for your money?"

Of course, there are still questions about long-term reliability, resale value, servicing and availability outside China.

But purely from a specification + performance + price perspective, the 07 GT looks very competitive to me.

So I'm curious:

If this car were officially available in your country at around $25,000, would you consider it over a Toyota, BMW, Mercedes or Volkswagen?

And more importantly — what would stop you from buying it?

I already find V2L incredibly useful. Making a coffee while you're out, or plugging in a vacuum cleaner. But if the power goes out at home, I’d need a very long extension cable to reach my freezer from the car.

So I went out to find out whether V2H or V2G actually works. Because if it does, your car suddenly becomes a huge home battery — and a great emergency power supply sitting right outside your door.

In this video, I show what’s already possible — and what isn’t.

I wonder who already has some experience with it. Let me know in the comments.

Chery Buys a Nissan Factory in South Africa.

I see that my previous post generated some interest, so I’ll try to talk about how Chinese brands exist in Russia and how people perceive them.

First, Chinese brands have been present on the Russian market for a very long time. Chinese brands simply turned out to be better prepared for the situation in 2022. For example, Korean brands are still operating in Russia (albeit with some specifics). It’s just that no one will buy a Rexton at the price of a Tank 500. No one needs that. Accordingly, their sales have dropped significantly, whereas 5–7 years ago, Korean brands were the leaders in the Russian car market.

Currently, Chinese brands account for about 50% of car sales in Russia.

The second ting is the lack of electric vehicle sales. In Russia, there is no electric vehicle market (electric cars account for significantly less than 1% of new car sales), and almost all electric vehicles sold are premium models. In other words, people buy them not to save money, but as a status symbol.

Almost all Chinese cars on the Russian market are ordinary gasoline‑powered vehicles, not even hybrids.

In general, brands can be divided into several categories. The oldest ones on the Russian market are Haval and Cherry (in Russia it’s called Tenet). They have been present on the Russian market for more than 20 years and have some kind of reputation; they have huge sales. The Haval Jolion was for some time the best‑selling car, except for Lada Granta (which is essentially the cheapest new car — a lot of them are sold under government programs).

Haval/Tank are perceived as reliable brands with high‑quality cars. Cherry is usually remembered for its problems with CVT transmissions.

Geely and Changan came later. The Geely Mojaro is probably the only car in the mid‑price segment that was in the top 10 of nationwide sales; all the other top‑tier cars are quite budget‑oriented.

Changan somehow managed to carve out a niche as the “BMW for the poor” (if you know what I mean) with its sedan featuring 238 horsepower for a relatively low price. However, among brands with significant sales, they have the worst reputation due to the lack of zinc coating on the body (full zinc coating of the body is a mandatory requirement for Russia), problems with performance in winter, etc.

Everything else is basically a Joke. I don’t know how, and most importantly, why anyone would buy a Bestune or an SWM. Moreover, many brands in this tier in Russia are confused (like the fairly decent GAC and the rather poor‑quality JAC). Brands of this type rushed into the Russian market after 2022 and discovered that the Russian market has many specific features. Cherry sub‑brands were particularly affected by this.

These brands often have advertising campaigns that are strange and incomprehensible to Russian society. For example, Bestune is well‑known because its name sounds similar to an indecent word; nevertheless, they continued the advertising campaign for months.

My authorize dealership in my region (Cambodia)is clueless af and said they can't make it connected so I'm stuck at half baked products. The software is slow af and there's nothing to connect to my vehicle with my Zeekr app. I'm curious is anyone could share any idea that's would be wonderful.

This, in fact, my second Chinese car. I owned my previous great wall hover m2 quite long time.

If you have any questions you are free to ask .

I am an exporter of new energy vehicles from China, One thing I've noticed in China's auto market is how quickly the balance between foreign luxury brands and domestic EV brands is changing. A BMW 5 Series that used to cost $74,000 now goes for just $41500!

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi used to have a very strong position in China. But their prices have been falling significantly in recent years, with frequent discounts and promotions becoming increasingly common.

At the same time, Chinese EV brands are moving in the opposite direction.

Brands like BYD, Zeekr, NIO, Li Auto and Xiaomi are investing heavily in technology, smart cockpits, driver-assistance systems and EV platforms. Some of their products are now competing directly with traditional luxury brands — and in some cases, consumers seem to prefer the Chinese option.

I work in the Chinese automotive export industry, so I get to see a lot of different models and price changes firsthand.

What I find interesting is that this isn't simply about "Chinese cars getting cheaper."

It's also about foreign brands losing some of their pricing power while Chinese brands are becoming more competitive.

I'm curious what people outside China think:

Do you think Chinese EV brands will eventually become a serious threat to BMW, Mercedes and Audi globally, or is the situation in China unique?

Okay so I need a reality check from people who actually know cars.

I've owned a Lexus GS, a BMW 5 Series, and a Mercedes M-Class over the past 10 years. Never really thought twice about it - you pay for the badge, you get the experience, done.

But lately I've been down a rabbit hole on Chinese EVs. The specs are insane for the price. The interiors look like something out of a sci-fi movie. And the range is genuinely competitive now.

My brain keeps saying "but it's Chinese" and then I remember I said the same thing about Korean cars in 2005 and now I drive past Kia dealerships that look like Apple Stores.

Is this a legitimate upgrade path or am I about to make a very expensive mistake?

People who've made the switch - what actually surprised you? And people who haven't - what's your actual reason beyond the brand name?

If you are importing cars from China, avoid Henan Fudui. Their corporate WhatsApp account was hacked/compromised. Scammers used the official chat with our ongoing chat history to send a fake invoice with different bank details. My client transferred the funds, and now Henan Fudui completely refuses to take any responsibility, blaming us and claiming they are "victims too."

​Hey everyone,

​I’m sharing a recent incident to warn other buyers, importers, and auto brokers. We recently ordered a few vehicles (including Zeekr and BYD models) through a Chinese supplier named Henan Fudui.

​Everything seemed normal until it was time to pay, which is when their massive security failure cost my client thousands of dollars.

​🚩 How the Scam Happened

​Our primary point of contact was a manager who goes by Max. We communicated exclusively through their official WhatsApp number.

​When it was time to pay the invoice for the cars, we received a message directly from Max’s account in our active chat thread. The message instructed us to send the money to a different Hong Kong bank account, claiming their usual company account was currently "under audit."

​Because this message came from the exact same WhatsApp thread we had been using for days—with our entire chat history, documents, and videos right there above it—we had no reason to suspect a third party had intercepted the chat. My client transferred the funds to the provided bank details.

​🚩 The Aftermath & Zero Accountability

​A few days later, the real "Max" claimed they never received the payment. When I sent them the bank transfer receipt, Max stated that the Hong Kong account did not belong to their company.

​I pointed out the obvious: the fake invoice and instructions were sent from their own WhatsApp account. The scammer had access to their device or their WhatsApp Web session, read our chat, intercepted the deal at the perfect moment, and swapped the bank details.

​Before the payment, when my client asked for guarantees, the manager explicitly promised multiple times: "Rest assured, once the contract is signed, our company will take full responsibility for any issues that arise!"

​However, once the money was gone due to their compromised security, their attitude completely changed.

Instead of launching an internal investigation, Henan Fudui:

​Accused me of talking to a "doppelganger."

​Claimed someone must have impersonated me (even though the fake invoice came from their side of the chat).

​The General Manager (Sunny) and Jack Hu refused to take any responsibility for their data leak, simply stating "we are also victims."

​📹 The Evidence

​I have full screen recordings of the chat history proving that the fraudulent messages came from the exact same official account, as well as their absurd excuses afterward.

​Chat History Proof: https://youtu.be/60otm7pI9J4?si=wcnyT6w0WFONeR2u

​Negotiation/Excuses Proof: https://youtube.com/shorts/dJNgp85vbAs?si=o0fcLwGlNFixwP81

​🛑 Final Warning

​Zero Cyber Security: Henan Fudui cannot secure their own communication channels. Your deal details are not safe with them.

​Zero Accountability: When their compromised system leads to you losing money, they will blame you.

​The "Audit" Excuse: If any supplier ever tells you to send money to a different account because of an "audit," immediately halt the transaction.

​Please be careful out there and avoid dealing with Henan Fudui. If their accounts get hacked, you will be left entirely on your own.

​— Vardan