I‘m just waiting on the release of the german X-Bus. A modular 600kg vehicle that counts as a quad and can be used as a bus/transporter/pickup/camper and recharges 30-50km of range a day through solar energy on the roof for under 20k€ is exactly what I want from an EV. I don’t need a 50k price tag with shiny smart features.
I've recently driven a brand new 2023/2024 Maxus T90EV. It had 15 miles on the clock when I drove it. These are the problems I experienced with it and these aren't even touching on my preferences like I thought the seats were uncomfortable, or that regenerative braking is quite aggressive and can't be changed. So I doubt China EVs are going to take over, not in 2024 at least.
Auto lights didn't work
Auto wipers didn't work
Intermittent wipers didn't work
Rear view camera was really poor quality
Infotainment system crashed, where I had to walk away from the vehicle with it still in its crashed state. At some point it finally turned off and worked again on the next drive
Bluetooth audio kept crashing
Infotainment system is really basic
Shudders when driving on the factory set speed limiter
No driving aids like cruise control or driver defined speed limiter
I went to one of the links and some of their cars had a 404 error, so I’m guessing that’s what their repairability and warranty would be like in the states.
As a professional car reviewer, I couldn’t travel to test-drive interesting cars during the early pandemic, so I did the next best thing: went to the website Alibaba, and bought a Changli. After I paid $2,000 for shipping and customs, the car arrived at my doorstep months later in a massive cardboard box.
But if you’re hoping that you might be able to buy these cars like you do so many other Chinese-made gadgets, keep dreaming.
It is fascinating to read assessments of the new Chinese industry based upon comparison to lowest budget small enterprise items bought 5-10 years ago. Wasn't this originally the same said of Japanese watches and cars? Tesla has zero long tern reliability data and lots of concerns about their failures to step up to repair faults. With electric cars, everyone is at the same point for development, except the Chinese, who have been at it longest