According to an article published today in the Wall Street Journal reports,for years, Chinese auto manufacturers have been notorious for producing clunkers. In 2005, car testers in Germany described Landwind, the sport-utility vehicle from China’s Jiangling Motors Co
as “catastrophic.”
as “catastrophic.”
Two years later Brilliance Auto Group’s BS6 sedan scored only one point out of five in a prominent European crash test.
It appears they have learned from past mistakes.
A study by automotive industry consultants J.D. Power released Thursday shows Chinese auto makers have significantly narrowed the gap with international brands in producing reliable vehicles.
The study, which examined design-related problems, and defects and malfunctions, found Chinese domestic brands succeeding in cutting problems related to engines, transmissions, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Four Chinese brands–GAC Motor, Venucia, Roewe and Luxgen–outperformed industry average, Mei Songlin, vice president and managing director at J.D. Power’s China operations, noted in the study. That stands in marked contrast to last year’s report, in which not a single Chinese auto maker scored above average.
GAC Motor is a unit of Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. and produces Trumpchi brand cars. Venucia is the joint venture brand developed by Donfeng Motor Group Co.and Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. The Roewe brand is owned by China’s largest auto group SAIC Motor Corp., which purchased technology from U.K.’s defunct MG Rover Group Ltd. in 2005. The Luxgen is built by Dongfeng and Taiwan’s Yulon Motor Co.
Chinese brand Qoros–a joint venture between China’s Chery Automobile Co. and investment group Israel Corp.—may also deserve a mention. In September, the car maker received a five-star score from the authoritative European New Car Assessment Program for one of its sedans. Qoros cars are expected to go on sale in China later this year.
Tony Zhou, automotive research director at J.D. Power’s China Operations, said to improve quality China automakers should focus on raising fuel efficiency and reducing noise.
