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Comment by kmac_ | Hacker News Reader

European alternatives are expensive, and half of Chinese no-name brands will disappear next decade (good luck servicing such a car). Regarding Chinese brands, they are crash tested by C-NCAP, not Euro NCAP, and somehow every model gets 5 stars. No, thank you.

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> European alternatives are expensive

Just looking at a sampling of Irish prices across the low end (including grants):

Tesla Model 3: min 37,500eur

VW id.3 (European): min 31,780eur

Dacia Spring (European/Chinese): 17,000eur

Hyundai Inster (Korean): 20,000eur

Like, certainly in terms of minimum entry price, Telsa's very much on the expensive end.

What no name brands?

BYD is as old as Tesla (2003) and XPeng is more than 10 years old at this point.

BYD is actually well established. But there are dozens of Chinese car brands right now on the European market, simply, there's too much competition, many of them will leave.

Do you care to name just a few of those dozens?

Bringing a car on the market is quite regulated, so if you don't have adequate capital, it is really difficult to bring a new car to market in the EU.

Sure, two dozens, sorted by most popular. Half of them will be gone:

MG, BYD, ORA, Haval, Omoda, Lynk & Co, NIO, Xpeng, Zeekr, Maxus, Leapmotor, Hongqi, Aiways, Chery, Jaecoo, BAIC, Forthing, DFSK, Seres, Voyah, SWM, JAC, Bestune, Skywell

Just like VW, Seat, Skoda, Cupra etc many of these are sub brands.

Omoda is Chery for example.

MG and Maxus are both SAIC.

Haval and ORA are Great Wall.

A diagram as of 2024: https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4D22AQE4uiRLMqkneQ/fee...

You forgot Volvo

Isn't Volvo Swedish?

The two biggest is BYD and Geely. Pretty much the Toyota/Honda of China.

To many Americans, Chinese brands don't count as "name brands". They're the knock-off generics that you get if you don't value the status that a "real" name brand gives you.

> Regarding Chinese brands, they are crash tested by C-NCAP, not Euro NCAP

Untrue. https://www.euroncap.com/en/ratings-rewards/latest-safety-ra...

This.

Koreans have far too many issues and Japanese are just making fun of themselves (albeit new Leaf finally might be decent).

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