International Law

Would You Buy A Chinese Car?

By Dan

A couple years ago, I went to China with my wife and youngest daughter. We landed at Pudong and were waiting for a cab. A well-dressed Chinese woman who was one or two people ahead of us in the taxi line came over to and asked us if we wanted to switch cabs with her.

At first I was non-plussed, but then I realized what was happening. Her cab was a Chinese car and ours was a Volkswagan.  

I then asked her why she wanted to make the switch and after much hemming and hawing, she confessed that she would be going on a long trip and she did not want that particular car (note how she never said exactly why). I kept pressing her for more of an explanation and she never gave it and I refused the switch.

I can remember one hot summer in Beijing (is that redundant?) when I would wait for the VW cabs because the odds of their having a fully functioning air conditioner was so much higher.

In my January, 2011, trip to Beijing and Shanghai, I noticed how few Chinese cars were on the road and how most of the cabs were now Volkswagan. I spent three weeks in Vietnam in December and I do not remember seeing a single Chinese car. In Vietnam, Shanghai and Beijing, car taxes are extremely high and I think those who can afford to pay them are generally not interested in Chinese cars. 

I thought of all this today after reading a post on China Real Time Report, entitled, "Volvo: Swedish Company With Chinese Characteristics." Is Volvo still a Swedish company, in terms of its culture? Is Volvo still viewed as a Swedish company? What will happen if Volvo begins to be widely perceived as a Chinese company? Does Lenovo provide any clue to Volvo's future? Does Hyundai? Does Jaguar?

What do you think? 

On a somewhat related note, Shanghaiist has out the best article I have seen on the incredibly stupid Groupon Super-Bowl ad, which does provide at least a bit of fodder for asking whether China will buy American?  

Full post as published by China Law Blog on February 07, 2011 (boomark / email).