[TheForge] Re: OT: several questions and thoughts

[Ries Niemi]

On Feb 3, 2006, at 10:19 AM, Dave Mudge wrote:

> I hear that in the near future the Chinese are going to sell a 4-door 
> sedan
> on the US market that retails for $ 4000 or $5000 .........
>

No way. This is another internet myth.
First, because we americans are already conditioned to accept the fact 
that a car costs at least 10 grand- so why would they leave that other 
5 grand on the table?
But second, because there are no cars for sale anywhere that cheap- 
especially not with the federally mandated features a car MUST have to 
be sold in the USA. Air bags, crash crumple zones, fuel economy, 
bumpers, lights, and so on.

Right now, you can buy a Kia for $10,500, and a Toyota Echo for about 
$11k, and a Hyundai for $9999. Next step down is a 175cc Indian made 3 
wheeler- and they cost $6500.

  http://www.burbankkawasaki.com/rikshaw.html#haul

Indian wages are as low as they are in china- the chinese cant make, 
ship, market, and sell a car here any cheaper.

Americans want, no DEMAND automatic tranny's, AC, mouse fur interiors, 
and high powered engines. Every car maker makes low powered versions 
for overseas sales, and none of them sell much of anything with less 
than about 125hp here. In other countries, you can get major name brand 
cars with 1000 cc engines- there is a whole class of cars in Japan with 
350 cc engines- made by Honda, Toyota, and Nissan. None are available 
here, because they assume, probably rightly, that no one would buy 
them.


There already is a chinese made car for sale in the USA, however- its 
called a "Buick".
Buick makes cars in china, has for some time now- in fact, every year, 
more buicks are sold in china than in the USA.
They are bringing over the made in china buicks for fleet sales- I know 
people who have gotten them as rental cars. Dont think they are selling 
em to the general public yet.
The Buick Sail, the buick minicar they sell in china, sells for $22,000 
US in china- so I doubt that it will sell for $4000 here- makes more 
sense to just sell em in china if you can make 18 grand more on each 
car...

Nope, the $4000 car went out with that .35 per gallon gasoline. And it 
aint a coming back.

Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist

http://www.RiesNiemi.com