The rise of China as a global automotive superpower has been remarkably fast, but it seems perhaps too fast. A new report claims that the car market in China is in such a wild state of oversupply that not only are pre-registered cars a big deal domestically, they’re also being sold abroad as a way to export cars and pump sales figures at home.
Also in today’s Morning Dump, we now know when Volkswagen plans on adding a volume knob to its ID.4 electric crossover, and while VinFast has slashed pricing on the VF 8 by more than $6,000, it still doesn’t look like a great deal on paper. Oh, and while the Ford Explorer Timberline is dead, long live the Ford Explorer Tremor.
Welcome back to The Morning Dump, where we take the moist, rich cake of recent car news, cut out a few of the best bits, and chop them down into bite-sized pieces best enjoyed with coffee or tea. I’m still taking over duties from Matt today, so without further ado, let’s hit it.
How China Reportedly Juices Car Sales Figures Through Pre-Registration
It’s hard to visualize the scale of China’s auto industry, so let’s throw out some numbers. According to Bloomberg, China has the capacity to build 55.5 million vehicles annually, more than double its domestic demand and enough to cover 65 percent of all global new vehicle demand. If we add up all the active car brands headquartered in China, we get a number in the hundreds. We’re talking scale on a monumental level, to the point where it’s actually a problem. As Reuters reports, the Chinese car market has been in such a state of oversupply, automakers have been exporting brand new vehicles they can’t sell as used cars, and local governments have been helping them because it’s good for GDP; naturally, this all raises concerns around dumping and sustainability. From Reuters:
China’s auto industry has inflated car sales for years through a burgeoning government-backed grey market that registers new cars right off the assembly line and then ships them overseas as “used” vehicles.These so-called “zero-mileage” cars have never been driven, but they are being exported as used to markets like Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East, allowing Chinese automakers to show growth and to dispose of cars that would be difficult to sell domestically, according to a Reuters review of government documents and interviews with five auto dealers and car traders.
“This is the outcome of an almost-four-year price war that has made companies desperate to book any sales possible,” said Tu Le, Michigan-based founder of consultancy Sino Auto Insights.
Pre-registering cars isn’t unprecedented globally. For instance, it’s been a thing in Britain for decades due in part to the registration system for dealer demonstrators. However, pre-registration for the purpose of export is uncommon, and in this case, seems to be aided by local governments in China. From Reuters again:
Because these export firms both purchase and sell a single car, the transaction value is double that of new or used-car purchases, so local governments court them to set up shop on their turf to quickly and artificially boost their GDP statistics, two Chinese auto industry executives said.
The tactic is only one sign that China’s car industry – the world’s largest – is allowing production to outpace demand, driving a protracted domestic price war and spurring accusations of automotive “dumping” abroad.
If these vehicles are indeed being sold abroad below cost, that would definitely qualify as dumping. It also seems like an unusual way of inflating gross domestic product figures, especially with the reported level of support these schemes appear to have. Again, from Reuters:
Local government support has taken various forms, from simplifying paperwork, to allocating extra quotas for local vehicle registrations, to setting up free warehouses for zero-mileage used cars close to China’s land and maritime borders, the Chinese documents showed.
Beyond the immediate economic consequences for countries receiving these dubiously pre-registered cars, this news adds doubt to the sustainability of China’s automotive scale. If enough brand new cars are out there to necessitate registering them as used with delivery mileage and immediately exporting them, the industry in China as a whole mustn’t be doing a great job of balancing production with real demand. Something will eventually have to give, and once that happens, workers will almost certainly be the ones to pay the price.
Volkswagen’s Reportedly Fixing The ID.4 Crossover’s Interior Next Year
The Volkswagen ID.4 is a spacious, comfortable, practical electric crossover with a rather reasonable price tag, but man does the interior tech ever let it down. It’s too heavily reliant on capacitive touch controls, could absolutely use more buttons and knobs, and comes with a steep learning curve. However, that should change soon, as Autocar reports Volkswagen’s readying an extensive facelift in 2026 that will involve a heavy cabin revamp.
Inside, [technical development boss Kai] Grüntiz confirmed for the first time that the facelifted ID 3 and ID 4 will receive fully revised interiors featuring a new dashboard and user interface. Among the changes is a return of physical buttons and knobs in place of digital display-based functions and the controversial slider element, a move first hinted at by the ID 2All.
“We’re going to bring back a round knob for the volume control,” an insider said, adding: “If you develop something that works, and it has worked for years, there’s no reason to replace it.”
Indeed, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. While Volkswagen’s slowly been bringing more physical controls back into its cars, the arrival of an actual volume knob to the ID.4 will be a welcome change. Traditional window controls are also on my wishlist, and there’s a chance they aren’t off the table. In addition to the extensively revised interior, the facelifted ID.4 will also get styling more in line with the ID 2all concept, which means it should look more traditional. Expect to learn more next year as Autocar reports, “The facelifted ID 3 is scheduled to be revealed during the second quarter of next year, with the ID 4 arriving later in 2026.”
VinFast Slashes VF 8 Pricing But It Still Seems Like A Bad Deal
Be honest with me: When was the last time you thought about VinFast? Even on my end, it’s been a few months, and look what I do for a paycheck. While the VF 8 crossover had a disastrous launch in North America with examples on the media drive malfunctioning or straight-up physically breaking on journalists, the company’s still plugging along on this continent, and it sent out a press release today containing this tidbit:
The VF 8 is now available at a highly competitive MSRP starting at $39,900 for the Eco trim and $44,900 for the Plus trim, with leasing programs beginning as low as $269 per month. It is also eligible for an attractive 0% interest financing offer.
Now, $39,990 for the Eco trim is a bit more than $6,000 less than it used to be last week, but it’s still not super competitive when you look at other options. If you’re purchasing outright, why would you buy a VF 8 Eco for $39,900 when you could buy a Ford Mustang Mach-E Select for the same $39,990 or a Chevrolet Equinox EV for $34,995, both of which offer better range, can use Tesla Superchargers in a pinch, and feel more advanced from their interior materials to their consumer-facing technology? Oh, and that’s before we even get into servicing networks, because Ford and GM have dealerships everywhere.
Even when you look at leasing and financing, adding the numbers up is a struggle. Sure, zero percent financing sounds great until you realize Chevrolet’s running zero percent on leftover 2024 Equinox EVs, Volkswagen’s offering zero percent for 72 months on ID.4s, and Ford’s running 0.9 percent financing for 36 months on the Mach-E.
I appreciate that VinFast still sells cars in North America, what with its tiny market share and the turbulence of tariffs, as the presence of Vietnamese EVs makes the roads weirder and more interesting. However, the brand really needs something either more competitive than the VF 8 or simply way, way cheaper in North America.
Explorer Hits The Trails Again
Back in 2022, Ford put its mainstream three-row crossover in an Otterbox with the Explorer Timberline, a model that lasted three short model years before disappearing. Why kill it? Well, it likely didn’t quite gel with future branding, and a facelift to the standard Explorer in 2025 meant everything else looked new and the Timberline would’ve looked old. However, people still want to drive something that tells the world they go camping on weekends, so the Explorer will soon offer the same Tremor trim level as models like the Maverick, F-150, and Expedition. It’s largely a familiar package, from sensible 18-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain rubber to auxiliary lighting to exposed tow hooks to some actual underbody protection, but it has been beefed up slightly. New springs help give it a one-inch lift over the standard Explorer compared to the 0.8-inch lift of the Timberline, and new anti-roll bars complement the updated spring rates.
Rounding out the package, Ford’s fitted a Torsen limited-slip rear differential, an interesting choice considering its benefits and limitations. See, a Torsen is a helical limited-slip differential, which works off the premise that you can’t back-drive a worm gear. When one wheel slips, it biases torque across the axle without the need for clutch packs, and does so in a smooth and near-maintenance-free fashion. However, because a Torsen is a torque-biasing differential rather than a locking differential, it needs a load at each half-shaft to avoid just behaving like an open differential. If the Explorer Tremor runs out of articulation and gets a wheel in the air, something like traction control would need to step in and clamp the raised wheel so torque goes to the one on the ground. It’s definitely a setup targeted at on-road and light trail use, which seems appropriate considering these muscled-up Explorers should be a common sight in Starbucks drive-thrus.
You’ll be able to order the 2026 Explorer Timberline with either the 300-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine or the 400-horsepower three-liter turbocharged V6, with equipment levels ranging from sensible to loaded with toys like massaging seats. A ton of yellow-orange accenting makes it stand out from the rest of the lineup, including the signature Tremor color on the grille, tow hooks, wheels, badges, and stitched into the upholstery. Yep, no way you’ll mistake this for a cop car in your mirror.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Man, something about “True Lies” off Curren$y’s latest project with Harry Fraud just hits different. Bombastic drums, opulent horns, and the right mix of features to expand the track’s sonic palate while ensuring everyone floats like a Cadillac over that beat. Good stuff.
The Big Question:
Where do you think China’s automotive industry will go in the next ten years? Obviously, it’ll still be big as China is very much the dominant global EV player, but surely this much excess capacity can’t go on forever, right?
Top graphic credit: Chery
“Where do you think China’s automotive industry will go in the next ten years?”
In 10 years, a lot of Chinese auto companies will have disappeared either through bankruptcy or mergers/acquisitions… like what happened to the US automotive industry in the 1920s and 1930s.
And I predict that China will continue to be the biggest auto market.
After zero support in service I bet no one but a 2nd Chinese slave built crap car.
A recent video on the “Serpentza” YouTube channel describes overproduction and quality problems in China’s EV sector. It’s a “house of cards” to say the least.
Explains the recent car shipment sinking
Volume knob is cool and all, but how many window switches we getting?
They will be removing window switches every time someone asks. If you push your luck it will be voice controlled.
It sounded awful at first but I don’t think I’d mind it that much. Perhaps I have short arms or something but I tend to accidentally hit the rear window switches when I mean to roll down the front, so I think it may work for me.
I’m the exact same way. I’d actually welcome the two switches since I always hit the back accidentally before finding the front.
The fact that we are discussing the return of a volume knob in a car speaks um, volumes about the state of humanity these days. Do tell!! Is it soft rounded, or maybe knurled? Can it be pushed for on/ off? Does it light up??
Oh so many questions, can’t even wait till next year!!!
There’s a lot of hoopla in the wellness and medical communities about how we should all be going outside and looking at trees and conversing in real life with other real life humans. Like. We’ve created such an insane lifestyle that we are acting like walking out our front doors is some kind of revolutionary concept.
Not auto-related, sorry. But it’s the same principle to me as some automotive designer coming up with the revolutionary idea of a physical volume knob or mechanical door handles.
Not sure of whom the “We’ve” you speak of, lol.
While I understand the concept you are referring to, I think that it’s kinda bullshit. Not to get all that deep here, but most people have no choice but to get out and about in the world.
The mentally and physically challenged folks that those in the “wellness” community speak about have always existed. Maybe in a different configuration, but that part of society is nothing new.
What is new is that there is now a whole cottage industry of people who ironically make their bread and butter typing/podcasting about it, while indoors themselves,
Whoopdeedoo.
I really just hope VW has learned from the roaring disdain of the Mk7 Volume knobs. They put a power logo in the middle, and it spun with the volume knob, so any volume adjustments, and the power symbol wasn’t centered. It was a fate worse than death, and I only ever used the steering wheel buttons in my Mk7.5 Sportwagen for that very reason.
I was the exact same with my MK7 GTI, never once touched the volume knob, I only used the steering wheel controls. It’s why now it doesn’t bother me my Civic has a stupid capacitive slider for volume, im just going to use the steering wheel controls.
MK7 owner here and the actual fate worse than death is that on mine the vertical position for the logo is between two settings of the knob. So I can either do slightly off to the left or slightly off to the right.
I got a nervous tic just reading this.
I haven’t looked at my volume knob in my daily for years so not sure what the issue is.
I see VinFasts pretty much daily since there is a pretty high EV adoption rate and the first VinFast dealer opened here. They were also running dirt cheap lease deals on the VF8 for quite a while which I’m sure swayed a few people. My main though is usually “Hey there is a VinFast: why can’t other companies sell cars in good colors like them?”
I’ve seen one here in upstate New York. In green. Sharp looking color. Shame the rest of the car doesn’t match the color. Maybe the next one will.
I thought about Vinfast on Friday because I actually saw two of them driving around L.A. One isn’t unusual, two was.
As someone who catalogs car parts I really wish Ford would be consistent in their use of the Tremor name. On the Expedition, F-150, Maverick, and Ranger it’s an actual separate submodel. On the Ford Super Duty it’s just an option package, which I find odd.
Is the same true for a Fiesta/Focus ST vs the Edge ST?
ST is a separate submodel on all of these.
“people still want to drive something that tells the world they go camping on weekends”
Had some beers recently with a friend who goes deep woods camping with his two sons in his GTI. When someone else chimed in to complain that he felt it hard to get all his gear into his Outback, he replied “if you’re willing to sleep on the ground, you should be willing to pack better.” Couldn’t agree more.
Me thinks your statement above is more about cosplay.
I’ve done plenty of camping in GTI sized cars, but doing it in an old Suburban is way easier. I don’t have any orange on mine though.
Managed weekend camping on a 750 Suzuki, in a 72 240z, 76 Fiesta, 72 corvette amongst others. What do you need for a weekend, a small tent, sleeping bag, foam pad, small cooler, small set of cooking eating and cutting utensils, hatchet and bug spray, hardly need a suburban for that.
I didn’t claim that that anyone needs a Suburban, I said it’s easier. All of my camping stuff lives in there full time so I don’t have to “get ready” to go camping, I just go.
There is a real value to lowering barriers, I am much more likely to actually make it to the woods when all I have to do is throw some ice and sandwiches into a cooler and head out the door.
And I don’t care how much you hate your car, you just can’t get a fiesta to some of the places my truck lets me go
An old Suburban is the way to go. It’s got space for more than you need and can go anywhere. I tent camped out of one for a long time, but then upgraded to a queen size air mattress in back. Sadly, my old Suburban is now in Suburban heaven and I thus rarely camp these days.
Where do you think China’s automotive industry will go in the next ten years?
https://youtu.be/Nw_cdqQHGA8?si=6iRy1-469awo3iPC
As Gir would say “I love this show”
“We’re going to bring back a round knob for the volume control,” an insider said, adding: “If you develop something that works, and it has worked for years, there’s no reason to replace it.”
Says the company that did not develop the volume knob and did find a reason to replace it.
Ze Germans doing their thing
For decades now it seems VW see-saws design and styling from generation to generation. They’ll release a model that while conservative, is mostly simple, straightforward and sensible with a sense of higher quality. Like a well tailored suit. Then someone decides, “hey look at all the Asian competition with their weird styling and do-dads to attract the yout!” When that bombs in the market, it’s “let’s go back to what we know how to do well.”
For all the investment in EV transition, it’s hard to understand why they let the pre-teens in the room during product planning.
I wish Vinfast the best.
More competition only makes everyone try harder. I hope they can carve a niche out, perhaps bring back affordable small cars.
China is going to consolidate down to maybe 5 or so large automakers, and all their less efficient small and midsize factories and many of their big ones will be closed as the whole industry cuts down on overduplication and resizes capacity to meet actual demand. It will likely end with them still in the dominant position worldwide, but it will be a very painful process that will see a lot of brands and automakers disappear
I’ve wheeled a lot with a Torsen, and while it isn’t as easy as a mechanical locker, it is still far better than an open differential. Sure, I’m not going to rip out the Detroit or Eaton e-lockers I have in my vehicles to drop a Torsen in, but for vehicles designed for the street that will only see some forest roads at most, the Torsen is great and better for longevity than something like an Auburn.
As for VinFast, I think about them occasionally, but I have yet to see one in the flesh here in Colorado.
Yeah I’m in the Denver area so EVs are everywhere and I’m trying to remember if I’ve seen a VinFast and I don’t think so.
This should be scaring the bejesus out of the American car industry. The US couldn’t over produce vehicles now if they even tried unfortunately.
Well. FCA US can.
I disagree. They absolutely could. Production levels are very deliberate. Over producing creates an unsustainable company.
But traditionally the Domestic big 3 have always overproduced, and end up with deep discounts and then finally pawning off to the car rental fleets. That was a constant for the US car industry. Did that practice change recently?
Yes. COVID shortages very clearly showed that if automakers reduced production they could greatly reduce incentives and make more money selling less cars. Some automakers went back to the old playbook when supply chains improved but others have not.
Early 2020 the USA had 85 days of supply on the lots. That dropped to 25 days in late 2021 and then steadily increased to 70 days by the end of 2025. Current tariff related issues have dropped it to 58 days as of May.
China’s car manufacturing is due for a large retraction. What wasn’t focused on a lot here is a lot of the companies dumping these zero mileage “used” cars abroad are doing it because these provinces are allegedly subsidizing the costs heavily, meaning they are still making money due to heavy subsidies from local governments. This looks incredible on paper, big GDP growth, profit and scale growth for companies, and everyone keeps making more money because people keep putting in more money to prop it up, just like a Pyramid scheme.
This will collapse eventually. Even BYD, one of the most tech and cash rich manufacturers is starting to plan a price war exit strategy, because even they cant sustain this for more than a few years. The only way for these companies to really truly grow is to break into the North American market, as even the European market is not enough to fill this oversupply. Not to mention, a lot of these vehicles being dumped at or below cost are not compliant with the more strict standards set out by NHTSA and Euro NCAP, nor are their specs competitive in the North American market.
Lot’s of media (primarily non-automotive media) have been lauding the explosive growth of Chinese EVs as they blindly repeat spec sheets handed out by manufacturers, citing range numbers (CLTC ratings) and equating them to real world, which they are not. Also they cite pricing on a direct conversion, which is neither realistic nor fair, as we are seeing with the likes of BYD’s own forays into the European market, and suddenly their Dolphin has neither class beating range nor pricing. It’s not to say that the Chinese EV manufacturers are worthless and awful, it’s just that their current path smacks of the 2007 housing market, and the Dot-Com bubble of the late 90’s, and so many other hype driven explosions before that.
Heaven forbid that these vehicles even make it to our shores somehow… imagine the markups that the importers would enjoy.
Do you think this kind of thing might be a reason that “kei” cars are fought against so rigorously in the US? Not for safety reasons but for the fact that once legal ALL non-DOT vehicles become legal…
…as long as they’re at least 25 years old. As long as that caveat stands, it’s not something the Chinese auto industry can use as a loophole, unless they want to store cars like thousand-year eggs.
Good points. I do wonder how long the government can keep the industry propped up before something has to give.
My question is, who is taking these used-new cars? Is this in markets where there are already agreements to sell the various brands/models? In developing markets it may not be a big deal to take these on, assuming they are getting them at some sort of reduced cost. But it’s not like you can just ship a car wherever you want, or buy any car you want internationally just because it’s used. So where are they going?
All of the reporting on this I’ve seen including one of the quotes here says “Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East” all of which are markets that are known to have very little in the way of vehicle safety and certification standards, and even less in the way of import or export controls for vehicles save for a few SE Asian countries. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that China stands to benefit a lot from it’s allies like Russia being able to buy off the excess supply at discounted pricing. Russia is in a deep financial hole due to the cost of war, and China needs to get rid of some metal to keep the balanced book shenanigans working.
As it stands, all of the countries/regions involved in this scheme are on edge, China’s car market is clearly a bubble, Russia is on the brink of deep economic depression, the Middle East has it’s very widely reported on issues, and South East Asia widely relies on the aforementioned groups support for growth due to proximity. The used shipping works in this very fragile equilibrium, but the more that the news wises up to the games being played, it becomes clearer that this is not a plan that is sustainable long or even medium term.
All markets where if the dealership bribed the right person they could sell as new cars and pocket the discount.
Also when I think of the Middle East and Africa all I can think of is their great EV charging infrastructure…. Oh wait…. So no idea where all these Chinese EV’s will go if they are running out of people to sell to within China.
Africa is doing some serious modernizing. Ethiopia banned the import of ICE powered new cars last year, even knock down kits. A lot of work is being done to go electric in Africa. Especially sub-Saharan Africa. Kind of like how Africa skipped over landlines for cell phones, the continent is poised to do the same with EV’s.
Makes sense. Energy is literally raining from the sky. Buy some solar panels and BESS and your driving needs will be set for life.
This site is guilty of some of that spec sheet parroting too, which has drawn my ire before.
Great post, I agree completely.
Nice post. You mentioned how local subsidies contribute to this fraud, but there is a national government subsidy as well. Any domestic sales qualify for a working capital loan at a reduced interest rate. Beijing is going to be left holding a pretty big bag when this all collapses.
Actually China’s C-NCAP and EU NCAP are not too far apart. It’s not like the old days when China had no regulations.
Their specs are very competitive when you consider the prices. BYD’s imports into Europe are underwhelming because of the EU’s 27% tariffs. BTW BYD’s high export market prices also disprove the so-called unfair subsidies allegations.
The Song Plus DM-i sold in Brazil that can run on ethanol is pretty cool. The price seems pretty similar based on exchange rates to the price of a Toyota Rav4 Prime. If it actually came to market in the US it would have to be priced a little lower and with a longer warranty to be competitive just based on perceptions of reliability with Toyota.
The larger $40k vehicles do need very little or nothing to meet crash tests here. This is true. The subcompact $10k small cars need additional frame support, and the extra weight requires the larger battery option and motors, so now the $10k car is a $20k car even before shipping costs because the smaller battery is no longer an option. The $10k version is not fast enough to keep up with traffic at US speed limits so people would not buy it even if it could pass crass testing. Which it can not.
Whether or not C-NCAP and Euro-NCAP are actually comparable or not in terms of testing protocols does not matter much when the low-end vehicles sold in China being discussed here are deeply unsafe. HERE is a crash test of the Seagull, the ultra-cheap car everyone loves to use as the poster child of Chinese success. This simply couild not be sold in the North American or European markets.
My point on this is made doubly true by the Dolphin Surf’s existence, the version of this car that IS sold in Europe, which import tariffs or not, went from ~7800 USD starting in China to 22k Euros in Europe starting. This is well over double, and just shy of triple the price, not a 27% increase. This is because they simply had to reengineer the car and add expensive crash structure and change half of the structure of the car. Not only this, but these are both prices BYD has said is unsustainable, aka not profitable, not only that but the power is small, sub-100hp, which is very much not competitive for the North American market.
Also range is really not enough to cut it in NA, a CLTC rating for the larger (and more expensive) battery is 252, but CLTC ratings are horribly optimistic, actually often 30-35% higher than EPA ratings, which are also sometimes slightly optimistic, putting the Seagull at maybe 170 miles real world range. Add all that up and you end up with a car that’s nearly 25k, under 100hp, in a sub-compact size, with under 175 miles of range, that is not competitive no matter how you swing it.
This is not correct at all. BYD’s export prices are hardly identical region to region, the markets in question in the article are Russia, the Middle East, and South East Asia, and the cars in question are being sold as used, and under cost, due to subsidies from Chinese localities and states. The new prices on new exports are wholly divorced from subsidized zero-mile preregistered cars.
Fun fact: every car failed the same test. On the same YT channel.
Who knew crashing intentionally into the rear corner of a trailer, without a functional Mansfield bar, could be less than pleasant?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw1jdkYW6Yo
QOTD: Maybe China could park all of these unsold cars in the parking decks of their ghost cities which were [checks notes] overbuilt ahead of demand that never materialized in order to make the economic machine appear more infallible than it really was.
Wait a minute…
Kind of reminds me of the old Soviet factory quotas, although instead of just faking the numbers and not producing, they are building too much to deal with. Almost like they are central govt communist or something, just with some sort of twist.
It’s like if you handed 1975 Russia a bagful of cash representing the entire US economy and said “Now, we know you’ll do the right thing…” (my dad’s favorite expression on China, after doing a lot of manufacturing business there in the 90s, is that they desperately want to play the West’s games, but only under their own rules). I mean zero disrespect for the people of China, but collectively under the CCP it’s sometimes like watching the world’s biggest orchestra flawlessly play a perfect rendition of a toddler banging on a toy keyboard. They hit every note exactly, on time, with perfect precision and phrasing, and then wonder why the whole is less than the sum of the parts.
Lol, I’ll have to remember the orchestra analogy. Makes me wonder what would happen if China would focus more on quality instead of just pure quantity, and move towards being rational and away from having some high up, detached from reality, guy demand some project with unrealistic targets on a tiny timeline, sending all the workers frantically scrambling to try to make it happen.
The last half of your comment feels a lot like Trump in Iran, but I digress 🙂
OT but incidentally Chinese classical musicians are highly respected. See: Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, etc.
Commenters everywhere rejoice at the invention of brand new used cars
I wonder if they come pre-corroded from the factory like Mazdas used to.
JERRY
… See, they install that TruCoat at the factory, there’s nothin’ we can do, but I’ll talk to my boss.
The couple watch him go to a nearby cubicle.
CUSTOMER
These guys here – these guys! It’s always the same! It’s always more! He’s a liar!
Hell yeah, now if we can just get rid of that pesky 25-year import rule…
I assume they are selling them at new car prices. So used cars costing the same as new cars sounds like a bad COVID nightmare.
I love me some brand new* pre-owned new* used CPO new* cars.
*Definition of new: Something that has definingly not be used, driven, consumed or otherwise owned by another person unless we are talking about these great new pre-owned vehicles.
My significant other got a Honda Fit like that. 500 miles on the car and it was flawless. But it was supposedly a “demo” car. For a few grand less than new and 5 months less warranty it was a good deal.
i expect to see chinese auto manufacturers falling out of the market, just as carlos ghoshen had forecast globally. fewer, larger brands surviving, smaller ones without scale failing.
…hopefully without ensuing social discord/unrest.
I hate to say it, but China could use some social discord/unrest. Unfortunately, it’s not likely to end well.
When it comes to spotting cop-plorers, I look for the lack of roof rack rails.
My guess is that everywhere outside the US slowly opens up to all the larger more stable Chinese brands because people want cheap transportation, and cars have basically become appliances.
Imagine here in the US if you could get a Bolt-style EV made in China for $8000.
Exactly. It won’t be long before the world turns toward this and away from us.
Start a war and change half the automotive build capacity into military equipment: the Arsenal of Autocracy.
And the ghost cities will house slave labor, I mean captured war criminals.
Let me stop you right there.
With cars as big as they are now, 18″ is like the new 15″. Looks like plenty of chonk in those sidewalls, even though I’m more a fan of wheels only being big enough to clear the brakes.
Clearing the brakes is where I am okay with 18’s as well. for a vehicle as large and heavy as this, I imagine it should have decently sized brakes and 18’s are acceptable. For track cars 18’s are the standard to clear big brakes.
I, for one, like having real brakes and not the stuff found on my 60’s chevy’s that fit under the stock 14’s, but yes I do not like 20’s on really anything.
I get it, but here’s my counter-point, and I now it makes me an old man yelling at the clouds: maybe these things shouldn’t be going that fast in the first place that they need brakes that big!
I can’t disagree! We don’t need these giant machines going this fast. It’s funny how David Tracy had his “fastest suv” article recently with the 5.9 jeep that had like 245hp and I can’t image was that much lighter than this explorer and yet this thing is working with 400hp and is just a slightly above average (in terms of speed) suv these days. I will yell at (probably a slightly different cloud) along side you, especially at the Hummer EV with its 1000 hp and 10000lbs. I suppose freedom of choice and all that
Sidewalls are an underrated luxury feature.
Yeah, when the C4 Corvette first came out, everyone was marveling at how huge the tires were. They were 16″. The Mustang GT 5.0 of the same era had 15″.
I didn’t know this Explorer trim was even A Thing. I see at least 1-2 Pilot Trailsports every day now, some Passports, occasionally a Pathfinder Rock Creek (plus tons of Subaru Orange Editions or whatever they call the ones covered in orange). But not even a single Timberline or I would definitely have noticed the oddities. Fords are everywhere. And now I’m intrigued because finding a lesser-known model from a mainstream brand is usually the best way to own something interesting without all the hassles.
When is the last time I thought about VinFast? Three times ever: First, when I heard of them about a year ago and thought it was a competitor to Carfax. Second, when I actually saw one a few months ago and did a doubletake. Finally, yesterday when I saw a TV commercial for a local dealer, which blew my mind (for comparison, we have never had a Tesla showroom).
I do not work for or have a financial business interest in Mitsubishi but may I suggest a new or used Outlander? ‘22 or above?
My wife and I own a ‘22 and a ‘24, as well as a ‘24 Mirage and my ‘24 with the tech package and panoroof rivals SUV’s costing $10-15k more especially the Korean makes.
And although the front end has a face only a mother could love, the nighttime vision is impeccable, better than almost anything I have driven short of the BMW IX I have driven.
When everything is a tremor edition, what even is a tremor edition?
The logic behind this question is a little shaky.
It has to be equipped with Parkinsense, their automatic parking feature. It taps the car in front and behind, and always scrapes the curb.
Not an Edition, but a trim level, similar to an equipment package like TRD Off-Road, not the full Raptor crazy treatment, but some off-road focused goodies, which to Ford’s credit, they’ve been pretty consistent about.
On Ford Super Duties it’s an option package, not a trim level.
Old man’s Alzheimer’s-Edition Raptor.
This got me thinking. Is it still a thing to use straw buyers and then export fancy SUVs? It used to be a pretty big deal a few years ago.