[quote=flu]It will be fine… Some of the Buicks are designed in Shanghai now. And a good portion of the parts are from China now.. Most people just aren’t aware of it yet (or are in denial of it).[/quote]
I think there are going to be some definite teething pains. Much of USA corporate ‘think’ likes to believe in off-shoring it, just collecting the money as it rolls in and ignoring having to quality check what arrives back here. I have seen too much of that, including from maquiladoras.
The Chinese also have a different culture when it comes to work, and making money. For them – it is literally anything goes, what ever they can get away with. Though I also have to mention that some Chinese manufacturers don’t seem to operate with the ‘anything goes’ mentality, and end up producing quality products; but they tend to be a minority.
The Japanese and Korean cultures are different (not saying that Korean’s and Japanese get along, they generally don’t). Both Japanese and Koreans have a ‘honor’ aspect to work products. Their cultures also tend to be ‘conformist’. Very few if any attempts to create fake eggs and sell them as real, putting things in ramen that really don’t belong there, melamine in milk.. etc. – and if/when it occurs, it ends up being very embarrassing to them.
As to whether the ‘anything goes’ attitude from Chinese extends to expats, I think it depends upon how they grew up in the US, if they are first, second, third or.. generation, when their parents emigrated. I have met all types in a University.
Note:
Ford rotors and Motorcraft rotors are not the same. Motorcraft is not Ford OEM.
Motorcraft BRR64
Ford F8VZ-1125-AA
— The Motorcraft rotors are made in China, the Ford OEMs are made in Canada.
[quote flu]It’s about product evolution. The japanese were in the same sitation in the early eighties.
The koreans were in the same situation in the 90ies, and they were able to close the gap in much less time.
Looks like the chinese automakers are trying to do the same.[/quote]I agree. That is why brought up Greely-Volvo vs the one Chinese car company that did well on their own with the crash test. I suspect Greely is trying to ‘buy’ the tech and knowledge though the purchase of Volvo, or maybe trying to buy the safety ‘perception’ through the purchase of Volvo – with Volvo’s safety record then being sacrificed. The question ends up being; what will the Geely Chinese corporate culture due to the quality of Volvo?
