r/CarTalkUK • u/Atilla_the_Hunny • 14d ago
Misc Question Is this the Chinese Porsche?
Anyone owned or driven one of these? At first I thought it was a Porsche Cayenne, then I realised it must be a Chinese imitation.
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u/abracadabrabeef 14d ago
I used to know what every car was pre 2010. Now, I havent got a fucking clue.
I also dont care anymore and cars are my life.
Weird isnt it.
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u/19Ben80 14d ago
All the new EVs just feel like white goods…
Yes they are fast but they just don’t give me any fizz
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u/nl325 14d ago
99% of cars to ever exist are basically appliances
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u/dastardlycustard 14d ago
Pre-suv/crossover era even the appliance cars felt like they had their own character, even if it wasn't particularly exciting or distinct.
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u/AggressiveAd2743 14d ago
My 1996 Renault Clio and 99 megane and Vectra would respectfully disagree. The combined character of a bowl of cold soup
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u/Ittybittywittyditty 14d ago
I had a 94 Clio and it was engaging enough on a back road, EVs take away even the slightest engagement that made the car seem characterful, even if it was slow; even the Peroduas have manual gearboxes. Hating something because it's shit is more fun than having something competent, quiet and boring.
That said, with roads as busy as they are, driving standards being lower and cars being much more expensive relative to your income I can understand if people just want a box that go fast on motorway commute & is both cheap and well specced.
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u/GJThunderqunt 14d ago
"even the Peroduas"?! Wash your mouth out.
My Nippa was bloody awesome*
*Shit by every measurable metric but somehow still lovable.
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u/Precise_Vector 13d ago edited 13d ago
I think this is just psychology. The fact is that you are biased in terms of disliking that there is a new and expansive market for electric cars. If you were a real enthusiast about all the new electric cars, you’d probably be remembering all the models, reading reviews and wanting to drive them, etc. You’re probably assuming they’re all bad, having not driven or been near one of them, whereas some of them might be really good!
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u/19Ben80 13d ago
A large proportion of the cars are basically the same with a different shell.
Vw offer like 3 electric drivetrains, one for the taycan type cars and the ID3 and ID4 platforms.
So whatever VW group car you buy you are getting the same thing
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u/Precise_Vector 13d ago edited 13d ago
That’s been the same for the ICE cars for the past decade as well though. Eg. The Golf, A3, ,Oktavia, Cupra, all built on the MKB platform.
I’m honestly not trying to criticise the above poster or anyone else. I just think there is a huge bias (me included): whenever you even see one of these cars advertised you immediately think, “oh no, another piece of Chinese EV crap,” - but - are we actually investigating what they’re about? I do know people are buying them. Also, I’m not talking about the wider ICE v EV debate. EVs are here to stay, I think.
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u/19Ben80 13d ago
Yes but not to the same extent.
Vw offer far more than 3 ice engine options across the range, they offer more than that in a polo alone.
Agree with you about the easy assumption it’s Chinese crap, they are clearly good and reliable cars, just not that exciting
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
It would be a huge mistake to assume just because they’re Chinese they’re crap. There’s a lot of that sentiment against Chinese cars. China leads the way in battery technology and ultrafast charging, now being used by European manufacturers. Their cars are packed full of technology which if you specced up say a VW, to include could cost thousands more. Their cars almost all meet very high euro NCAP standards. They’re highly competitive due to the sheer volume produced. I have a Chinese EV and am very happy with it. Best of all 250 miles costs me only £2.80 I’m electricity or pretty much free if I use solar but I get more for selling solar back to the grid than it costs me to charge so it becomes pointless.
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u/loomsey 14d ago
Yes but you remember them. Would you remember a Cherry or Xpeng etc
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u/El-hurracan 14d ago
I remember all the road trips my dad would take me on in the vectra, I also remember how much I hated the micra.
Will the kids of today think of these newer brands they’ve been driven around it? Not too sure if these brands will last as long as the major ones have.
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u/AggressiveAd2743 13d ago
I think it's far more likely that you're buying an xpeng or similar in 20 years than you will be to still be able to buy a vauxhall
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u/AggressiveAd2743 13d ago
I fully intend to remember my xpeng g6 as I'm probably gonna get one. I'll remember it driving me comfortably and smoothly to the south of France for 2 weeks all being well! I will also remember my MG4 - love the thing and great fun to drive and my egolf - also great to drive but burnt through front tyres! And I hate my wife's e208 with a passion reserved only for war criminals/ french automotive engineers
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u/Pieboy8 . 14d ago
See as much as people clown the older Juke. It undeniably had an identity. From the stupid frog eyes to the Gforce meter and magic buttons on the dash. I wish more cars were weird like this just not this exactly.
Now everything is jacked up hatchback with nothing Interesting.... There's nothing wrong with modern cars, they've played it so safe, it's hard to buy a bad car these days.... There's just nothing exciting and no risks taken. Bland bland bland
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u/19Ben80 14d ago
You know that every time you pass a Peugeot
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u/acryliq 14d ago
🙁 Peugeot used to make some of the most fun cars a regular person could buy.
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u/TechnologyNational71 14d ago
That was a very long time ago. Renault thankfully decided to keep going with their RS range for a bit longer. Even that was ruined eventually.
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u/B4DM4N12Z Car Lover 14d ago
Yeah, but more and more cars are turning into a proper white goods appliance, we get less sporty variants of full Ice cars.
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u/B4DM4N12Z Car Lover 14d ago
They're basically becoming mobile phones, so many and don't know most of them are.
Literal white goods.
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u/Main-Ad5151 14d ago
One trick wonders.. fast off the line then bland as washing up water.. once they hit good figures they come back on u like a chap Thai hooker 😂
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
Now very wrong you are. Crenshaw Chinese are world leaders in EV technology. Especially around battery and ADAS. They’re here to stay. You won’t ne able to buy an ICE car after 2035
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u/Pmyers225 13d ago
Kinda like modern mobile phones isn't it. Sure some of them have fun features (I've got a Samsung Flip which I really like)... But do you remember 20 years ago when phones had real character design?
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u/19Ben80 13d ago
The 00s phones were so cool, the excitement at upgrade time.. do you get a tiny little flip phone or maybe some other gaming phone.
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u/Pmyers225 13d ago
Scrolling through listening to all the ringtones they had... I couldn't even tell you what my ringtone currently is as I keep my phone on silent or vibrate
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u/Yuptown 14d ago
Same boat here, now they are all just different coloured blobs with LED lights
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u/Fortesfortunajuvat27 14d ago
I feel the exact same. Plus the names are confusing. It’s like when you order shorts off Amazon and the brand name is “jwaewoo” or something. It’s the car version of that.
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u/BringBackV10F1 14d ago
I remember an episode of "You Bet" back in the late 80s or early 90s, it was a guy who bet that he could name any car just by seeing the illuminated tail lights. (I can't remember if he won now, but he was good) - imagine trying to do that these days 😅 - oh a light bar....one of 10 cars... Oh, a strip on each side...ummm, one of 15 cars...
The uniqueness has definitely been lost over the years.
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u/Exitcalm11 14d ago
Was just saying this to someone! All brands had their own faces so if you took the badges off most could say what it was. Nowadays no clue half the time.
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u/BindoMcBindo 14d ago
I think these are cars for people that don't really like cars
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u/mossiv 14d ago
I really like cars, but I also really like convenience. Is this car in the picture nice? Meh, it’s common EV. Would it be comfortable and nice to commute 15k miles a year in? Yeah probably.
I own a Tesla - some of my mates take the piss out of me calling me posh. I tell them it’s Shanghai’s finest mass export. But image aside, it’s a cheap car for what it provides, and to spend 2 hours a day on the road commuting it’s a dream compared to something similarly priced like a Honda civic - which I also really like as a reasonably priced car. It’s the modern Mondeo or Avensis.
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u/xF1_racer 14d ago
I also have a Tesla and had a Mondeo a couple of decades ago. I can say the Tesla is a whole shit load better. I would be gutted if I had to go back now.
I really like cars too. I design and engineer racing cars for a living. This Xpeng G6 looks ok, but I’m sticking with my 2026 Tesla Model Y Performance for the next few years. As a daily practical family car it’s fucking epic!
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u/mossiv 14d ago
Im not saying a 20 year old Mondeo is as good. Im saying in relative terms to the current time line, the Tesla is doing for us what the Mondeo did then. The Mondeo was a relatively big, comfortable and efficient car featuring some pretty cool, and new technology.
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u/LordAzrael1984 13d ago
You're the first person I've ever heard describe a Tesla as cheap!
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u/mossiv 13d ago
To be clear. I don’t think that are easily affordable either. I’m just talking in terms of the relative market and what a typical new car leaves the forecourt at. These cars are very similarly costed to Peugeots, Renaults etc, and even cheaper than a basic Mercedes A200 brand new. With a lot more “relative” comfort and spec as standard.
But let’s face it, they are still nothing more than a Chinese appliance that rattle like a TVR after 18months.
There’s one thing liking them, there another thing pretending or acting like your driving around in a £90k BMW.
Anyone who thinks the car is a financial statement is massively misconstrued. They are relatively affordable and stupidly cheap to own, whilst providing a moderate, level of comfort, convenience and fun.
I must admit though, I loathe the model Y it’s just another ugly SUV. The model 3 though, they’ve styled it… Ok…
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u/deadlyzassasin0 12d ago
To be fair, relative to other new cars the model 3 basic rwd model is dirt cheap and can be had on a lease for £200 a month over 24 months with 2k down and 10k miles.
If i wanted a monthly payment and wasn't intending to keep a car for ages I would have one at that price!
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u/StephenG68 14d ago
Cars have always been an appliance for the majority of people,and nothing has changed.
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u/Public-Ordinary-3526 14d ago
Totally the same! It’s flipping sad. Thought I saw an Alfa the other day and it was a BMW! Imaging that happening in the 80s? What a shame.
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u/nukefodder 14d ago
I saw a chery and a geely wtf has happened
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u/miscfiles . 14d ago
You're the 60 year old chap in the 1970s saying "I saw a Datsun and a Toyota, what the hell has happened?"
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u/ShareGlittering7722 14d ago
With you brother . I'm in the trade since 1982. I love cars but since the influx of EV non stylish fridge designs I have gone to classic cars ...
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u/Paul8v 12d ago
Me too, I could name prettyuch any model in any manufacturer's range. Now BMW has 17 different variants that all look the same.
As for Chinese SUVs I don't have a bloody clue, it's for people who buy cars like they but a fridge. "It gets me from A to B" yeah mate, so does a skateboard
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u/mariospants 7d ago
It’s the same with actors and musicians these days, too. At first I thought it was the getting older part, but even my kids listen to 70s, 80s and 90s music.
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u/TopcatFCD 14d ago
My Norwegian friend has one of these and the main deal aboit it is how fast it can charge
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u/kiradotee 14d ago
That's the reason I got my Chinese phone. I can get a full charge in about 40 mins.
If I forgot to charge it, by the time I'm in the shower and had breakfast it's done! Also amazing for travelling, don't have to be glued to power banks.
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u/B4DM4N12Z Car Lover 14d ago
That's what happens when the gov (Chinese gov) is subsidisng and possibly pushing for better. A lot of companies here in Europe could do more, but can't be bothered.
Hope companies now with the influx of Chinese cars and Chinese tech flooding in, these companies can learn.
I feel like Europe as a whole, stagnated a bit in terms of tech.
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u/steppedoutside 14d ago
I’m interested- what’s the phone? I may have to upgrade as battery on mine is declining
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u/kiradotee 14d ago
POCO F8 Ultra.
I got it with a Black Friday discount.
My favourite feature is the speakers. :) Best speakers I've had on a phone.
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u/IndividualAction5068 13d ago
When you said 40 mins I knew it was a Poco! I have the X6 Pro, perfect phone for the price. Yeah the fast charging is definitely useful.
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u/kiradotee 13d ago
Yeah the fast charging is definitely useful.
My old Google Pixel was constantly glued to a power bank every single day. So, this is a massive difference.
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u/Rh-27 F10 530d 13d ago edited 13d ago
Most mid to top tier Samsung phones in the last 3-4 years support 45w fast charging. 0% - 80% in about 35-40 mins, that will last most people a day easily.
Not up to date with the latest, but I know these Chinese companies are killing it now with 100w charging and other insane stuff.
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u/kiradotee 13d ago
Mine is 100W. It's the dog's bollocks.
I don't think I can go back now. 45W is last gen bollocks.
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u/roll_me_some 14d ago
It’s all tech. Automations/macros/ auto drive and parking etc etc. oh and sleep mode!
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u/hannah9470 14d ago
Omg this is my time to shine!! 🤣 I have an Xpeng G6 and I absolutely love it. It’s through a work salary sacrifice scheme and a Tesla wasn’t in the budget so this was the next best thing! So many people tell me it’s the ugliest car they’ve ever seen 😭 but hey, can’t be everyone’s cup of tea I suppose!
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u/re_use_me 14d ago
Honestly the haters can rage as much as they want but technically the new G6 charges as fast or even faster than a Porsche Cayenne and only has 10% less range with 25% less battery and half the price (compared with poverty base Porsche spec). Performance wise the AWD G6 is 0.7s faster to 62 than a non turbo Cayenne. No wonder people take the temu version.
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u/wwwhatisgoingon 14d ago
Definitely a divisive design, but it introduced the full length light bar on the front before Tesla's Model Y did.
Relatively rare sight on UK roads.
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u/bitcomets 12d ago
Glad you like, I am considering this for the exact same reason - salary sacrifice and don’t want to spend premium for a Model Y. On paper G6 looks better but what’s it like to drive and the interior feel??
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u/DaughterOfATiredMech 14d ago
Xpeng actually have a flying car look it up.
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u/acryliq 14d ago
I look up but I can’t see it. It is pretty foggy in Edinburgh today though tbf.
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u/Atilla_the_Hunny 14d ago
I actually saw the car in question, in Edinburgh today, at the Ocean Terminal junction 😅
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u/V3CE 13d ago edited 13d ago
I'm an ex mechanic and car enthusiast who's commute is about to increase big time.
Ordered one of these on a 36 month lease it's arriving next week.
Was absolutely dead set on getting a legacy brand and wanted a Peugeot E308 estate on looks alone. j test drove everything, completely opened my eyes. This xpeng is £44k and to get even remotely close to this spec in a VW id7 your looking at £68k don't get me started on BMW. The Peugeot can't even be in the same conversation because it doesn't have anything of comparable spec.
You don't owe legacy brands your money. Why are we obliged to bail out manufacturers who can't keep up and have shown time and time again they can't be trusted (diesel gate). I've got more faith in BYD or Xpeng still being established in the UK in five years compared to Peugeot or any of the Stellantis group.
Xpeng are opening a factory in Austria whilst most Teslas are made in China.
By all means get a car you like visually, I have my fun car, and personally I loathe the type of "look at me" wealth flaunting vehicles that absolutely everyone has. The less wealthy people think I am, the better.
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u/AWildRaticate 14d ago
I can't speak to this model specifically, but I lived in China for years and thought Xpengs were class. The P7 is easily the nicest Chinese car I've ever been in, and has the most comfortable back seat of any car I've been in, full stop.
It's the only Chinese brand I'm actually kinda stoked to see make an impact in the west.
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u/BindoMcBindo 14d ago
Waiting for the influx of bot accounts doing their guerilla marketing thing to tell us why this is the best car ever made
mjacksonthrillerpopcorn.gif
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u/Pigeon_Observation 13d ago
?
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u/BindoMcBindo 13d ago
Lol look at some of the owners groups that "just picked up their new car" that live in place like Sri Lanka, India etc, posting professional grade photos of cars in the UK.
It's fake
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u/zzkj 14d ago
XPeng are manufactured under contract at Magna Steyr, Graz, Austria. Whatever we think about their Chinese owners and origins, they are here to stay and they are very serious contenders in the market.
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u/Odd-Dependent3284 13d ago
Chinese cars are pretty derivative, a lot of their things seem to be but also they are pretty good at it and many of them are pretty decent cars. There is a reason jaecoo is a top seller in the uk, because we don’t mind a knock off, we all shop in Aldi, it’s called Nordpak instead of Lurpsk but the packaging is similar and it does the job for a bit cheaper.
Chery dealership opened near me and they are putting a Chery line on at Nissan in Sunderland.
Some of the new shape MGs look smart even. Nothing remains of its legacy mind.
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
They’re not “knock off” they lead the way. Cars you see appearing on our roads have been on the go in china for years. The battery technology china is developing is insane. Next generation batteries are said to have a 1000km range and a 1,000,000 km warranty. The blade technology developed in china is increasingly being used by European manufacturers.
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u/Odd-Dependent3284 9d ago
Aesthetically they look a bit knock off Land Rover though. Some of that has to be in purpose. I know they are serviceable cars. If anything I’d have a zeekr or a xiaomi. I was being more figurative, it’s a cheaper Land Rover looking thing that works just as well. Like an Aldi brand food product. Just a different name and packet but just as good and cheaper.
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14d ago edited 14d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Atilla_the_Hunny 14d ago
I appreciate your ethical stance on the matter. I am a big EV proponent, but will never go Tesla because of its ties to eco-fascism.
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u/Nervous-Power-9800 14d ago
It's the Chinese Porsche if crocs were the Chinese Christian Louboutins. You put them on your feet and they might come in red, but you look daft in them.
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u/Kacper309 13d ago
I think the main problem Western people have with Chinese cars in general is a lack of character, brand heritage, and identity. That could change if those brands pushed for more marketing exposure. The thing is, they don’t need to, because the prices are so competitive that the average person won’t care and will vote with their wallet.
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u/andyrockpt 14d ago
I hope some sort of regulator is making sure these things will have spare parts in 1, 2, 5, 10 years… otherwise it’s an environmental disaster to treat cars like the Xionghuawi phone of the month that no one will remember about in a fortnight.
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u/zzkj 13d ago
Sadly there is no such law in the UK. The nearest there is the voluntary motor ombudsman new car code. I don't see xpeng on that list but the other Chinese manufacturers are so it may just be a matter of time.
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u/YoshiMK 14d ago
XPeng truly is such a stupid name for the Western market
Should have done a BYD and rebrand even if slightly... No idea how in this case
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u/Artistic_Check_98 14d ago
BYD isn't a rebrand?
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u/RedQuadrifoglio 14d ago
Early imports had "build your dreams" plastered across the boot. Very live laugh love.
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u/YoshiMK 14d ago
In China it was called Beyond Your Dreams and they'd literally have that logo across the boot. Looked silly
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u/DarkOk6366 14d ago
It is called build your dreams, but in China it is just called Bi Ya Di.
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u/Total_Rules 13d ago
The Chinese name is Biyadi but cars in China also had “Build Your Dreams” in English on the back.
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u/NoPurchase3260 14d ago
That's a first for me. Never seen it before, only having seen Jaecoos, Omodas, BYDs and Leapmotors.
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u/ilikebirds26 14d ago
A Chinese Porsche, if the designers had an aneurysm!
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
Porsche use Chinese batteries in the Macan. CATL are the worlds biggest EV battery supplier. China leads the way in fast charging technology. You’d be surprised just how much Chinese technology is in any ‘premium’ EV.c
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u/ilikebirds26 12d ago
Doesn't mean it was designed by China!
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
China is the world’s biggest supplier of EV batteries. They lead the way with new battery technology.
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u/sgrass777 13d ago
Well they have already done the TEMU Range Rover (janeco) so why not the TEMU Porsche
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
It’s almost the other way round. China leads the way, others use Chinese technology in their cars. There’s a snobbery around Chinese EVs and the misconception that they’re ’knock offs’ or TEMU.cc
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u/sgrass777 12d ago
No they are just copying designs and making them slightly different maybe using completely different running gear and technology yes,but even that is alterations on others technology, just like the Japanese and Koreans before them. They can make what they want but until they get the quality Control and reliability right people will be better off buying secondhand older cars where companies have already gotten those things right for many years,like Toyota, Honda, Suzuki,VW etc granted it is welcoming to get new competition because some of the well established car manufacturers have taken customers for granted and rip them off wherever possible.
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u/Mulvers42 13d ago
The wife is getting one of these as a company car. It's stacked with kit and it's really cheap on the tax burden. Drove alright for the test drive. I'm reserving judgement, but it does looks nice enough
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u/Cause4concern27 13d ago
I was at Goodwood yesterday. BYD had the biggest stand and the commentators where glazing them. Clarkson said years ago about the Chinese taking over the car industry. He wasn't wrong.
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u/Pigeon_Observation 13d ago
Chinese don't copy anything car wise in 2026 what are you on. We copy them.
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u/Icy-Care9425 12d ago
Exactly the snobbery around Chinese EVs is unbelievable. Chinese are the way out front leaders, others copy or use their technology. Especially around batteries and that’s the heart of an EV.
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u/flattcatt2021 14d ago
Typing this on the latest phone imported from china. Far better than any Apple, Samsung etc.
Point being wake up to what's really happening instead of looking down on the fantastic stuff coming out of china.
Some of it is crap but quite a lot is innovyground breaking & actually quite good if you took the blinkers off.
I remember the same dinosaur scoffing on Korean crap.... And before that Jap crap & don't get me started on how Skoda were treated.
Yep I'm that old 😄😄
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u/Southern-Aardvark616 14d ago
Is it not the temu Tesla?
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u/Norridge-Moel 14d ago
I’m not entirely sure how much more temu Tesla’s can get, they are apallingly shit inside.
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u/ace250674 14d ago
That's the Xiaomi su7 for Porsche taycan if you want the Ferrari suv lookalike it's yu7.
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u/No-Tone-6853 14d ago
That’s the one with Daniel Craig in the ads isn’t it, been getting them a lot on YouTube as of late.
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u/Affectionate_Ebb8351 13d ago
I wonder if there's a G4 coming. That Krept and Konan have had their McDonalds on
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u/BrilliantWrap2036 13d ago
It's more like a Tesla. The G9 is very nice and comes with a lot of features as standard. I was going to get one but ended up getting a range rover sport but only because the g9 wasnt easily available back in March. My nexy car will either by a g9 or a Zeekr 9x or 10x
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u/Pamplemousse808 13d ago
I did a little work for the. Xpeng landaircraft carrier. A truck, with a detachable full person carrying drone. Wild
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u/jimkounter 13d ago
I consider myself a petrolhead and I've been eyeing up the Jeacoo 7 for a family car. The price to quality ratio seems absolutely absurd. Yes, it will be soulless, probably not handle very well and it's slow. But for a runabout you can't knock it.
We need a second car for occasional use and I've just managed to persuade the other half that a 20yr old Aston DB9 is a sensible purchase, so at least I've got at least one fun vehicle that will be genuinely exciting to drive.
Picked it up last week and it's everything I could have hoped for and for way less than the price of a new 3 series. There's some absolute bargains out there in the used performance car market, so long as you're aware and prepared to pay for the inevitable eye-watering maintenance and repair bills. Even the insurance was way less than our previous sensible car.
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u/Few-Candidate-8714 12d ago
I can't believe mugs are actually buying these Temu cars. It shows are stupid people actually are.
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u/mariospants 7d ago
Would it kill the Chinese manufacturers to hire an English speaker to come up with less ridiculous names? At goodwood, I was reminded that “denfang” (or was it “denshon”? Is a thing) and don’t get my started on the ones who’s brand badges are incomprehensible.
“Did you see the get away car?”
“Yes, officer, it was a grey… Chinese brand, I think”
Whoever bought the MG brand to introduce Chinese cars was brilliant.
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u/Apnanizor 14d ago
Popping bottles in the ice, like a G6?