For those of you who drove a Japanese import in the 60’s/70’s/early 80’s, did you get any heat from family/friends/coworkers/general public about your choice of car? How bad was it? What were some of the consequences and what was the most extreme example you’ve seen or heard of?
This question applies to americans as well as some western europeans, whose auto industries were also in decline with the exception of germany.
This discussion might also be a good predictor of what will await the first owners of chinese cars when they do arrive in north america.
I have experience with Europe and Australia and like real Chinese companies like BYD, Great Wall, LDV and Haval fly pretty much completely under the radar here. People like myself notice them, but the general public really doesn’t care. They might not buy them, but they also don’t notice them or have negative feelings towards them when you see them in the street.
Chinese brands that position themselves as being from elsewhere like MG most people don’t even associate with China, even if you point it out you’ll often get a “huh, I didn’t know that”.