Difference is Koreans actually build high quality cars and Chinese build quality is debatable.
If the Kias I’ve driven are any indication… No they don’t.
You also do realize that the Chinese make good stuff too right? It’s not just the random brands you see on Temu and Amazon. It’s the same brands you recognize already. Every Apple device for the past 25+ years is Chinese. Every component, every step of manufacturing, every human touch along the way. They’re only designed in California.
China just has an excess of manufacturing capability, because they make everything for everyone. Hell, a lot of “counterfeit” and “knock-off” merchandise rolled off the same exact factory line as the name brand. The factories continue running manufacturing lines after hours to produce excess that gets sold on the grey market, and they also send the stuff that fails quality testing to the grey market.
Manufacturing engineer here, can confirm. China has successfully replicated the success Japan enjoyed a generation ago.
Americans don’t be jealous; more great centers of manufacturing is a win for everybody. This is why we can have nice things! If it still bothers you… git gud lol
They manufacture so much because it’s cheap to manufacture there and that comes at some costs like putting very little value on people and their labor.
Also, designed in California means more than you think for established brands that have to follow American or, usually stricter, California laws.
Labor cost is a part of course… But the bigger thing is that the entire manufacturing process from near-raw materials, through individual component manufacturing, and final product assembly are all located within just a few miles of each other. Things aren’t being shipped across the country multiple times through the process. When manufacturing transportation cost is essentially zero, there is a lot of inherent cost and time savings.
They manufacture so much because it’s cheap to manufacture there and that comes at some costs like putting very little value on people and their labor.
Then we should have prioritized worker treatment in our trade deals. We naturally didn’t because we not only place no value on workers or their labor, but were also willing to forfeit the race to the bottom.
If the Kias I’ve driven are any indication… No they don’t.
You also do realize that the Chinese make good stuff too right? It’s not just the random brands you see on Temu and Amazon. It’s the same brands you recognize already. Every Apple device for the past 25+ years is Chinese. Every component, every step of manufacturing, every human touch along the way. They’re only designed in California.
China just has an excess of manufacturing capability, because they make everything for everyone. Hell, a lot of “counterfeit” and “knock-off” merchandise rolled off the same exact factory line as the name brand. The factories continue running manufacturing lines after hours to produce excess that gets sold on the grey market, and they also send the stuff that fails quality testing to the grey market.
Manufacturing engineer here, can confirm. China has successfully replicated the success Japan enjoyed a generation ago.
Americans don’t be jealous; more great centers of manufacturing is a win for everybody. This is why we can have nice things! If it still bothers you… git gud lol
They manufacture so much because it’s cheap to manufacture there and that comes at some costs like putting very little value on people and their labor.
Also, designed in California means more than you think for established brands that have to follow American or, usually stricter, California laws.
Labor cost is a part of course… But the bigger thing is that the entire manufacturing process from near-raw materials, through individual component manufacturing, and final product assembly are all located within just a few miles of each other. Things aren’t being shipped across the country multiple times through the process. When manufacturing transportation cost is essentially zero, there is a lot of inherent cost and time savings.
I think the bigger things are the nearly slave labor and the temporary government subsidies and the general manufacturing capability and the jobs.
That said, I sure would like cheap, ubiquitous electric vehicles.
Then we should have prioritized worker treatment in our trade deals. We naturally didn’t because we not only place no value on workers or their labor, but were also willing to forfeit the race to the bottom.
We don’t value THEIR workers or THEIR labor either. We value cheap products with many features. That was basically my point from the beginning.