Traum

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...1229972%2F1491

DETROIT -- Chinese-built cars have quietly arrived in North American showrooms for the first time, but not from one of China's scrappy automakers as long anticipated.

Honda Motor Co. has crossed the threshold by exporting the Chinese-made Fit subcompact to Canada, The New York Times reported.

The Japanese automaker's Canadian arm began receiving the Fit from China instead of a Japan factory this month. It's part of a Honda plan to build more vehicles outside of Japan and avoid the punishing effects of the strong yen.

With the change, Honda also aims to wring out more profits in a market segment where margins already are thin.

...

John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda, told The Times there were no plans to distribute Chinese-made Fits to U.S. dealers.

Traum

My understanding is that cars built by Honda Guangzhou have decent built quality, but I dunno if Fit/Jazz are built in there. Obviously, I would still expect vehicles assembled in Japan to have higher built quality because Japanese factory workers are so well known for the meticulous attention to detail.

It'd be interesting to see how these Chinese-built cars hold up in the long term.

-Lik

retroFIT

I'm not surprised. If you look at Mugen, some of their parts are already made in China.

Just because it's made in China, doesn't mean that it's crap. They just have more people to do the labor that otherwise would have cost more in Japan/US/etc...

m_shake

Won't buy a car made in Mexico or china....

Racebrewer

For whatever reason, Canada considers China to be a "developing country" and drops import duties on a lot of Chinese products. Don't know if that includes cars or not.

That could be why the Chinese cars are going to Canada.

The US charges the same duties on Japan and China origin vehicles (IIRC 2.7%).

I think that many US consumers would run away from Chinese Fits.

"Just because it's made in China, doesn't mean that it's crap." Just way more likely, IMHO, because buyers are consumed with the lower price and China will build to any price.

John

ThEvil0nE

anyone who thinks that anything made in China is sub-par are naive... how sad.

Traum

Your remark is entirely correct. And yet, anyone who thinks that the build quality of Honda's Chinese factories can rival that of their own Japanese factories is even more naive.

-Lik