Some Chinese cars are developed in only two years, but it often feels that way when you drive them

We hear a lot about the speed at which Chinese brands can develop a brand new car, but I’m not convinced that universally this is a positive development. Granted, I’m making a vast generalisation across a range of deep, and now multi-talented, car makers. However, if we ignore individual brands and instead focus on the priorities that all manufacturers (hopefully) share, shouldn’t we be concerned that the ability to design, develop and test a new car so quickly simply results in a half-baked product?

There are a few reasons why the various Chinese brands can develop cars so much more quickly than the seven-year norm of European makers. For a start, there’s the much larger skilled R&D workforce, while their advanced electronic architectures streamline development by being relatively easy to to update. 

The vertical integration of many components, rather than sourcing from suppliers, is another time-saver, and the direct-line decision making that’s derived from the ‘Chinese style’ of governing means things don't generally get bogged down in committees or over-complex management structures. 

However, such speed isn’t always a good thing – as we’re beginning to notice, with a procession of Chinese brands rolling into the UK at a phenomenal rate. For a start, there seems to be little scrutiny as to why a particular model might be put into production: Who is the car aimed at? What does it need to be good at? What can it offer beyond a bargain list price, tech and an anonymous SUV body? So often, the rationale of specific models feels undetermined. 

For those that do have a solid USP, it’s their execution that’s often lacking. Of the Chinese models that have reached the UK, few are better than average when it comes to general competence and technology levels. While the notion of a truly ‘bad’ car seemed to be behind us, it seems to be gaining momentum again courtesy of a select few duffers: Skywell, anyone?

What would these manufacturers gain by spending extra time developing these new models? I know this sounds like a strictly European sentiment, but few Chinese cars stand out in the handling stakes. This isn’t something the average consumer might notice on a ten-minute test drive, but an under-developed car can be exhausting to drive, or just plain uncomfortable on a daily basis. This is something that could very well prevent a consumer going back to a brand when the time comes to change. 

A well-executed ride and handling balance isn’t created through AI algorithms, but rigour. Exhaustive testing, prototyping and more testing are what’s required. This is what delivers a car that feels like it’s been created ‘as a whole’, rather than being thrown together from a collection of bits. 

The same can be said for the less subjective elements, too. Where are the supersonic charging speeds we’ve been promised? The world-beating range figures or crazy, self-driving software? It seems that in the fog of low prices, propaganda about Chinese ‘advancements’ in the country’s cars seems to have stuck to the news cycle without actually delivering. Not yet, anyway. 

I’ll be gladly proven wrong when an objectively impressive Chinese car reaches the UK; I’ve no doubt there will be some, in time. In its home market, Xiaomi’s SU7 and YU7 models have a big following. The Avatr range shines brightly with its eccentric and original take on ultra-contemporary luxury, too. Even some of the brands we know from the UK are killing it, with XPeng’s China-only P7 a particularly interesting new model.

But in the time these highly-regarded models take to reach our shores, it’s the European, Japanese and Korean brands that appear to be adapting to the faster new reality, and doing so with the hard-earned skill of engineering excellence behind them. Chinese manufacturers still have a way to go before I’ll be convinced they’re able to take over the automotive world.

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