Americans Admit They Would Buy Chinese or Indian Cars

We already know the economic recession made people change their minds a little bit, especially when it comes to the money to be spent for a new car. Well, it might seem like Americans are now reviewing their options over the automotive sector, with fifteen percent of those who participated in a survey admitting they would buy a new car from China. Furthermore, eleven percent said they would acquire a car from India, without known brands or vehicles, gasgoo.com reported today citing the research conducted by AutoPacific.

Obviously, the news is a bit surprising given the fact that Americans have always been attracted by cars produced by US-based automakers. Furthermore, two of the largest American manufacturers, General Motors and Chrysler stepped under Chapter 11 protection, so buying a locally-built car would be useful for both the companies in question and for the local economy.

"As Hyundai and Kia have been on the American scene for decades now, it's surprising that consideration for Chinese and Indian brands, sight unseen, would be about as strong as it is for the Korean brands," said George Peterson, president of automotive research firm AutoPacific and author of the study.

"However, with so many premium and high-tech non-automotive products already being made in China and purchased by Americans, why not automobiles too? It appears that buyers in America are willing to give Chinese and Indian vehicles a chance right out of the box. Understanding these consumers will be critically important to the success of any newcomer."

What do people want from a car built in China or India? Well, most of the respondents said reliability and durability are excellent on these vehicles and admitted they are not interested in handling, braking or acceleration.