American Influencers Can't Stop Praising Chinese EVs They Can't Buy (theverge.com) 108
Chinese automakers may not be able to sell their electric vehicles in the United States due to steep tariffs and software restrictions, but they have found an alternative path to American eyeballs through a coordinated campaign targeting car influencers on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The effort, the Verge reports, is largely organized by DCar Studio, a platform that invites US-based creators to Los Angeles to test-drive vehicles from brands like BYD, Geely and Xiaomi. DCar is actually Dongchedi, a car trading platform owned by TikTok parent ByteDance that raised $600 million on a $3 billion valuation in 2024. The strategy appears aimed at building global brand awareness rather than direct US sales.
Mark Greeven, professor at IMD Business School, told The Verge that American influencers still shape opinions across the Western world. "The charm offensive is to work with American influencers about Chinese EV cars because we still have a dominant opinion in the Western world, which is formed by English-speaking influential figures on social media," he said. Several creators told The Verge they have heard rumors of undisclosed payments for positive coverage.
Mark Greeven, professor at IMD Business School, told The Verge that American influencers still shape opinions across the Western world. "The charm offensive is to work with American influencers about Chinese EV cars because we still have a dominant opinion in the Western world, which is formed by English-speaking influential figures on social media," he said. Several creators told The Verge they have heard rumors of undisclosed payments for positive coverage.
Anything for money (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not commenting on the quality of the cars simply the conflict of interest.
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Interesting)
So when Consumer Reports recently backtracked on a Tesla Model 3 review, which criticised the Model 3’s braking as being substandard we wondered if Tesla, aka, Elon Musk twisted a few arms.
...
So did Tesla try to buy positive feedback from a truly independent review source? The answer is no
Tesla do get a lot of hit jobs from media, particularly automotive media, because they refuse to pay for adverts. It does seem to have died down in recent times as most people now know the pros and cons of a Tesla, so the FUD is less effective and hurts their credibility.
Re:Anything for money (Score:5, Insightful)
It does seem to have died down in recent times as most people now know the pros and cons of a Tesla, so the FUD is less effective and hurts their credibility.
It's more likely that it died down because Musk effectively poisoned the brand in the eyes of the company's target audience - few people care about Tesla anymore.
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Interesting)
Musk being Musk wouldn't stop me, and probably a lot of other people, from buying the cars 2nd hand. However them being defective-by-design death traps (unable to open doors in case of a fire), having a bunch of build issues, lying about range then gaslighting people about it, etc... has prevented me from buying one (got a Bolt instead). Their data mining doesn't help either, though likely all the new cars are doing that now. I assume Tesla is a bit better at it.
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However them being defective-by-design death traps (unable to open doors in case of a fire)
The doors have mechanical handles in case of emergency. I had to learn to tell passengers to use "the button" when getting out because the handle gets pulled - understandably. It's technically not good to use for non-emergency because the window doesn't drop and could crack on closing the door.
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What I heard was the physical door release, to open the back doors during a power loss, was a pull cord hidden behind a plastic panel in the bottom of the door's pocket. I don't know what models are like that. I do know some people burned to death because they couldn't figure out how to open the door.
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Why can't the window roll down a little when you pull the handle instead of pressing the button? A better design would be the handle activates the automatic door opening behavior when pulled a little. Then if it's pulled a lot it'll trigger a manual release.
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They are also falling behind a lot in charging speeds.
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Actually, it's not Musk who "poisoned the brand"—it's those with insane and irrational responses (and a heavily funded negative-PR campaign) to what formerly would have been mildly controversial views even 10 years before. Even reasonable views are now portrayed as "toxic", "racist", "fascist", etc. For example, there are innumerable videos
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Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Insightful)
The biggest pro for a Tesla used to be the charging network & Elon.
Now the charging network is open to many other EVs and the biggest con is Elon.
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The biggest pro for a Tesla used to be the charging network & Elon. Now the charging network is open to many other EVs and the biggest con is Elon.
I love a good double entendre.
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You're welcome 8^)
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The biggest pro for that ugly golf cart series was the large government subsidy on the car and on the charging it got early in the day when it was (PR-wise) the only one in the market. Now that's gone, and the "cheap electric car" isn't so cheap anymore, so demand has understandably shrunk.
Then there's the increase in competition, the impact of trump's anti-electrocart policies, and the general economic deterioration due to the new policies that disrupt the global system with the explicit goal to raise dome
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Informative)
>>The ozempic-gupling Nazi escapades are among the least significant factors in determining demand.
Maybe not in the US but in Europe and other places (where rebates for EVs are still in place) the drop in Tesla sales is 100% Elon-based.
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Really? I've noticed a lot of other reasons not to buy one:
1. Import of Chinese electric vehicles, of which many are cheap and not that bad
2. Import of much cheaper second-hand Teslas, which eat the market for new cars of this model
3. Finally, a large expansion of EV models from European car makers, of which some are inexpensive and, unlike the musk abortions, some begin to look like real cars.
There is a bit of a badwill from his escapades, but I doubt it is noticeable as the hate musko got in the US.
To sum
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They're influencers. "Conflict of interest" isn't an ethical problem, it's a lifestyle.
From what I've heard from reliable sources, though, Chinese EVs are apparently are good quality for a cheap price. I don't have personal experience of this, though.
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Do they meet US DOT Safety standards? I was always under the impression they didn't meet those ratings and that's why we can't have them. There are gasoline cars and light trucks that also don't meet US DOT Safety standards either. Even if they were free, you can't register them with any DMV.
P.S. Of course, given that America has a hard-on for the biggest, least efficient vehicles possible, it's no surprise that smaller, efficient cars don't meet the safety standards.
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Informative)
Most of the vehicles sold internationally meet **EU** safety standard. Standards which are almost always higher than those here in the US.
(Even more so today, in fact, since Trump has been busy cutting back US agencies ability to actually do what they're tasked to do.)
But yeah, convince yourself that they're all cheap low-quality garbage and that fat-assed American SUVs and pickup trucks are exceptional....
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Informative)
In some ways US standards are way stricter than European. In other ways, not so much. So mainly the standards are different and focus on different aspects of safety. American standards focus on things like rollover protection more than European standards do. US crash test standards are higher too. I think this might have to do with everyone driving big SUVs here in North America. Europe focuses on other safety features including driver assistance technologies. AI tells me that European regs are now requiring emergency button to call for help. Also Europe allows headlights that have no clear high or low beam, but can transition between as the car detects oncoming traffic, and steerable headlights, which have stricter requirements in the US. Also different configurations are allowed for tail lights than the US does.
Besides the tariffs and outright ban on Chinese EVs, they would have to change their vehicles for North America, and I suspect they will once the US reverses the ban.
Canada is about to allow Chinese EVs in and reduce tariffs, but the reality is that only chinese Teslas will met safety regs here. Canada is way too small a market for other Chinese companies to build special vehicles for.
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Informative)
The most glaring difference between US and EU safety standards are the requirements for protection of vulnerable road users, such as crumple zones on the outside of the vehicle. These exist in the EU's safety standards and don't exist in the US's.
Re:Anything for money (Score:4, Interesting)
I know you're being facetious, but it's worth noting that US pedestrian fatality rates are three times the median rates of 27 other high income countries, and that's despite American walking far less.
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Oh Chinese top tier EVs are great at point of sale.
Problems don't start showing until several months down the line for most things being promised. And the problems that cause people to really not like them back in PRC and only buy them at massive discount vis a vis Tesla, like the infamous lack of galvanic rust protection don't become noticeable until a few years of ownership.
Well beyond what "car reviewers" will review. This is the stuff you go to mechanics and engineers for.
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Problems don't start showing until several months down the line for most things being promised.
Cite?
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Problems don't start showing until several months down the line for most things being promised.
Cite?
"Trust me bro"
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Would PRC leadership's actions be an acceptable thing, or are Chinese Communist Party apparatchiks just being evil anti-Chinese Westerners when they made the new rules starting January 2026 for EV export licensing?
Google this from your favorite news agency. CCP has specifically decided to tighten licensing because of utterly horrible quality problems with exported vehicles. They even have a name for it to pretend it's not a widespread problem: "rogue exporters".
That's the worst of the lot, the ones that exp
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I'm not commenting on the quality of the cars simply the conflict of interest.
What conflict of interest? DCar Studio has money and wants advertising, the influencer wants money and can provide advertising. I see an alignment of interests, not a conflict.
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Amazing what people will say for money.
They are basically paid actors, little more. What is truly amazing is the people who will outright explicitly lie for money. It's one thing to tell people how awesome a car is, or how cool your latest Temu product was, but quite another to pretend that a school shooting was fake, or do whatever Karoline Leavitt tells herself she's doing so she sleeps better at night. The people who come up with the lies are the worst, far worse than those people who simply act the result.
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If that was the case then a) why would they go to American influences when the cars aren't even sold there, and b) why aren't the American companies doing it too?
They are just really good cars, and the fact that Americans can't buy them makes for some good rage-bait engagement.
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It is marketing. So what? And there is reason to believe US (and European) car-makers stupidly left the market to China. And now China is ahead by a large margin. That is not how you win the future.
For the record (Score:2, Troll)
The fastest EV is Chinese https://www.topgear.com/car-ne... [topgear.com] and the a fastest EV around the Nurburgring is also Chinese https://www.topgear.com/car-ne... [topgear.com]
Re:For the record (Score:4, Informative)
and the a fastest EV around the Nurburgring is also Chinese
"A 1,526bhp Chinese EV has smashed the four-door Nürburgring record*" "*Sort of."
No, it's not.
A car that doesn't qualify for official records has beaten official records. This isn't new- it happens all the time.
That isn't to say it's not bad ass when it happens- but this isn't a production vehicle, and has been stripped to its bones.
If it manages to hold that record after a fully-equipped production run vehicle does it- then you can say what you said.
For now- it's misinformation. They paying you too? It sure would explain a lot.
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Don't know about the Nürburgring.
However, this is from Car and Driver:
https://www.caranddriver.com/n... [caranddriver.com]
"YangWang U9 Track Edition just reached a top speed of 293.54 mph at a test track in Germany" at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg track.
In Germany. Not China.
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Don't know about the Nürburgring.
That's a strong indication that what follows isn't relevant to what you replied to, then ;)
However, this is from Car and Driver: https://www.caranddriver.com/n [caranddriver.com]... [caranddriver.com]
"YangWang U9 Track Edition just reached a top speed of 293.54 mph at a test track in Germany" at the ATP Automotive Testing Papenburg track.
That's legitimate. That car qualifies for the official records on that track.
However, it's not that great of a showing- it required motors rated for *3000hp* to do that. That's wildly inefficient.
The Corvette did 2:33 with 1000hp.
I'm guessing those electric motors are wildly inefficient at that high of a speed. But then again, it's not like efficiency is a huge care when we're talking about going over 200mph.
In Germany. Not China.
Was th
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Very interesting point. For all the talk of how efficient EVs are, the fact is at higher speeds you need much more energy to accelerate. In other words going from 0-20 in an instant requires not much kw compared to trying to accelerate from 60 to 80 mph.. This is why EVs have such ludicrous motor power ratings for their direct drive systems. And in reality all EVs have a gear train even if it's a fixed ratio with few parts. It's a real head scratcher why more don't use a two speed gearbox to better handl
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An electric motor is constant-power, and like any device, the faster it spins, the more power is wasted overcoming the current moment of rotational inertia.
A gasoline motor, on the other hand, is a constant* torque engine- it produces more power the faster it spins.
Because of this, their need for a gearbox is more prevalent (try starting a (common
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Sigh.
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You’re missing the entire point.
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If your point needs misinformation, then it wasn't a good point.
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A car that doesn't qualify for official records has beaten official records. This isn't new it happens all the time. That isn't to say it's not bad ass when it happens but this isn't a production vehicle, and has been stripped to its bones.
Nurburgring records are separated into production and non/production vehicles. The car in question is currently ranked 3rd in the *OFFICIAL* lap records. And the only reason it's listed in a non-street legal is that this model was a prototype and hasn't been released for production *yet*. Unlike the other cars that beat it, the SU7 actually looks like car that you see on the road... because it will be and it's built in the body of one that already is.
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Nurburgring records are separated into production and non/production vehicles.
Far more than that, actually.
The car in question is currently ranked 3rd in the *OFFICIAL* lap records.
Not even close. Third fastest- EV, definitely. Or, if you wanna add all the asterisk you can find- first fastest 4 door EV, or something.
And the only reason it's listed in a non-street legal is that this model was a prototype and hasn't been released for production *yet*.
Incorrect.
It's actually not street legal- it was stripped of necessary hardware to make it as light as possible. We see this shit all the time with manufacturer runs. It makes the news, and then everyone forgets about it because they never come back with a street-legal version.
It's fun to say, "look, our car that doesn't qualify beat the ones
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The fastest EV is Chinese https://www.topgear.com/car-ne... [topgear.com] and the a fastest EV around the Nurburgring is also Chinese https://www.topgear.com/car-ne... [topgear.com]
When I read this and saw the link was for Top Gear, I immediately heard "in the wooooorld" in Clarkson's voice! This gave me a laugh which I needed today. Thanks!!!
Americans Are So Easy (Score:1)
Just fall backwards, mouth open.
The thumbnails make themselves (Score:3, Insightful)
Because of the low price. Put a shocked face and title it "This amazing EV is only $23,000!!!"
This works because there are not equivalent US/EU/Japan/Korea cars in the same price ranges, I can watch influence reviews of all the $50-80k EV's from those countries all day long but they won't have the same effect because I wouldn't be buying those anyway. Now this cheap Chinese EV, if I could I might consider it. It's very effective and a self inflicted problem for the US.
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Re:The thumbnails make themselves (Score:4, Interesting)
They sell for that price in countries where there is no existing automotive industry to try to overwhelm, they sell at that price (or lower) in China. There really is no evidence of dumping, just specious claims from Detroit.
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It's amazing how many right-wingers think dumping means "selling stuff cheaply" rather than the actual meaning.
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It’s a commitment to the tribe above all else. Learning to be fine with being required by your leader to contradict the position you were arguing for just a few moments ago is not difficult, and is very protective of the psyche. It’s why end-of-world cults have often survived the passing of prophesied dates.
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I meant more that we don't have our own affordable EV's in the market.
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So safety regulations are why we don't have cheap EV's in the US? Not the decades long lack of investment and pushback from half the political class on the very idea? That has nothing to do with it? I mean Mitsubishi, a Japanese company was still able to offer a new $15k car in America up until a couple years ago. It wasn't very good but it existed.
I don't think the safety requirements are as onerous a cost as you think.
No wonder you are not putting your name down, that's pretty silly.
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Yup, ain't our 'Free Trade' system great?
American? Influencers (Score:5, Insightful)
Are we sure they're American? 'Cause elsewhere... Top MAGA Influencers Accidentally Unmasked as Foreign Trolls [thedailybeast.com] via new X account location information.
Google: X location feature [google.com]
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Our corporate executives already sold them the rope as well as the nails and lumber for the scaffold decades ago.
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Are we sure they are 'American' influencers? (Score:4, Informative)
The recent Twitter/X location enablement showed that many 'influencers' were not where or what they claimed to be.
https://legalinsurrection.com/... [legalinsurrection.com]
https://x.com/EndWokeness/stat... [x.com]
https://x.com/AbujomaaGaza/sta... [x.com]
https://x.com/Anarseldain/stat... [x.com]
https://x.com/capeandcowell/st... [x.com]
https://x.com/EFischberger/sta... [x.com]
That's useful information. (Score:1)
Not that I've ever watched a "car influencer". Or, to my knowledge, any video from someone labeled as an "influencer". Why would I? That's little more than the contemporary term for a "shill". I don't much care for ads generally, why would I want a long-form ad from some random jackass with a cell phone?
First hand knowledge (Score:5, Informative)
I've been to China a few times in the last few years. I've been in plenty of Chinese EV taxis or "Didi da che" (their version of Uber). Yes. They are good. Ask a cab driver how the car has been for the last 2-3 years, and they have positive comments. Trust me, the cab drivers will bitch about anything they don't like - from government corruption to speed cameras to the long waits at the airport. After 2-3 years of heavy use, the interiors of those taxis are generally in impressively good shape. They hold up. Some of the interiors would hold their own against a Mercedes E class. Same with exterior fit and finish. Take the badges off, and it is difficult to tell the difference next to a new Audi.
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I don’t use the word cringe often but your comment fits the definition.
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Sure, deny it all you like. There's plenty of video evidence. But don't let me stop you from keeping your head in the sand.
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Which is fine, because we have non-Chinese influenced EV data as well. China exports a lot of their EVs to Europe and Australia, so if they had a habit of catching fire, we'd know about it.
And starting in January 1, 2026, China would require an export permit to prevent exporting low quality EVs, the sale of such has brought down their reputation (se
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Does it use the same "sandwich" batteries as the other autos in their fleet? Because if it does, you won't want one. Not for very long anyway.
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I drive a Chinese EV (Polestar). Several of my friends own BYDs, and one owns a Geely. Many of my workmates drive Volvo EVs. I see nothing that doesn't put them right up along side and in many cases outclass any European / American cars. Both in build quality, fit and finish, and safety features.
I happily bitch about anything. Renault is on my shitlist. Mazda as well (some truly dumb UI decisions in its car). Ford, Chevy, Opel (GM), the cheaper VWs, they all feel like they are made in China, unlike the Chin
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\o/ (Score:1)
Example opinion:
* Oh look, a salesperson pretending to be regular person
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I remember broadcast TV from the '90s - thanks for the memory :-)
Presumably the next step is getting toddlers to shill for toy/baby-clothing/etc companies whilst at daycare (assuming one were to trust that playing with your phone in the presence of toddlers === daycare).
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In fact I already see this on YouTube when our child is watching!
This is why people age - so they don't have to tolerate the enstupidification of the world as they know it :-)
American influencers. I don't watch them !! (Score:2)
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I am so glad that I don't follow 'influencers'. Of any nationality.
Paid Influencers (Score:2)
Re:No One Mentions (Score:5, Interesting)
But, let me see the crash test results on those.
I'd pay to see them do that with influencers inside.
Re: No One Mentions (Score:5, Informative)
Re: No One Mentions (Score:5, Insightful)
US crash tests are deliberately engineered to favor our overweight road tanks.
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US crash tests are deliberately engineered to favor our overweight road tanks.,/quote>
So is physics.
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Their "sandwich" batteries kinda suck. The interior cells don't get cooled properly and are prone to swelling. Individual cells can't be serviced, so if one cell goes bad, you need to replace the entire battery. Apparently replacement batteries are very, very expensive.
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But no one ever talks about the build quality or, more importantly, the safety standards. Does BYD even meet U.S. safety requirements
Plenty of people talk about them. Do they meet US safety standards? Fucking please, that's child's play. BYD Seal has a 5 star European NCAP and ASEAN NCAP. In several categories it beats a Tesla Model S.
What is most laughable about your comment is that Geely own Volvo, widely considered the most safety conscious car brand on the market. And since purchase by Geely Volvo hasn't remotely slipped in the safety department, still making some of the safest cars on the road today.
I ask because I travel a bit and I have driven a couple of different BYD models. Holy shit it's amazing that those those egg shells don't burst into pieces.
Yeah sorry but you're full of shi
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Do they meet US safety standards? Fucking please, that's child's play. BYD Seal has a 5 star European NCAP and ASEAN NCAP.
Does not follow.
NCAP gives points for things like "has this system", while having inferior crash testing to IIHS.
They simply are not equivalent, and neither is one better or worse than the other.
A high NCAP score can produce a death trap at freeway speed collisions that has every driver-assist there is, while IIHS can produce a car that can by dropped from a plane with no casualties that might also kill everyone else on the road because it's a tank.
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European standards do also award points for simply having certain safety systems installed. The top 5 star ranking is only available if the car has certain systems and they are enabled by default every time the car is started.
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NCAP gives points for things like "has this system",
I'll grant you that your formulation of the sentence is clearer.
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NCAP is an independent rating system. But the EU has safety standards that are performance based and many cases more stringent than in the USA. The USA has some more stringent than the EU. The reality is these cars meet them.
But yeah sure, discount everything I said on a technicality of how NCAP tests. Disregard that regardless of how you think the test works, that the BYD I linked to outperforms many European and American cars subjected to an identical test. Just because you have a better testing system in
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So really, what point were you trying to make?
That your argument was bad. And my point was correct.
You're trying to reframe your argument (which is good, because it was really bad) without invoking shit like NCAP (again, good)
I wasn't taking a dig at BYD- they're cool cars. I was taking a dig at your shit argument.
Like it or not, that was on-topic, because you made it part of the topic when you made the trash-tier argument.
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He might just be regular ignorant, he thinks road noise has something to do with structural safety... or at least he pretends to.