As of: March 8, 2024, 8:35 a.m
By: Patrick Freiwah
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Ora 03 electric car from Great Wall Motors: In a comparison test, the China model sees little land.
© IMAGO/Khalil Dawood
German or Chinese electric cars: who is ahead in comparison?
According to the test carried out by a specialist magazine, there is no doubt about the winner.
Berlin/Munich - According to many experts, the German car industry is tumbling towards the abyss, while Chinese manufacturers have the future, and not just in electric cars.
There is no doubt that car companies from the Middle Kingdom have caught up - in terms of global electric car sales, BYD, a company from the People's Republic, was even ahead in 2023.
So are European brands at risk of losing out in the long term?
Electric car test: Chinese models clearly inferior in comparison
Auto Motor und Sport
has subjected four electric cars to a test (issue from February 29th) that should provide information.
The comparison provides indications of the competitiveness between Europe and China in various categories.
The Cupra Born (Volkswagen) and Opel Astra Electric (Stellantis) models face two challengers from China: BYD with the Dolphin and Great Wall Motors (GWM) with the Ora 03 (formerly “Funky Cat”) have two offers in the compact class segment, which is also available in Germany.
According to the trade magazine, the Chinese representatives don't have the slightest chance.
The Cupra Born from VW wins the comparison, ahead of the Opel representative.
There is a difference of almost 100 points between the test winner and the loser, which is the BYD Dolphin.
Chinese electric cars: What's supposedly wrong with BYD and GWM
The test comes to the conclusion that there are “worlds” between these two models; GWM and BYD are also inferior to the electric Astra.
According to the report, the BYD Dolphin's list of defects includes the following points:
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Chassis tuning: the car “rocks and staggers”
Steering: “road feel – precision-free”
bad brakes
“Funny” high beam
Inadequate heating system
Poor navigation without charging route planning
Weaknesses in connectivity (including Amazon Music and Spotify)
The overall impression of the Ora 03, which according to KBA statistics was registered thousands of times in Germany last year, causes hardly any fewer grievances:
Lane departure warning steers the car into the ditch on country roads
The chassis is overwhelmed even on small bumps
Brakes are a nuisance
Steering behavior “numb” and “indirect”
Too much wind noise from the body
Cumbersome menu navigation for infotainment
Electric cars in comparison: Quality of Cupra and Opel significantly better?
There are two features in which the GWM Ora 03 performs better than the BYD Dolphin: The interior design is better and the materials are of higher quality.
The
AMS
's conclusion is that BYD has a price advantage over its competitors Cupra and Opel - but has no chance when it comes to quality.
The Ora, on the other hand, doesn't even offer an advantage over local providers in terms of price.
The test result sparked a heated debate
among users of the electric car portal
Ecomento.de .
Some users support the result and do not see Chinese electric cars as serious competition to the well-known manufacturers.
Electric car comparison: Debate about China models - “pure polemic out of fear”
Other readers criticize what they see as the subjective report and suspect bias.
In their opinion, the criticisms raised there do not correspond to previous experiences and are only due to the fact that the German car industry is an important financier of such publications.
Selected comments:
“There are different demands on BEVs in China than in Europe.
The test requires European standards – the result is accordingly.”
“This disgrace of BYD’s electric cars is pure polemic out of fear.
Neutral testers have already described the truth based on extensive testing.”
“Regardless of which vehicles are tested/compared in the AMS, you can assume that the criteria will be chosen in such a way that the desired result is achieved.”
“The tests by the trade press etc. must be such that the German automotive industry builds the best cars.”
“The cars from the Far East are good, but not yet good in Europe.
The speed at which they can catch up is remarkable.”
“I've been driving a BYD for a year and I can say one thing with certainty: I've had zero problems and am extremely happy with BYD.
This article is guaranteed to be one-sided.”
“Before the invasion from China, the favorite opponents were the Koreans, before that the Japanese and where European car manufacturers were still among themselves, there was fire against the French.”
“The scoring is transparent, you can look at it, and what you don’t need just doesn’t count into your personal score.”