Russian taxi drivers complain about Chinese cars. Is this a prejudice of trolls or a solid fact?

The rise of China's auto industry and the surge in exports abroad have become commonplace. However, among the good news, there are also some different voices.

Last month, the well-known Russian media "Kommersant" published an article titled "Russian taxi drivers are dissatisfied with Chinese cars", expressing the complaints of the country's users about Chinese cars.

It is reported that Chinese cars account for 70% to 80% of Russian taxis, but these vehicles need to be scrapped after 150,000 kilometers of use, while European and Korean brand cars usually have a lifespan of 25 to 300,000 kilometers.

The comments from Russian drivers are clear: Chinese cars have a significantly lower lifespan than European and Korean brands.

Russian taxi drivers are dissatisfied mainly due to two issues: quality and after-sales service.

A taxi company pointed out that 70% of Chinese cars had transmission failures within a short period of time. Many cars also had engine problems. Andrei Popkov, chairman of the taxi drivers' union, said: "Their mileage is far worse than Korean and European cars. But the price is very high, they are not worth the money. And the warranty does not work, and spare parts are difficult to obtain. The service life of the engine and transmission is only half of that of previous models."

Analysis data from the Russian State Industrial Information Agency shows that the maintenance cost of a Chinese SUV exceeds the price of a new car within five years.

If we only look at these complaints, we might even have doubts: Are our cars so bad?

In fact, there is no need to doubt yourself, deny yourself, or even belittle yourself.

Although some Russian taxi drivers said that Chinese cars are not as durable as European and Korean cars, they did not point out specific brands. It is obviously not objective to ignore the base number. Chinese cars account for 70% to 80% of Russian taxis. With such a large base number, some brands and models have some problems, which should be treated normally. These problems cannot be used as a reason to "kill all Chinese cars with one stick".

We can easily get the completely opposite answer from other Russian media reports.

Sergey Trifonov, owner of a Moscow taxi company, said: "I myself drive a Chery Jaecoo J7, which I have driven for 50,000 kilometers and have no complaints so far. By the way, I have not changed the brake pads. Many people complain that the electronics of the Jaecoo may fail after 100,000 kilometers. I once had a Nissan car bought directly from the factory. After 20,000 kilometers, I had to replace the transmission. That is to say, every manufacturer has its own problems."

In addition, the quality also needs to be considered in different situations. We all know that Russia is a special country after all. Both the road conditions and the climate are very different from those in most parts of China. Taxis need to run continuously at high intensity, which in itself will affect the service life of vehicle parts.

As for the after-sales difficulties mentioned in the report, perhaps they are just speculations of some taxi drivers.

We can get a more unbiased view from comments by Andrey Petrov, head of communications for the ride-sharing company Delimo.

He made it clear: Most of the new cars in our fleet are Chinese brands. Now they account for one third of the fleet. The view that the Chinese automobile industry is of a lower level is outdated. We do not see any difficulties in maintaining and repairing Chinese cars, especially because we work directly with the brands and the spare parts and cars they get from them are made specifically for us. We see that Chinese cars are well received by our users and there is active demand in various categories, including "comfort" and "business".

In fact, Chinese-made cars are also widely used in other areas of Russia, such as family cars, passenger cars, and commercial vehicles. Everyone has a very good evaluation of Chinese cars. According to relevant media materials, some Russians believe that the quality of Chinese cars has even surpassed that of Korean and some Japanese car manufacturers.

The growth rate of Chinese cars' market share in Russia also indirectly confirms the degree of recognition of Chinese cars in Russia.

In 2021, Chinese cars accounted for only 9% of the Russian car market. By 2023, this figure had reached 49%, and even soared to 58% in the first half of 2024.

The quality of Chinese cars can be clearly seen from the speed at which they have risen in the Russian market.

Obviously, there is some "bias" in saying that Chinese cars are of poor quality and difficult to provide after-sales service. Just like the Internet trolls here, in their eyes, even Rolls-Royce has unforgivable failures.

Of course, even if these "biases" are subjective, our own brands should still pay attention to them. In the past two years, Russia has been sanctioned, and the market share of European and Korean cars, which originally accounted for a large proportion, has been consumed. It is not ruled out that some Chinese car companies are eager to seize the market and ignore localization adaptation, which naturally leads to quality problems.

Therefore, if you want to fundamentally change other people’s prejudices, you must first make a good product and let your strength speak for itself, which is always more powerful than meaningless excuses.

At the same time, Chinese auto brands should also establish a complete after-sales service system, focusing on quality control and after-sales. Selling cars is one thing, but whether they can take root in the local market is the key. After all, when Russia is lifted from sanctions in the future, European, American, Japanese and Korean automakers will rejoin the local market competition, and the bottom brands will always be eliminated.

More importantly, Chinese auto companies cannot put all their eggs in one basket. Although the Russian market is promising, the market environment, climate and terrain are very different from those in China, and are not suitable for the development of all auto brands. In the process of globalization, different auto companies still need to find their own development rhythm, develop in multiple directions, and find the "soil" that suits them, so that they can truly go global.

Regardless of whether the Russian report is mixed with too much subjective consciousness, our domestic brands should do their best. After all, any Chinese auto brand that goes abroad represents the image of Chinese auto companies. Only by deepening product and after-sales service and enhancing brand influence can we eliminate "prejudice" and gain a firm foothold in overseas markets and obtain more and more positive feedback.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.