I’m calling bullshit on this “lower quality” trope - I have an ID.3 for 2.5 years now, and it’s a solid, reliable car. It’s plastics are heavy-duty and hard-wearing and not prone to deforming or scratching up. The soft areas are comfortable and supportive. The car has been reliable and with software update 3.2, the UI is responsive and well-featured.
I chose it and cancelled my model 3 order because I wanted reliability first and foremost, and also it was going to be a stretch financially, and I didn’t want to suffer wild repair costs.
My ID has been dead-easy to live with, and except for a failed main screen (repaired the day later - it was a pandemic car) it’s been solid. Panels align perfectly, no worries about paint and “micro scratches”, and the one repair I did need (after a bad sudden pothole on a control arm) cost less than €180 for replacing both arms, labor included. Try that at Tesla.
Chinese cars - don’t get me started. Go flex the metal on the lift gate of an Ora Funky Cat and see how insubstantial and thin it is. Or read some reviews on CarNewsChina on the lower-end car segments you champion…rocklike suspensions and old-fashioned build methods—plus much slower charging curves.
ID.3 s and 4s are EVERYWHERE here in the Netherlands, Germany, and even back in my old home base of Colorado in the US, usually a bellwether state. Maybe car sharing isn’t legit to you, but they’re reliable and tough enough for business, and they’re out on the streets. Chinese stuff? Not so much. Maybe they should see if they can sell them to a driving school - if those will pass the test.
I’m calling bullshit on this “lower quality” trope - I have an ID.3 for 2.5 years now, and it’s a solid, reliable car. It’s plastics are heavy-duty and hard-wearing and not prone to deforming or scratching up. The soft areas are comfortable and supportive. The car has been reliable and with software update 3.2, the UI is responsive and well-featured.
I chose it and cancelled my model 3 order because I wanted reliability first and foremost, and also it was going to be a stretch financially, and I didn’t want to suffer wild repair costs.
My ID has been dead-easy to live with, and except for a failed main screen (repaired the day later - it was a pandemic car) it’s been solid. Panels align perfectly, no worries about paint and “micro scratches”, and the one repair I did need (after a bad sudden pothole on a control arm) cost less than €180 for replacing both arms, labor included. Try that at Tesla.
Chinese cars - don’t get me started. Go flex the metal on the lift gate of an Ora Funky Cat and see how insubstantial and thin it is. Or read some reviews on CarNewsChina on the lower-end car segments you champion…rocklike suspensions and old-fashioned build methods—plus much slower charging curves.
ID.3 s and 4s are EVERYWHERE here in the Netherlands, Germany, and even back in my old home base of Colorado in the US, usually a bellwether state. Maybe car sharing isn’t legit to you, but they’re reliable and tough enough for business, and they’re out on the streets. Chinese stuff? Not so much. Maybe they should see if they can sell them to a driving school - if those will pass the test.