Watch Out Ford, Chevy, and Chrysler: Here Come the Chinese

In the last few months imports from China have been making headlines. Whether it is lead painted toys, poisoned toothpaste or contaminated seafood you have to wonder what exactly is going on over there. These examples are just the ones that make the front page and the nightly news, but there is a lot more to look at when it comes to China. For years Chinese automotive companies have been quietly setting the stage to take over the world wide market.

You don't even have to look too far to find their co-conspirators either. Ford, Chevrolet and Chrysler have all had a hand in this industrial posturing. All three of the big domestic car manufacturers build Chinese market only models. Some of which can out perform, both in horsepower and fuel consumption, the models offered here in the States. Some automotive experts say it is our government that causes this by putting too many restrictions on domestic and imported cars. I see it differently.

It is no secret that China is the most populated and polluted country in the world. The lack of legislation on what cars can and cannot do is essentially a blank canvass for the world's car manufacturers. It is not just the big three taking advantage of this free reign either. BMW has recently been whispering about a Chinese only model. Unfortunately BMW is not the first European car maker to look eastward for profits.

In the last few years many British nameplates have been killed and resurrected in China. MG Rover was bought by the Nanjing Automotive Group in 2005. At the time it was seen as a savior for the brand but now the company is building and selling MG roadsters in China. Nanjing say it plans to sell the roadsters in England and even the US sometime in the near future but the new models being currently sold in China will not make it beyond Chinese borders. Now there is talk that Nanjing is planning to buy what is left of the Austin Healey brand as well. So yet again another historic British brand faces death and reincarnation in the east.

As far as US expansion is concerned Nanjing had made an attempt build a US headquarters in Oklahoma but the project has stalled due to Nanjing focusing on reopening the Longbridge plant in England. Of course I am sure that Nanjing and its US investors will get past this hurdle and in the not so far off future you will see new Chinese MG's rolling down American streets.

While many people see this as a sign of China's shift away from communism still too much of the country is controlled by its government. I was not very old when Cold War ended but I remember hearing about the all the supposed good will that turned out to be plots against the US. I do not want to sound like a paranoid conspiracy theorists but some concern is warranted. If we continue to look the other way while American businesses go east for support then it is not that unlikely that we could all be facing a very real industrial threat.