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south africa's "politics network" article on september 17, original title: why i chose chinese cars recently, there has been a lot of commentary in the print media and on the radio about new car sales, especially how various chinese brands are entering the new car market. south africa now has more than 20 different chinese models to choose from, and some models will be launched before the end of the year. i recently replaced my suzuki that i had been driving for 1 year with a chery omenda c5. there was absolutely no problem with this suzuki, and the mileage was only 10,000 kilometers when i changed the car. the problem was the process of changing the car. i went to the local omenda showroom to find a new car to replace my wife's honda cr-v, but my wife liked her honda cr-v very much. she thought the omenda was too high-tech, so we left the showroom empty-handed. i thought it wouldn't hurt to go for a test drive, so i secretly went to the omenda showroom on a weekday morning and asked for a test drive. after the test drive, i was convinced and bargained over the replacement price of my own suzuki and the sales price of the omenda. after completing some formalities, everything was arranged and i could get my new car in 4 days. it’s no surprise to me that chinese car brands are taking market share from the old-line cars. they’re well-designed, solidly built, perform well, and come with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos that used to only be seen on top-of-the-line german models. the sony sound system on the omenda is reason enough to buy it, but the real reason i bought it was the price. a bmw 1 series costs less than r700,000, while my omenda cost r470,000, looks much more interesting, has voice control for most functions, and is very luxurious inside. the dashboard has been replaced by a screen that provides all the data you need, displays links to google maps and music, and allows for hands-free calling by giving the computer the command “call someone.” that’s why models like the haval, omenda, and jetpack have managed to retain their charm despite paying homage to other brands. it’s generally believed that people buy chinese brands because they “downgrade” and can’t afford the more expensive european brands. but the owners i know certainly don’t have the money, and could have bought a more expensive model if they wanted to. perhaps south african car buyers have finally realised that they can get an equally good german alternative for less money. (author: david bullard, translated by chen xin)▲