The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration and China signed a Memorandum of Cooperation last week intended to make Chinese cars safer. The memorandum outlines goals for creating and enforcing safety standards, sharing research, improving fuel economy and the handling of safety investigations and recalls.
In addition to just listing goals, the two sides will also sit down at least once a year and conduct joint research to make Chinese vehicles safer.
Chinese automobiles have come under intense scrutiny as of late for their lack of safety standards. Although Chinese automakers are expanding rapidly, safety concerns remain their biggest hurdle in expanding to more developed, and lucrative, markets such as the U.S. and Western Europe.
09/20, 10:28 AM
posted by:
autonut
Now you have it: our government shows concerns about it citizenry. Chinese can’t even produce cars yet for our market, but we must be sure they don’t contain lead paint. Should they crash them first like all other cars?
09/20, 11:03 AM
posted by:
casualobserver
This is a joke. The US has nothing to gain from this.
What would really make sense would be for the EPA to team up with the European environmental agency and synchronize the introduction of new targets for NOx & particulate emissions based on best in class rather than hypothetically achievable. This way automakers could simultaneously release new drivetrains on each continent. The savings & benefits would be huge!
09/20, 11:28 AM
posted by:
Veda
There you have it. The chinese is smart enough to shake hands with the NHTSA to further their goal in selling their stuff in US. It’s inevitable and whether you like it or not they’re going to make the sales here due to their ridiculously low prices. There plenty of K-Mart shoppers afterall…
09/20, 11:37 AM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Veda: You’re right.
casual: way too much granola in your post.
autonut: we SHOULD crash them
09/20, 1:55 PM
posted by:
autonut
Whom do we crash: Chinese commies or Washington bureaucrats or both?
09/20, 3:18 PM
posted by:
LP640
ha ha the FU KING CHINESE what a joke
09/20, 3:29 PM
posted by:
Commodore
This is such fuking bullsht. Our own NHTSA are helping China get their pieces of **** here. I do NOT want to see those cars on our road or see poor people in America buy these crappy cars (they are so cheap, which is the only reason I can think of that people here would buy them).
Get a civic for 14 grand, a cobalt for 13 grand, and a chinese POS for 7 grand
09/20, 5:25 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
hell, Both.
14 grand for a civic?
09/20, 6:11 PM
posted by:
vm54
I doubt the Chinese cars coming our way will be that cheap. Probably $1000-$1500 below Kia/Hyundai or about $9K for a stripper subcompact. They won’t be sold in the West until they meet the minimum crash standards — they don’t want to be the next Yugo.
09/20, 8:05 PM
posted by:
Deanster
casualobserver,
you’re a ****ing tool. You’re talking emissions, we’re talking outright crash safety. Apples and oranges.
09/20, 9:27 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Fully agreed, Commodore. This is pathetic!
09/21, 6:20 AM
posted by:
Get Real
WE are helping China to export cars into our country ???
To help kill off GM and Ford and our jobs ??
Does anybody is Washinton care about our country anymore ??
All they care about is $$$$$, we need Reagan again.
Plus Reagan would never have sent Eleon back to Cuba.
09/21, 8:34 AM
posted by:
1487_GM_SALES
wHY WE WASTE OUR TIME HELPING CHINA BUILD SAFE CARS WHEN WE DON’T HELP FORD AND CHRYSLER MAKE SAFE CARS?
Only cars safe enough to drive in this country come from Genral Motors. A fleet of GM engineers couldn’t help China buiild a safe car. With the right amount of money, GM could help Ford and Chrysler though. Between them they have 1 or 2 non-deathtraps, but China? Noway.
09/21, 11:38 AM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
GetReal: reagan was part of the problem. At least he stood up to russia.
GMsales: it’s not the car, it’s the driver
09/21, 1:38 PM
posted by:
AgmLauncher
“This is such fuking bullsht. Our own NHTSA are helping China get their pieces of **** here”
You act surprised that American institutions run by Americans are acting anti-American. Being anti-American is the cool thing to do in modern society.
1. Hate the government
2. Buy imports
3. Be kind and fair to terrorists and criticize the military
4. Support illegal immigration
That’s what being a modern metrosexual (lol @ that ****ing word) American is all about
09/21, 3:48 PM
posted by:
hanlond
AgmLauncher, sadly you are right.
If you read the article carefully, it doesn’t say anything about the NHSTA trying to help bring Chinese cars to the US, but rather make safety standards and laws in China similar to what we have in the US, Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world and help Chinese automakers make cars that pass those standards. What they are doing probably will help bring Chinese cars over here, but it doesn’t seem, to me at least, to be their main goal.
09/22, 1:51 AM
posted by:
Got Handling?
GM_SALES,
Perhaps a fleet of GM engineers should help GM build a safe car first
09/22, 8:37 AM
posted by:
BLISS
CHINESE AUTOMAKERS MAKING FURTHER DEVELOPMENT…..GREAT.