Auto expert warns of weaknesses in cars of popular Chinese brands

Andrey Kochnev, auto expert, head of the motor transport department of Alfa Leasing Group of Companies, told on Thursday, February 13, about the weak points of Chinese Changan and Chery cars.

"Changan cars have not the most resistant paintwork, but this is a global trend related to paint compositions and environmental protection. Engines by their design are very demanding to the quality of oil and fuel. Therefore, it is better to fill up at branded gas stations and choose oil of premium lines with recommended viscosity only," he told Lenta.Ru.

According to the expert, Changan automatics and robots can serve for quite a long time, but they should not be overheated by driving off-road and slipping, as the standard heat exchanger, as well as the engine cooling system, is not the most efficient, he explained.

Kochnev added that Changan is also noted to have small failures of electronics.

"And it is necessary to be more careful with the pump of the windshield washer: do not try to pump the frozen liquid, otherwise it will quickly fail," - warned the auto expert.

Kochnev said that the standard problems of Chery cars are two: failures of the ABS unit and steering rod lugs, which last about 50 thousand kilometers, but sometimes fail at 20 thousand kilometers.

"And also, as in Changan, Chery cars have electronics failures - non-critical and correctable," the expert concluded.

Earlier, on February 12, "Izvestia" wrote that the Kaliningrad plant "Avtotor" produced the first batch of crossovers SWM G01 with manual control for immobile citizens, 200 such cars rolled off the assembly line earlier this month.

The plant said that it had introduced the manual control system into the technological process in the conveyor production mode. SWM G01 with manual control was certified in NAMI FSUE, the cars were also tested by instructors of the DOSAAF driving school of Russia.

Sales of passenger cars in Russia in January 2025 increased by 11% compared to the same period last year, according to 360.ru.

Lada remains the leader in the Russian market, RT reports. The second most popular among buyers are foreign cars Haval. Chery has closed the top three most popular cars.

A day earlier, on February 4, it was reported that the sale of used electric cars in Russia in 2024 increased by 18% compared to 2023 and reached a record 12.3 thousand copies, reports NSN.