Chinese plants have less automation, which is allegedly conducive to tighter tolerances.
It is still a common misconception that Chinese vehicles are inferior to those made in the United States or Europe. Motor1.com‘s opportunity to drive Chinese-market models proves that this stereotype is not true anymore. Robin Page, Senior Vice President, Design, Volvo Cars believes that cars made in the People’s Republic may be better than those from established centers.
Page explained that while everyone was concerned about quality, once they started producing the product, quality was higher than in Europe. Page spoke to Australia’s . Page attributes the main difference to European factories’ greater automation. The Chinese use more human labor to produce tighter tolerances, and can make adjustments to the production process faster. He said that although it is not a significant difference, if you compare scores-to-scores or averages, China is pretty damn good so we aren’t so concerned about that right now.” GoAuto.
In 2009 , Geely bought Volvo Cars. The Swedish marque quickly moved to China to build more models and export them to other countries. The long-wheelbase version the previous-gen S60 was sent by the firm to the United States. The S90 are now available in Europe from Asia. Volvo plans to construct electric models in China, and then ship them to other markets.
Volvo is not the only automaker to move manufacturing to China. The next-generation Ford Focus in America will be built there. BMW will also build the upcoming iX3 here.