Came here to post this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Toyota#Beginning
Although the founding family's name was written in the Kanji "豊田" (rendered as "Toyoda"), the company name was changed to a similar word in katakana - トヨタ (rendered as "Toyota") because the latter has 8 strokes which is regarded as a lucky number in East Asian culture.
I'd definitely pick up a "Tassler". Has a fake EV charging port that you flip out of the way to fill up gas.
Years ago I saw someone who had obviously fixed the badging on his Elantra after a repaint or accident.
He chose to spell it HUNDAY. Clearly, the set gives you all those letters, but you'd think it also gives some hint as to which order they're placed,
I always thought Hyundai was off brand Honda that got a little too popular and now likes to pretend it is its own thing.
I always thought Hyundai was off brand Honda
No, HMC's history is a bit more complicated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Motor_Company and has more of a historical association with Mitsubishi, particularly for drivetrains.
There have been several badge engineered Hondas like the Rover 800 series
They are a thing. Many manufacturers outsource some of their production to poorer countries, these factories end up starting up their own brand and produce their own vehicles alongside those of the main manufacturer (who supplies components from engines to dashboard switchgear). For example, Dacia is a knock off Renault.
Dacia is owned by Renault. And the cars they built before Renault bought them were licensed.
Yes it is. It's still a knock off Renault, though, in contrast with relationships like VW/Seat/Audi/Skoda which is more of a conglomerate where they all have the same base models, even if some brands are seen as more premium than the others.
For the life of me I can't think of any other examples of budget brands right now. I remember one for Suzuki motorbikes that I'm pretty sure is a separate company that also manufactures Suzuki under license, but can't remember the name. I'm sure there are loads out there.
Relevant Top Gear clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0bNf-jcVU0
Though no fun Hongda or Joops.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s): https://piped.video/watch?v=K0bNf-jcVU0
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
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Tbf, we have a shit ton of knock off Chinese cars on the road in Vietnam, and even more knock off motorcycles.
Bullshit... We had yugos, le car, citations, chevettes... People bought that garbage when we had it to buy, but they've figured out that a car that falls apart faster than you can pay it off isn't really a great idea. Paying half the new cost for a vehicle after 40k miles is a much better way to go.
This used to be true when cars were reasonably priced, but these days when a base civic is 30 k, things needs to be re-evaluated.
I'd also say that car tech in general has advanced massively, so even a cheeseey car would be equivalent to top of the line of a car build in the early 2000s.
Most new cars these days are just loaded up with unnecessary bullshit, like touch screens, that's driven the cost way up. Everything is fucking computer controlled and just prone to fail and be a nightmare to service.
MSRP on base civic is 23k. Which isn't a whole lot considering how much car you get for it. Comes with a pretty nice (if a bit paranoid) driver assistance suite. Reliable, good fuel economy, pretty comfortable. My only complaints are that the CMBS and the LKAS are neurotic, if you're under 70 years old, just turn them off, and the base model doesn't have variable intermittent wipers. You get 3 speeds, Low, Medium, and High.
Prices for an equivalent model car really haven’t changed much after adjusting for inflation.
Hondas aren’t the best example because they have steadily been moving more upmarket as a brand. However, in 1991 a base model civic cost an inflation adjusted $15,600. A 2023 base model civic costs $23,750.
Another example that comes to mind is the Mazda Miata since people often complain about how sports cars have gotten too expensive and it’s the archetypal affordable sports car. A 1991 Miata cost an inflation adjusted $35,600. A 2023 Miata starts at $28,000.
Dude... My mom had a shit-vette... I was driving that fucking thing to the store one day and the clutch and brake pedals both dropped to the floorboard with a thunk...
It was definitely a Chitvreolet ;)