China 2015: Cars of Rmqi, Xinjiang Uyghur

After covering the northernmost city in China (Mohe), we now travel to Ürümqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region in the westernmost part of China. I thought we may as well push it to the extreme and explore the provincial capital furthest from Beijing, a whopping 1,500 miles (2,400 km) away.

In fact, Ürümqi – pronounced something resembling “Yooloomooshee” – is both geographically and culturally closer to Kabul in Afghanistan than it is to Beijing. The majority of the population is Muslim and most Chinese road signs are dubbed in Arabic and sometimes Cyrillic script.

What are the most popular vehicles in this remote part of the world?

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  • VoGhost Just reminding us all that we have to tolerate dealers (many of whom are billionaires) in the US if we want new legacy ICE vehicles because the dealers pay for the campaigns of local politicians, with our money.
  • 1995 SC I'm still trying to get past the fact that the Red Bull guy is married to a Spice Girl.
  • Ravenuer Not into F1. Started watching NASCAR back when they raced actual cars. (yeah I'm that old). Not any more. They aren't "stock cars" now. Not even close. Even drag races don't interest me anymore. Races are over in 3 seconds.
  • Wjtinfwb No confusion on my end, Ghost. The Government has zero role in job creation outside of the legitimate opportunities' created by Government going about it's responsibilities, namely keeping the American people and territory safe from foreign intrusion. Of course, they're failing epically at that but that's a different topic. The American free enterprise system is what enables job creation. Government's role is to stay out of the way of that system, but they seem incapable of doing so. Oil & Gas exploration is just one example. If a National Job Policy is what you're looking for, there are other countries that will be happy to accept your application for residency.
  • Michael Smith I drive 100-300 miles a day in new BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, and GM SUVs. Some are already equipped with automatic braking.It's the first thing I turn off when I start the car.I've had experiences where (as the author notes) the system gave false alarms and stabbed the brake pedal, threatening my ability to control the car.Further, every driver encounters situations where, for example, legal following distance must be momentarily compromised in order to avoid a difficult situation. When the system intervenes, it disrupts the driver's plan of action. This can lead to a collision as the driver has to suddenly react not to his surroundings, but to the system.Not only is automatic braking an insult to skilled drivers, it's dangerous to everyone.