The East Is Red, And So Is My Truck
September 19th, 2012 7:08 PM
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China’s Hawtai was quick to cash in on the nationalistic sentiments in China with its Hawtai Baolige Patriotic Edition. According to Carnewschina, the Patriotic Edition “is painted in China-red, with five yellow stars as in the Chinese flag and some waves around the rear wheels that likely refer to the disputed islands.” The trucklet is 100% Nippon-free, as far as we can tell.
The engine is a 1.8 turbo from SAIC. The Legally licensed) platform comes from Korea by way of the old Hyundai Santa Fe. There had been plans to offer a Mitsubishi 2.4 liter mill in the Baolige, but it never came to pass. Alternate use dept: The car should be pretty safe from being accidentally mistaken as Japanese and torched.
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Was at Weslaco Ford (not sure if I can link here) recently and saw a Hummer with U.S. flag on it that some guy was trading in. Not my style, but it didn't look bad, wasn't actually a wrap. I think he actually had it airbrushed on. Seemed like it would be a limited edition that could sell.
Not sure any vehicle today can be 100% japanese-content-free. There are certain materials crucial for microelectronics manufacture, that come only from Japan. I remember a while back a Sumitomo plant fire, which produced the encapsulant resin used in transistors and microchips. It brought down the electronics industry for a few months. I'm sure that there are similar specialized components or materials in the mechanical side that would be in the same situation.
"and some waves around the rear wheels that likely refer to the disputed islands." The four wheels symbolize our inner solar system...
As a student of Asian politics and history, I'm always intrigued by the potent nationalism card that the Chinese government will play from time to time. I wonder if the Chinese government uses flag-waving as a way to divert the populace from other matters that are more difficult to resolve - such as the widening gap between the rich and poor in society, corruption, and environmental degredation. To be fair, many governments do this as well, the USA not excepted. Of course, the danger is that once the passions of nationalism are fired up among the Chinese, it's much more harder to dial that down when the Chinese government finds they need to shift gears and set a more pragmatic tone with other foreign governments...and I think the Chinese government is trying to get the folks to tone it down now.