This year’s Detroit Auto show was apparently much more subdued than in previous years. Automakers have scaled back, allowing room for Chinese car companies to peddle their wares. Consumer Reports says that the quality of the vehicles, and of the marketing material, has improved — sort of.

Here was their reaction to a Chinese car company called “Brilliance:”

Here’s a little tip, Brilliance, if you want to stay out of the basement and maybe even sell a few cars here: Improve the quality of your promotional material right along with your cars. The slick brochure the company handed out to the press at the show lists Strategy Targets, one of which is “High qulty with Chinese brand name.” And quality is spelled just like it appears above, “qulty.” Quality strikes me as a particularly unfortunate word to misspell in promotional literature.

That’s bad — but apparently it used to be so, so much worse.

Back in 2007, Consumer Reports compiled a list of some of the most baffling language from a Chinese car company that was looking to enter the US market.

Liebao Black Giant CFA2030: “This vehicle is equipped with Mitsubishi [sic] engine which has been successfully used in World Rally Championship. [sic] It can ignite under low temperature and anoxia.”

Everyone knows what anoxia is, right?

Liebao Feiteng CFA6400: “Adopt an off-road attitude towards the city and life. Liebao Feiteng brings a new off-road idea and a true free city life. It carries forward the pure notable blood relationship.”

Um, no thank you. I prefer to have bodily-fluid-free relationships with my cars.

Liebao CS7: “In addition to the outward appearance of conquering the innermost being of the vehicle s [sic] owner, it is armed by high-tech equipment in the inside…”

So I guess they’ve come a long, long way.

Everybody Changfeng tonight [CR]

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