A YouTube posting showing Brilliance China's BS6 car crumple like a can in a German crash test in June was a public relations disaster for the mainland's car industry.
'Koreans build better cars. Say no to Chinese cars,' was one comment on the posting, highlighting the ground the industry has to make up if it is to win the trust of consumers outside the mainland.
There have been some successes. Chery Automobile early last month said it would co-operate with Chrysler to produce cars, becoming the first Chinese carmaker to land in the American market.
Just this month, it cemented a joint-venture deal with Italy's Fiat to produce and distribute Chery and Fiat cars, paving the way to export its products to the western European market.
But like the Japanese and South Koreans before them, mainland carmakers face a tough battle building respected global car brands. And marketing, as much as engineering, will play a big part in whether they will succeed or fail.
In the 1960s and '70s, the much-derided Datsuns were labelled 'Japanese junk' in the west, with Japan's exports considered cheap but unreliable. Today, Japanese cars are renowned for engineering excellence, with the industry's manufacturing techniques copied by competitors.
The big question is whether mainland carmakers can emulate their Japanese and Korean counterparts and whether names such as Brilliance and Chery will be the Toyota and Hyundai of the future.
