Israeli consumers have recently been exposed to a wave of Chinese cars that can be described as low-cost models, often because they do not include the newest or most advanced technology. The article says many of these cars are also relatively old models, built last year and pushed into the Israeli market because of the favorable dollar exchange rate, and that cars with outdated technology lose value. It also warns that some sellers are not fully transparent and use catalog terms that sound impressive but can hide what is really being sold.
The article explains that CLTC, China Light-Duty Vehicle Test Cycle, is a Chinese range test found in brochures and should be treated cautiously because it is based mainly on city driving and is not suited to Israeli conditions. NEDC is an older European standard, replaced in 2019 by WLTP, and if an importer still advertises NEDC figures today, it is likely because the car is old. NEDC numbers are typically 20% to 30% higher than WLTP, and for an electric car a claimed 400-kilometer NEDC range could mean about 300 kilometers under WLTP, or only 250 kilometers in real-world driving.
Another term, CN 95, appears in climate-control specifications and refers to a cabin air filter introduced during the coronavirus period. It is presented as a filter capable of trapping particles larger than 0.3 microns with airflow efficiency of up to 95% at 288 cubic meters per hour, but the article says it is of little practical relevance unless someone is driving during a pandemic and wants to avoid infection without leaving the car.
In the safety section, the article points to C-NCAP, the Chinese crash-test program, as a less demanding counterpart to Euro NCAP. It says the Chinese test covers fewer crash scenarios and gives greater weight to active safety systems, though it may soon be reformed. Finally, the piece says buyers should ask whether a Chinese car meets European standards, because some models imported under Israel’s “small series” framework, up to 400 cars a year per model, may not fully comply with European safety and emissions rules and are generally less robust.
