From BYD to GWM, we investigate the increasing number of Chinese car brands on New Zealand roads. It was the 1980s – the days of big hair and big shoulder pads. My mum dropped me off at a friend’s house. His father was standing out front, arms crossed, glaring at our car. “Jap crap,” he muttered. Fast forward to the 2000s, this time a car with a Korean badge. Again, I faced comments about a ‘strange new brand’ from a different country. Today, Japanese and Korean car brands feel familiar, even local.