I was in China for a chunk of the holidays. My son was attending a baseball camp in Shanghai — a story in itself — and the rest of the trip was family stuff.
As always, I was looking for changes since my last visit. One of my metrics is cars: I survey vehicles on the road for some insight into the state of the economy. (It’s crude, idiosyncratic and likely inaccurate, but it keeps me occupied.) A decade ago, for example, most of the beaters — older cars, especially popular among taxis — had vanished. The Shanghai Expo was partially responsible.
A year or so ago, I counted the percentage of luxury foreign cars — BMWs, Mercedes and Lexus — relative to other less pricey brands (VW, Buick or other ornaments I didn’t recognize). There were a lot — often over 50% — of expensive autos on the road.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.