The recent exposure of a series of prob-lems involving products made by foreign manufacturers should cool Chinese consumers' enthusiasm for overseas brands and prompt domestic watchdogs to increase their oversight of the product quality.

The automaker Volkswagen Group China and its joint venture partners have announced that they will recall more than 380,000 vehicles in China after China Central Television's annual broadcast to mark World Consumer Rights Day on March 15 reported some of the company's gearboxes were defective, causing unanticipated changes in speed while driving. The models to be recalled include the popular Passat, Sagitar, Golf, Touran and others made at its China-based ventures, as well as some imported models such as the Audi A3.

The flawed gearbox has cooled some of the passion Chinese drivers had for the German brand.