Jay
They always say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Does this apply to car design though?
China, as we all know is the land of fakes and rip-offs (See this previous post for examples). From clothing and toys to electronics and cosmetics. They have ripped-off them all, but did you expect them to rip off cars too?
The car industry is huge in China and they manufacture up to 20 million cars per year, which is nearly a quarter of all global car production! The big car manufacturers make up most of that with their factories based in China, but a bulk of these cars are made by Chinese car companies, who don’t have any shame when it comes to stealing designs from other famous car companies.
To show you what I mean just take a look at these Chinese copycat cars and see if you can tell the difference. We are especially looking at you Zotye!
You decide for yourself if they are breaching design copyright or not. One of the companies even have the balls to copy the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which is one of the most distinctive cars there is!
Landwind X7 & Range Rover Evoque
Jaguar Land Rover are actually in the process of suing Landwind over this blatant Evoque rip-off. The X7 is a whopping £26k less than the cheapest Range Rover Evoque model!
CH Auto Lithia & Audi R8
I actually prefer the look of the CH Auto Lithia over the Audi R8 I’m afraid to say! I’m sure this car is a must for any fan of supercars and who don’t want to break the bank.
Beijing Auto Shenbao D320 & Mercedes E-Class
Beijing Auto’s D320 is a mashup of various Mercedes models, the above Merc is the E-Class and you can see it looks very familiar.
Hawtai & Porsche Cayenne
The Hawtai is what the ugly brother of the Porsche Cayenne would look like.
Zotye Z700 & Volkswagen Passat
It’s not a bad looking car by the serial copycat car manufacture Zotye. It’s obviously a rip-off of the VW Passat though.
Brilliance V5 & BMW X1
I’m not sure BMW would go for that weird red decal for their X1, but there is no mistake where Brilliance got their ‘inspiration’ from.
Geely GE & Rolls-Royce Phantom
Oh dear. Geely GE looks like a Rolls-Royce Phantom if it was made by Playmobil!
BYD S7 & Lexus RX
It’s nearly identical to the Lexus RX. They both are boring looking cars. So, why you would want to is anyone’s guess!
Brilliance V3 & BMW i3
Brilliance once again rips-off BMW, but this time it’s the i3. Once again, why would you want to?
Zotye Z600 & Audi Q5
Zotye’s at it again, but not as obvious this time with the Audi Q5.
Dongfeng EQ2050 & Hummer
Holy crap. The resemblance is uncanny. These cars don’t even sell well in their native US any more, so why you’d want to copy them I don’t know!
Great Wall Olay & Renault Twizy
With China being a very populated place it makes sense to throw a quadra-cycle into the mix. As you can see the Great Wall Olay takes inspiration from the Renault Twizy and a Smart car.
BYD S8 & Mercedes-Benz CLK
BYD (aka Build Your Dreams) decided that a decade ago 2000s Mercedes CLK was the the way forward in 2016 car design. Mercedes is a sign of luxury and status so getting your hands on this cheap replica is the next best thing (in China).
Shuanghuan Auto Noble & Smart ForTwo
Here’s a Smart ForTwo copy. Shuanghuan have managed to create a Smart car if it was designed by a blind person.
DongFeng Number 1 & Volkswagen Passat
Another VW Passat rip-off. The DongFeng Number 1 made its debut at the 2015 Shanghai Auto Show. I wonder what the DongFeng Number 2 is going to be like!
Beijing Auto E Series Hatch & Mercedes-Benz B-Class
This is what you get if you cross a Toyota Yaris and Mercedes B-Class.
Shuanghuan Auto CEO & BMW X5
It’s so obvious this car is a complete rip-off of the BMW X5, but according to a court (obviously filled with blind people or employers from Shuanghuan) they didn’t agree! BMW lost this court case of copyright design. Madness.
Beijing B40 & Jeep Wrangler
Although there are obvious differences. The Beijing B40 takes its styling from the Jeep Wrangler.
Lifan Motors 330 & Fiat 500L
“This car is an imposter, but it’s like looking in a mirror” said the Fiat 500L.
Lifan Motors 320 & Mini Countryman
Lifan Motors again with their take on European small cars. The 320 looks like it went on a makeover show and asked to look like a Mini. Fail.
Zotye E200 & Smart ForTwo
Another one from Zotye. This time it’s another rip-off of the Smart ForTwo. It looks like a toy from a Kinder egg, but with a twist, it’s got an electric engine.
Zotye 2008 & Daihatsu Terios
Zotye again with a copy of the Daihatsu Terios this time.
Great Wall Peri & Nissan Note
Finally, another copy from The Great Wall. I’d have called it Peri Peri for laughs. The Peri looks like a Nissan Note if it was made in 1994.
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