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Chinese copycat cars on sale in EU by February

Chinese copycat cars on sale in EU by February

Nelson Ireson January 22nd, 2008 Nelson Ireson By Nelson Ireson Author January 22nd, 2008
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December 31st, 1969 Oft maligned for its highly derivative design style, the Chinese auto industry has at times seemed offended by accusations of copying, and at others simply indifferent – as if it were perfectly natural and acceptable. The latter theory is likely to be put to the test even more hotly than it already has, as the EU has approved the controversial Shuanghuan CEO and Zheijang Jonway UFO clone cars for sale, and the first shipments will be arriving in Germany in mere days. China Automobile Deutschland, the German importer bringing the Zheijang Jonway UFO and Shuanghuan Automobile CEO into the EU, says both cars have received approval for sale, and will be offered in February. The UFO very closely resembles the Toyota RAV-4, while the CEO is a near-exact copy of the BMW X5. Toyota thinks its product will acquit itself well despite the similarities in looks, and has neglected to file legal charges to impede the import of the clone cars. BMW, on the other hand, has already initiated legal proceedings to prohibit the sale of the CEO in Europe and elsewhere on the grounds that it infringes BMW’s intellectual property. A decision in that case isn’t expected until later this year, however, reports Automotive News Europe. Price, as much as looks, may be a motivator for the suit seeking to stop the copycats from coming to Europe. The CEO will be priced at a very attractive €25,900 to start, which undercuts the BMW by more than half – an entry level X5 starts at €52,500 in Germany. And although Toyota seems unconcerned with Zheijang Jonway’s mimicry, the UFO starts at just €15,900, while the real RAV-4 will run you €27,165 in the home of Bratwurst und Sauerkraut. Perhaps it’s time Toyota got worried. On the other hand, the automotive industry isn’t an easy business, and Toyota’s acumen is hard to question. Maybe their assessment of the Chinese vehicle’s quality is dead-on, and the problem will effectively solve itself. But that’s a pretty risky gamble.
Chinese copycat cars on sale in EU by February

Chinese copycat cars on sale in EU by February

Enlarge Photo

Oft maligned for its highly derivative design style, the Chinese auto industry has at times seemed offended by accusations of copying, and at others simply indifferent – as if it were perfectly natural and acceptable. The latter theory is likely to be put to the test even more hotly than it already has, as the EU has approved the controversial Shuanghuan CEO and Zheijang Jonway UFO clone cars for sale, and the first shipments will be arriving in Germany in mere days.

China Automobile Deutschland, the German importer bringing the Zheijang Jonway UFO and Shuanghuan Automobile CEO into the EU, says both cars have received approval for sale, and will be offered in February. The UFO very closely resembles the Toyota RAV-4, while the CEO is a near-exact copy of the BMW X5. Toyota thinks its product will acquit itself well despite the similarities in looks, and has neglected to file legal charges to impede the import of the clone cars. BMW, on the other hand, has already initiated legal proceedings to prohibit the sale of the CEO in Europe and elsewhere on the grounds that it infringes BMW’s intellectual property. A decision in that case isn’t expected until later this year, however, reports Automotive News Europe.

Price, as much as looks, may be a motivator for the suit seeking to stop the copycats from coming to Europe. The CEO will be priced at a very attractive €25,900 to start, which undercuts the BMW by more than half – an entry level X5 starts at €52,500 in Germany. And although Toyota seems unconcerned with Zheijang Jonway’s mimicry, the UFO starts at just €15,900, while the real RAV-4 will run you €27,165 in the home of Bratwurst und Sauerkraut. Perhaps it’s time Toyota got worried. On the other hand, the automotive industry isn’t an easy business, and Toyota’s acumen is hard to question. Maybe their assessment of the Chinese vehicle’s quality is dead-on, and the problem will effectively solve itself. But that’s a pretty risky gamble.

Tags: Industry, Odds and ends

Posted in: News


Comments (4 total)

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  1. By MARK #1, Posted: 1/23/2008

    What crash testing have they done? After watching a few crash tests on cars made in china Its scary to think how bad there made to withstand a crash.

  2. By HECTOR #2, Posted: 1/23/2008

    This is not a case of a copycat that is almost identical to the original such as the case of a Sony DVD player or maybe even a Gucci bag. Both of those copycats will perform the original's function well - play DVDs and carry stuff around.

    In the case of these Chinese copies what you are getting is a truly substandard piece of crap which truly shouldn't be allowed on our roads.

  3. By SuperSkyline89 #3, Posted: 1/23/2008

    Hopefully people are smart enough to know a substandard product when they see one. But then again, I've seen people buy the crappiest things just because it was a couple dollars cheaper, these are tens of thousands of dollars cheaper.

    Toyota might actually be doing the smart thing by not suing. That gives them the opportunity to see how BMW's trial goes and gauge their own chances of winning. Better than spending millions on a trial that isn't a guaranteed victory.

    I wonder what kinds of ads BMW and Toyota will make now. I'm thinking something along the lines of the KIA ads that compare their cars to BMW's saying KIAs have less cup holder but they're much cheaper. 'The Chinese might save you $10,000 but is that really going to help you here" and they pan to a crash scene of a Toyota RAV4 with the Chinese clone where the Toyota driver is fine and the other driver got launched through the windshield and is lying in a mangled heap meters away.

  4. By Gus #4, Posted: 1/23/2008

    Man, I bought a copycat Chinese generator once. Looked just like the Honda generator.
    Parts and pieces were falling off from day one.
    Never, ever again...

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