Nov 28: Unbelievably blatant

How would you like to have written "Fifty Shades of Grey", only to find that, in the People's Republic of China, the identical book is selling there, but with one change? In China it is called, "Forty Nine Shades of Grey". This is not too far fetched and it could certainly happen in the Forbidden Kingdom, since they do not have copyright laws. Don't believe me, then take a look at this.........

One of these is the Chery QQ. The other one is the Daewoo Matiz. General Motors (who owned Daewoo) complained to Chery about their blatant copying to no avail. This example is extra interesting, when one considers that the Daewoo itself, might be considered a knock off of an early '90's Renault Twingo.

Another good example is this Mini knock off (the blue one)........

Not exact, but awfully close to the original. Or this Hyundai Sante Fe clone on the right........

You can see that the designers in China are equal opportunity, as they will knock off any company or type of vehicle. Now, people say that many cars look alike and I've written about exactly that recently, but there is a big difference between looking alike and looking identical. For example.......

I think you might agree that the JAC pick up in the top pic looks rather similar to the yellow Chevrolet Colorado below it.

I'm leading up to something here, so bear with me.

China is becoming a player in the car market these days and it won't be too long before they start selling outside of their region. When they do this, you have to know that, in short order, they will be a strong competitor. After all, the same thing happened with the Japanese and the Koreans. They learned that, while you can steal or "borrow" some design cues, in order to move ahead, you must develop your own style. I'm really surprised that the Chinese still knock off those designs so blatantly.

A small sport ute that I really like the design of is Land Rover's Evoque.......

To my eye, everything looks right about its aggressive stance.

No matter the angle, this is a great looking vehicle. Look again, folks, the second pic (courtesy of CarScoops.com) is not of the Evoque, but the brand new Landwind X7. See any differences? Even the name is spelled out in the same format. Need another look?

 The Evoque is on the right. A competitor? Not really, as the X7 sells Evoque style for the equivalent of about $20k in China, while the real real deal is about $70k. What a bargain! Think Land Rover is amused?

Personally, I thought that, as China strived to become a player in the world market, they would change their ways. They have shown some interesting and originaldesigns recently. But I guess I was wrong, along with many others in the car business. Old habits die hard.

Want to read "Fifty Shades of Grey", but can't spring for even the paperback version? No problem, just wait until it is knocked off in China, pick up a copy cheap. Only the name and price will have changed.

Until next time........