Clone Wars

[trigger]

I'm sure we have had threads like this before just but I've just spotted a coupe of photos i wanted to share.

 

Firstly the 2009 Citoren C Elysee which is based on the Citroen ZX, I actually think it's a good looking car myself.

 

 

 

and on to the rip offs!, I'm diggin this 3 wheeler effort!

 

 

 

 

 

as well as the Mini Countryman...

 

 

 

and Shuanghuan made a BMW X5 rip off as well called a Sceo, It looks nothing like a Honda CRV from the front.

 

 

 

There's loads of them about, want to post some more?.

[ashmicro]

Egad! Don't those rip-off cars fold up like a beer can in a head on with a fly? I saw a crash test of some Flied lice copy of a W203 and it totally fell apart.

[wuvvum]

I want one of those three-wheeled 206 ripoffs. So much cooler than a Rialto.

[Alexg]

loving the red three wheeled Prius rip-off.

[CreepingJesus]

 

Look carefully; it actually is a Prius. It's just that the front end has been disappeared into a smugness vortex, by the self-satisfaction of the driver telling the guy in the wellies how much more environmentally friendlier it is, than his Dong Feng.

[Station]

How do the Chinese afford to produce so many brands with so many crappy copies?

[gtd2000]

How do the Chinese afford to produce so many brands with so many crappy copies?

 

Cars are actually dirt cheap - the Dacia Logan for example ACTUALLY costs around US$1089 per car, fully assembled.

 

That's in comparison to a VW Golf which might be as much as €3000 per built car, so Romanian costs can't be far from Chinese costs I suppose?

 

Makes a 2000 quid Tata a bit of a joke really

 

No matter where the Logan sells, Renault has engineered a small miracle by making a car that is modern but stripped of costly design elements and superfluous technology. Deutsche Bank pegs production costs for the Logan at $1,089 per car, less than half the $2,468 estimate for an equivalent Western Auto. "The Logan is the McDonald's of cars," says Kenneth Melville, the Scot who headed the Logan design team

 

Source:

http://www.roconsulboston.com/Pages/InfoPages/Businesspages/Renault.html

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

 

This is based on Maestro/Montego underpinnings

[Timewaster]

Yes Trig! More of this please.

I love all this stuff, although I couldn't tell you why.

 

That ZX face lift looks much better than the Xsara that replaced it in europe, and is kind of what Rover did with the 200/25/XR

 

Don't laugh too much. They laughed when the first Toyota arrived on these shores.

Not that we have a motor industry to worry about anymore.

[Futuramic]

That Chinese copy of the Mini Countryman looks better than the real thing.

 

But I've hated the Countryman ever since one dinged my Volvo and sped away. I gave chase; to no avail - but I was on foot.

 

It cost 90 quid to fix!

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Don't laugh too much. They laughed when the first Toyota arrived on these shores.

 

Did they really? I thought the first wave of Japanese cars were considered pretty competent but for a few details, the reviews Trigger has posted on his road tests photostream of early Japanese cars aren't mocking them, for sure.

[timmyteapot]

Quite like the ZX clone, not sure about the rest.

[boobydoo]

Agreed on the ZX. That looks far better than any of the current tripe Citroen are peddling!!

[Split_Pin]

I love the 3-wheeler copies! The ZX thing is pretty handsome, especially from the back.

 

Is the Chinese car industry completely insulated from the rest of the world? For example, they could surely never sell the Sceo or the Mini copy in Europe, if not for the safety then for fear of being sued for design plagarism?

 

Were those Maestros made around the millenium from China?

[Richard]

Is the Chinese car industry completely insulated from the rest of the world?

 

Not completely but partly, in the same way as the American car industry is. The home market is big enough that they don't have to try and export.

[trigger]

Some more for you.

 

Chery QQ3, Which is quite cute, Looks like something out of the film CARS.

 

 

 

BYD (Build Your Dreams) http://www.byd.com/ seem to do a nice range of rip offs.

 

You have the F0, which looks somewhat like a Aygo.

 

 

The F3-R that has more then a passing resemblance to a Chevrolet Lacetti

 

 

And then this is the S8.

 

 

[warren t claim]

Any chance of some interior pics of these? Are they desperately grim inside as well?

[wuvvum]

I always wondered what would happen if a Mercedes SL500 made sweet love to a Quantum H4, and now I know.

[wuvvum]

Any chance of some interior pics of these? Are they desperately grim inside as well?

This is the interior of the Aygo clone:

 

[wuvvum]

And this is the fake Merc.

 

[trigger]

I'm struggling to find any decent sized interior shots although they don't look at bad from the small photos I've seen. ^ Cheers Wuvvum!

 

This is the S8 from behind, it looks more like a Focus/Astra now!

 

 

This ones called a Brilliance BS4 Splendor, It's runs a 1.6 Mitsubsihi engine, They have some kind of deal with BMW to knock out their stuff, I wonder what ER would have made of this?.

 

[ashmicro]

Those interiors look reasonable to me. I wonder if The Clispy Flied Lice Motor Co. will ever make me a nice clone of a Mark 2 Escort? Buy it for about a grand, rectify the welding myself, YB Cosseh. Job jobbed. Do 9 more, sell on eBay, retire to Barbados with one of those motor show girls.

[trigger]

This is a Brilliance Splendor FSV, Looks very Volkswagen to me, Like a Jetta.

 

 

I think this is the sporty version of above, called a Huachen Zhonghua Junjie FSV RS (I think Brilliance Splendor FSV is the export name?) It reminds me of a Skoda Octavia VRS, I like this one lots.

 

 

I think this is a Brilliance as well, I think this is good looking myself.

 

[wuvvum]

This is the interior of the Lacetti thing - not quite so convinced by this one...

 

[trigger]

I've just been checking out the Chinese Citroen site, It has some funky music but i can't understand a word of it, mind you the C Quarte with the boot is quite a nice looking thing. http://www.c-quatre.com.cn/

 

Here's the link to the site for that first Citroen ZX thing i posted photos of as well http://www.elyseecars.com.cn/

[Tayne]

.

[Split_Pin]

Ah I remember that vaguely now. Ace thread this

[retrogeezer]

They have airbags - they must be safe!!

 

 

Love the ZX update, but is it not an official Citroen car produced for that market under licence??

[chaseracer]

This is the interior of the Aygo clone:

 

 

Guess what this is...

 

 

[Gompo]

The clone Aygo interior looks better than the original.. My Mum has an Aygo and why they've decided against the tradition heater controls I dont know, their 'new' style ones are shit.

 

Great thread, some of these are new to me too.