Over the last two decades, the Chinese automotive market has made remarkable progress. For the most of the last century, the country exclusively produced military vehicles or trucks, and private car ownership did not begin until the 1980s. In truth, the actual rise in the Chinese auto sector occurred only in the 1990s, when major players such as BYD Auto, Great Wall Motors, and Brilliance China Auto debuted.
While the emergence of a home-grown manufacturer industry is admirable, the Chinese car sector is notorious for rip-offs of Western and Japanese models. Most of the time, these car knockoffs never fool anyone, but that doesn’t stop a lot of Chinese producers from manufacturing them nevertheless. There is a Chinese rip-off of any recognised car on the global market, no matter how absurdly awful the replica is, whether it is little commuters, sports hatchbacks, or even high-end SUVs and sports cars.
China is well-known for its knock-off culture, which extends beyond mobile phones and footwear to full-fledged Western automobiles, which their domestic manufacturers tend to replicate or even build on. This has also resulted in countless cases where Western car brands have initiated litigation against imitators, which has undoubtedly reduced the number of copycat cars. Even now, there are some rather excellent Chinese cars on the market. However, the trend of replicating globally recognised automobiles remains. Here are some of the most obvious Chinese knockoffs, which are so close to their Western ‘inspirations’ that we doubt they were even attempting to hide their forgeries.
The Clone Wars: 8Chinese Copies Of Popular Cars
| Chinese Cars | American Cars |
|---|---|
| Victory S10 | Cadillac Escalade |
| Dadi Shuttle | Toyota Land Cruiser Prado |
| Suzhou Eagle Carrie | Porsche 718 Cayman/ Ferrari FF |
| Geely GE | Rolls-Royce Phantom |
| Dongfeng Hanma | Hummer H1 |
| LandWind X7 | Range Rover Evoque |
| Geely Beauty Leopard | Toyota Supra MK IV |
| Huansu C60 | Lamborghini Urus |
Chinese Copy Cars
- The Clone Wars: 8Chinese Copies Of Popular Cars
- 1. Victory S10 – Cadillac Escalade
- 2. Dadi Shuttle – Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
- 3. Suzhou Eagle Carrie – Porsche 718 Cayman/ Ferrari FF
- 4. Geely GE – Rolls-Royce Phantom
- 5. Dongfeng Hanma – Hummer H1
- 6. LandWind X7 – Range Rover Evoque
- 7. Geely Beauty Leopard – Toyota Supra MK IV
- 8. Huansu C60 – Lamborghini Urus
1. Victory S10 – Cadillac Escalade
Why the Chinese sought to clone the Cadillac Escalade is a question that should not be asked, given that the industry has established itself as a fervent copycat. The Victory S10 was a car that looked exactly like the Cadillac Escalade.
Aside from the obvious copying of the front, there isn’t much else to the car, as it was powered by a modest 2.0-liter engine that only produced 116 horsepower. Let’s hope Chinese hip-hop artists don’t start flocking to Cadillac showrooms the way American hip-hop artists did.
2. Dadi Shuttle – Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
The Dadi Shuttle was introduced in 2005, and it was effectively a carbon duplicate of the third-generation Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, with a front and rear profile that appeared to have been lifted and installed onto the Shuttle.
Of course, it could never compete with the Prado in terms of power, since none of its three engines, ranging from 2.0 to 2.8 litres, produced more than 150 horsepower. The Dadi Shuttle had low-quality interiors, but it nonetheless performed well off-road, with a ground clearance of 230mm. It even had 4WD, which boosted its off-road credentials, despite the fact that its electrics were reported to fail a year into ownership by many.
3. Suzhou Eagle Carrie – Porsche 718 Cayman/ Ferrari FF
This is a fascinating copycat car since it combines two popular sports cars: the Ferrari FF and the Porsche 718 Cayman. However, the two cars are a ridiculously hideous hybrid, with the front like the Italian supercar and the back resembling the Porsche Cayman.
Of course, it’s constructed of cheap plastic, and while the car was revealed in 2015, there’s no word on how many units were sold. We genuinely hope there aren’t any. Eagle even managed to copy the Porsche emblem, but the most intriguing aspect is that the manufacturer’s official website makes no mention of the Suzhou Eagle Carrie, instead focusing on their electric golf carts and shuttle buses.
4. Geely GE – Rolls-Royce Phantom
The Emgrand CE, or as it was formerly known, the Geely GE, debuted in 2009, with the company Geely being blind to their blatant plagiarism by saying that their car re-invented the classic. Of course, neither the lady on the hood nor the big radiator grille were deceiving anyone, nor was the clearly Phantom-esque body.
Geely also showcased the car very close to the original Rolls-Royce Phantom at the Shanghai Motor Show, while plainly declaring that there were no resemblance. The only reason Rolls-Royce refrained from slapping Geely with a lawsuit was that the copycat car sold for under $50,000, while the Phantom’s market began from $350,000. Not quite the same target audience, which is why the English car-maker let the Geely GE slide.
5. Dongfeng Hanma – Hummer H1
Back in the 2000s, the Hummer dominated the automotive world, and it was the car to own. Unsurprisingly, Chinese automakers took notice, and numerous Chinese automakers cloned the Hummer, including the BAIC Yongshi, Shenyang SFQ2040, and Dongfeng Hanma.
After seeing how effective the Humvee was during Desert Storm, the People’s Liberation Army instead bought a bunch of civilian Hummer H1s, stripped them down, and handed Dongfeng the contract to create a Humvee for the PLA. The car manufacturer soon began utilising its own parts, however they began by using the exact parts used by AM General for their Hummers.
6. LandWind X7 – Range Rover Evoque
You’re not alone if you laughed as you read the name of this car. The Chinese car of the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is known as the Landwind X7. That’s one more element in the name and a thousand things less in terms of quality.
While the car appears identical to the Range Rover Evoque, even the seats are nearly identical, and the Landwind X7’s primary advantage is that it starts at roughly $20,000 less than the $86,000 that Land Rover asks. Jaguar Land Rover even launched legal action against the Landwind X7’s creators in 2016, which resulted in Chinese officials ruling the Landwind X7’s patent application invalid due to its similarities to the Evoque.
7. Geely Beauty Leopard – Toyota Supra MK IV
Geely’s Beauty Leopard is what an 8-year-old would look like if he tried to replicate the Toyota Supra MK IV from memory. It’s one of the worst-named automobiles ever. The manufacturer may have a reputation for ripping the designs of other popular brands, but the Beauty Leopard is simply not up to the standard of even a copycat car.
The hood appears to have received blunt force injuries from the front, in an odd attempt to reproduce a crumpled Supra rather than a new, compact one. The car is awkwardly short with a flat face that reminds you of the Supra, but then you close your eyes and think about the actual MK IV Supra, the JDM icon, and it brings some respite to the gearhead in you.
8. Huansu C60 – Lamborghini Urus
Chinese copycats frequently end up mimicking mass-produced cars like Toyotas, but car producer Huansu’s objectives were beyond our comprehension when they went directly after the Italian performance SUV, the Lamborghini SUV. The Huansu C60 is like gazing at the Lamborghini Urus through squinting eyes.
The front fascia, side profile, and even the tail lights in the centre are all identical to the Urus. To say the two cars are comparable is an understatement, especially because Huansu did not bother modifying the back diffuser. The Huansu C60 costs $20,000, which is less than 10% of the price of a new Urus. But, honestly, would you take that chance?