Approval for two controversial Chinese-built cars has been received for import into Europe. Newspaper Automotive News Europe said last weekend that China Automobile Deutschland had received approval for the Zhejiang Jonway UFO and Shuanghuan Automobile CEO. Respectively these look like they came from the same assembly line that Toyota’s previous generation RAV-4 and the old BMW X5 model were produced. Only the Germans are still pursuing legal action against the Chinese manufacturer.
Not to be left in the lurch, Geely Automobile also plans an onslaught into Europe within the next three years, according to Geely International manager Ronny Wong. Several others will join GA, including Changfeng Motor and BYD Auto.
China has over 100 Chinese motor manufacturers doing business in China. A number of these have gone international into developing countries like South Africa (Foton, Meiya, Great Wall Motors) where quality and safety tests are not as stringent as in Europe.
Widespread dismissals of Chinese auto makers are often met with “we felt the same way about the Japanese cars in the 1960s, look at them now” from optimists. China, the world’s biggest factory, already has the labour and adopted know-how on vehicle manufacturing and some believe that within the next two decades China’s motor industry will be on par with the best from the west.
Zhejiang Jonway & Shuanghuan Clone Cars Approved for EU Sale
edbmw.com / Watch your back BMW X5
BMW unhappy with X5 lookalike
By Thami Masemola
January 22, 2008 10:33 PM
Filed Under: Industry
Comments
unknown
January 22, 2008 11:02 PM
welcome to the corporate world! looks like the old x5.
Joe_Limon
January 23, 2008 12:39 AM
The thing I fear, is people who love cars are to be burned the worst. If people buy knock off cars, be them from any company, it doesn't encourage the development of new cars.
foose1397
January 23, 2008 1:45 AM
To worry about knock off brands is like worrying about rca compared to apple. These cars will sell for those who need a car however the name means nothing and resale value will instantly kill them
Joe_Limon
January 23, 2008 6:15 AM
o'rly? last I saw, kia was on par with Mazda in sales, and hyundai with Nissan.
Why? Certainly not because they are better made cars. But because they are a little bit cheaper then their competitors. If a Chinese company gets to play, their prices would dominate. Sure you and me and a million others may boycott such cars. But that won't stop the other hundreds of millions from taking the cheap way out.
dbehmoaras
January 23, 2008 2:05 AM
this is a complete sin to copy german engineering because only british and italian can match up, then american on the tier just below but it will be cause for anarchy to copy more prestigious cars like the 6, or even to go as high as lambo and such
gerhardg1
January 23, 2008 2:25 AM
...ohne Worte ... also das Gefühl, die Werte, das Fahrverhalten, das -know-how-, meine Herren, dies lässt sich nicht von heute auf morgen kopieren. Gezeichnet ein BMW Fahrer.
Greets Gerhardg1
THERENAISSANCEMAN
January 23, 2008 7:36 AM
say what ? the Chinese copying European automobiles? where do you think was the technological building blocks of the US' Strategic ICBM Program as well as the Apollo Space Program were taken from ? Nazi Germany ! German rocket scientists were let off the hook at the Nuremberg Trials in exchange for their tech savvy along with their leader , Wernher Von Braun appointed NASAs overall technical director courtesy of one John F. Kennedy.
wisp
January 23, 2008 7:57 AM
These cars will be falling apart on highways. We all know the life span of chinese products, they can only live longer than a house fly.
designerr
January 23, 2008 8:30 AM
at present,these chinese cars have no design philosophy and excelent engineering,,,,but in near future they grow faster and faster.....design by italian best designers one of the main targets for chinese automakers.
afterace2
January 23, 2008 11:56 AM
i would 10000 times prefer to buy an old, used X5, RAV4 or any other of those chinese copies' sources than this completely unsafe, unreliable piece of wreck
afterace2
January 23, 2008 11:59 AM
i have no doubt sooner or later chinese manufacturers will make good cars (just like the koreans right now), but for now buying those cheap copies equals performing a suicide
catch22
January 23, 2008 4:19 PM
Somehow, every supply will create its own demand.
We didn't have any Kia's or Hyundai's in the 70-80's and look now...
Let's hope premium manufacturers stick to what they do best: offer excellent products with superior features so we won't be tempted to choose the easy way! :)
AfterDawn
January 23, 2008 6:09 PM
Let's look at a crash test. This is the Jiangling Landwind that was 'based' on the Isuzu Rodeo.
Refer to the crash test pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiangling_Motors_Landwind [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/Crash_test_landwind_25810.jpg]
View 2: http://www.chinacartimes.com/2006/11/13/jiangling-landwind-crash-test-photos/
And now in video: HOW DUMMY DIED INSIDE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVwmuQqN46g
HOW DUMMY DIED OUTSIDE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9OlxjkInWg&
Blaconque
January 24, 2008 1:19 PM
this is super sucks!! ... if you want the company made a cars lookalike SUPRA , Opel Victra , Corolla ...thats their job
Mister-G
January 24, 2008 4:05 PM
I got to admit the CEO does look hidious, but what people have to bear in mind is China is at its infacy age and sadly in this automotive industry it is the norm for new car manufacturers to copy other car designs but in the end you have to start from somewhere or its nowhere simply as that, the only way for these chinese car makers is up. What the chinese are going through is no different to what the japanise and koreans went thorugh. As Giorgetto Giugiaro said:
"It took Japan 40 years to become a great automotive nation. It took South Korea 20 years. I think it will take China as little as 10 to 15 years."
DeRay
January 24, 2008 5:02 PM
I see what you guys mean but the bottom line is everyone doesn't share the same view as some of us do when it comes to cars and they just want A car and don't care about who made it, if its a copy of something else or any of that. China just wants to get in the market.
mroctober
January 24, 2008 11:38 PM
I really don't see how this rip-off, cloning, hit and run economy is going to last. They'll know how hard it is to run a company when they figure in after R&D service, warranty, and worker insurance/benefits. Don't even compare this to early jpn/kor auto makers. They were copying the essence of established cars, while the chinese is only interested in the semblence. This is a Yugo! I tell ya
joelynn
January 29, 2008 11:33 PM
At the moment what's truly appalling about these Chinese cars is their build quality, these things are death traps
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