The Clone Wars: 12 Chinese Copies Of Popular Cars

Fortunately, these cars have never been sold in the U.S. and Europe.

12 Chinese copycats lead image

By: Fernando Moreno

Published by: Angel Sergeev

Apr 28, 2020 at 9:59am ET

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If you’ve ever been to an international auto show, you’ve probably witnessed a certain phenomenon. Right after the world debut of a new model, a group of what appear to be Chinese journalists rushes to take very detailed photos of the just-unveiled vehicle. At first, it might seem more like they are preparing a professional in-depth coverage for a magazine or a website, but usually, the moment they start taking exact measures of the car is when you begin to realize something’s wrong. Yes, these folks are delegates of automotive brands from China.

Basically, their job is to gather as much information about new vehicles as possible. Usually, it takes from a few months to two years for their Chinese marques to come up with similarly-styled models for the local market. Fortunately, these copycats never reach the U.S. and European markets and remain China-only affairs.

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Approximately a year ago, Land Rover won a landmark case against Chinese manufacturer Jiangling Motor Corporation after a court in Beijing ruled that the firm's Landwind X7 SUV bore too much of a resemblance to the Range Rover Evoque. This marked the end of production for the cheap Evoque clone and, hopefully, it could open the floodgates for similar cases to be brought forward.

We’ve decided to collect some of the most blatant Chinese car rip-offs into a single list, which includes a total of 12 copycats. Can you recognize the original models? Hit the little white arrow above to discover them and let us know in the comments section below how many of these cars you recognized.