Brilliance A3, a BMW X1 in Chinese Guise

For a while now, the Chinese from Brilliance are known worldwide as the BMW partners in China. The two companies have worked together for some time now, but all the past achievements pale in comparison with what the Germans and the Chinese plan to do next. (Earlier this year, BMW announced plans to build several electric vehicles with Brilliance. The first one, whose details have not yet been announced, will be launched in 2013).

Regardless of the plans BMW has for Brilliance, it appears old habits die hard in China. The Chinese have presented, in preparation for the Shanghai Auto Show, their new small SUV, the A3, a model that looks more than familiar.

Powered by a 1.6l gasoline engine than will be supplied by Mitsubishi, the model will enter the market, for prices not disclosed yet, as the perfect copy of the BMW-built X1. The details behind the development of the model were not released, but it’s unlikely BMW gave the green light to the Chinese to built a knock-off version to their newest entry in the X range.

The Chinese, on the other hand, appear not to care too much about that. For reasons unknown to us, they even decided to make the similarities between the two models even more obvious by painting the SUV in about the same color as the one in which the X1 was launched.

What’s interesting is that the German auto maker plans to assemble the X1 in China in the near future. Much more appealing than the A3 for premium customers, the Chinese knock-off will more than likely hurt the image of the X1 in the eyes of the Chinese customers.