Photo: Facebook / CarNewsChina
In September this year, the Beijing Auto Show came to deliver a breath of fresh air to auto enthusiasts from all corners of the world who had been deprived of an actual, in-person car show thanks to the dumpster fire that is 2020.
It also delivered what has come to be known as the Chinese C1 Corvette knockoff, a viral star in its own right. The C1 knockoff / clone / replica / tribute / whatever-you’d-like-to-call-it was officially called the SS Dolphin by Songstan Motors, a PHEV that aimed to combine the classic elegance of the first-gen Corvette with modern features of the day.
Because of the clear resemblance to the classic ‘Vette and the fact that Songstan actually encouraged the comparison by using real photos of celebrities in their Corvettes on the official website, reactions were divided – but mostly verged on “blasphemy.” As it turns out, the C1 clone is actually a BYD car, CarNewsChina recently reported, based on documents filed with the Chinese government.
As per the outlet, most small carmakers will turn to a bigger one to build their vehicles, and this is what the filing seems to indicate. It was already known that SS Dolphin had a BYD interior and a BYD PHEV drivetrain, but it’s now been confirmed that it is, in reality, a BYD vehicle.
It’s based on a BYD Qin Pro sedan, with the filing confirming what had already been made public as regards specs. Power comes from a 1.5 turbo with an electric motor, and a total output of 315 hp and 535 Nm of torque going straight to the front wheels. The battery is a 16 kWh one good for 100 km (62 miles) on pure electric power on a single charge, while total range is 550 km (342 miles).
In early October, as word of this gorgeous / blasphemous C1 Corvette replica spread, GM said they would be taking no issue with it because it didn’t “us[e] any of our trademarked names or logos, and the design is not identical to the C1.” In other words, even if they wanted, they couldn’t sue for trademark infringement because the SS Dolphin, while eerily similar to the C1, carefully shied away from actually infringing anything.
Because of the clear resemblance to the classic ‘Vette and the fact that Songstan actually encouraged the comparison by using real photos of celebrities in their Corvettes on the official website, reactions were divided – but mostly verged on “blasphemy.” As it turns out, the C1 clone is actually a BYD car, CarNewsChina recently reported, based on documents filed with the Chinese government.
As per the outlet, most small carmakers will turn to a bigger one to build their vehicles, and this is what the filing seems to indicate. It was already known that SS Dolphin had a BYD interior and a BYD PHEV drivetrain, but it’s now been confirmed that it is, in reality, a BYD vehicle.
It’s based on a BYD Qin Pro sedan, with the filing confirming what had already been made public as regards specs. Power comes from a 1.5 turbo with an electric motor, and a total output of 315 hp and 535 Nm of torque going straight to the front wheels. The battery is a 16 kWh one good for 100 km (62 miles) on pure electric power on a single charge, while total range is 550 km (342 miles).
In early October, as word of this gorgeous / blasphemous C1 Corvette replica spread, GM said they would be taking no issue with it because it didn’t “us[e] any of our trademarked names or logos, and the design is not identical to the C1.” In other words, even if they wanted, they couldn’t sue for trademark infringement because the SS Dolphin, while eerily similar to the C1, carefully shied away from actually infringing anything.
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