Photo: Landwind
A few years ago, a Chinese company by the name of Landwind shamelessly copied the design of the Range Rover Evoque. And while the Brits are looking to launch an all-new generation next year, the clone just received its mid-life refresh.
Obviously, they don't change the significant parts of the sheet metal, so the Landwind X7 still resembles an Evoque in many areas, especially the clamshell hood. However, the squishy plastic bits have been changed around a bit.
These few photos coming out of China ahead of the official launch show the new grille design. Gone are the small but very deep side intakes taken from the Evoque, replaced by large surfaces of flat, black plastic that are trimmed in chrome.
Of course, we all know that fake air intakes are at least supposed to look like... intakes. But the Chinese designers didn't get that memo.
You have to wonder what the inspiration for the X7 facelift was. It would have been smart for them to look at other Range Rovers. However, they went full Ford. We think the grille and headlights were inspired by the current Ford Explorer SUV. The wheels are also reminiscent of the Blue Oval's range.
But that's only the front; the X7's rear has new taillights that look like they belong on a Mercedes. I wonder if BMW registered the trademark for that moniker. Otherwise, Landwind is just going to make a clone of their 7-seater.
The appeal of this knockoff car is that it's locally produced and about three times cheaper than the original. Sure, it's probably not going to be as safe, reliable or luxurious as the real thing. But we know that Landwind dealers secretly stock the Range Rover lettering and a copy of the Evoque grille.
And at least you're not getting a crummy 1-liter engine, as the X7 is said to provide the driver with 190 HP from its 2-liter turbo engine.
These few photos coming out of China ahead of the official launch show the new grille design. Gone are the small but very deep side intakes taken from the Evoque, replaced by large surfaces of flat, black plastic that are trimmed in chrome.
Of course, we all know that fake air intakes are at least supposed to look like... intakes. But the Chinese designers didn't get that memo.
You have to wonder what the inspiration for the X7 facelift was. It would have been smart for them to look at other Range Rovers. However, they went full Ford. We think the grille and headlights were inspired by the current Ford Explorer SUV. The wheels are also reminiscent of the Blue Oval's range.
But that's only the front; the X7's rear has new taillights that look like they belong on a Mercedes. I wonder if BMW registered the trademark for that moniker. Otherwise, Landwind is just going to make a clone of their 7-seater.
The appeal of this knockoff car is that it's locally produced and about three times cheaper than the original. Sure, it's probably not going to be as safe, reliable or luxurious as the real thing. But we know that Landwind dealers secretly stock the Range Rover lettering and a copy of the Evoque grille.
And at least you're not getting a crummy 1-liter engine, as the X7 is said to provide the driver with 190 HP from its 2-liter turbo engine.
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