Photo: Car News China
When Chinese car company Landwind cloned the Range Rover Evoque, they left only a few differences between the X7 and the original. The Brits huffed and they puffed, buy they couldn't blow the door down.
China Car Times reports that the clone will go on sale today, costing about three times less than the actual Evoque. Seeing that Land Rover couldn't stop them from committing what's essentially a crime, Landwind went a step further.
They took their own grille off and installed the correct one, going as far as to also fit Land Rover badges. Can nobody stop the attack of the clones?
Leaving the star wars jokes aside, we have to note that the Landwind X7 is sitting inside a dealership. So even though these are supposedly aftermarket parts, the company is endorsing their use. In any case, how could an aftermarket firm ever make a grille for a car that's not yet on sale.
The kit is available in silver, white, or black, just like it would be on the Evoque. Our source has also discovered that you can buy the full set of Evoque and Land Rover badges for just 68 yuan. That's $10 for you non Chinese speakers.
The Chinese are famous for their cloned car designs and other luxury goods. Considering a real Evoque costs $65,000, that's hardly surprising. While the local market has been growing at double digit rates every year, some carmakers have stopped cloning European cars and designed their own. However, smaller firms still send their little spies to copy other people's work.
Landwind is jointly owned by Jiangling Motors and Changan Auto, companies that partnered with Ford to make cars. It's ironic, considering that until 2008, Jaguar and Land Rover were owned by Ford, who sold the Brits to the Tata conglomerate of India.
They took their own grille off and installed the correct one, going as far as to also fit Land Rover badges. Can nobody stop the attack of the clones?
Leaving the star wars jokes aside, we have to note that the Landwind X7 is sitting inside a dealership. So even though these are supposedly aftermarket parts, the company is endorsing their use. In any case, how could an aftermarket firm ever make a grille for a car that's not yet on sale.
The kit is available in silver, white, or black, just like it would be on the Evoque. Our source has also discovered that you can buy the full set of Evoque and Land Rover badges for just 68 yuan. That's $10 for you non Chinese speakers.
The Chinese are famous for their cloned car designs and other luxury goods. Considering a real Evoque costs $65,000, that's hardly surprising. While the local market has been growing at double digit rates every year, some carmakers have stopped cloning European cars and designed their own. However, smaller firms still send their little spies to copy other people's work.
Landwind is jointly owned by Jiangling Motors and Changan Auto, companies that partnered with Ford to make cars. It's ironic, considering that until 2008, Jaguar and Land Rover were owned by Ford, who sold the Brits to the Tata conglomerate of India.
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