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The Chinese Copied Cars, Now They Copy Car Ads: NIO EP9 Drag Race Stunt Busted

There was a time when strolling down the busy streets of one of the bigger towns in China would seem like a pretty surreal experience. You would see all sorts of familiar cars, except there was something slightly different about each of them.
NIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera R 9 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
NIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera RNIO EP9 "drag race" vs Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and Koenigsegg Agera R
Copying some technical aspects of the already established models is expected from a budding car industry, but the Chinese didn't stop there. Instead, they blatantly copied the exterior design as well, giving birth to a series of replicas that have made the rounds on the Internet.

Well, times have changed, and more and more Chinese manufacturers are coming up with decent- or even good-looking original designs, thanks in no small part to the financial power of the companies and their inherent ability to hire the best people in the job. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the copycat business is gone.

Not by a long shot. The only difference is they moved the photocopier out of the design department and into the marketing one. Or whatever department deals with the advertising agency, we're not entirely sure how the internals of a Chinese carmaker work.

If you're old enough or have a specific interest in the whole advertising phenomenon, you might remember a BMW M5 (E39) video commercial that featured a "supersonically fast racecar" blasting through a flat, arid landscape. It was produced in South Africa but quickly rose to international fame thanks to its production quality and, most of all, the innovative way in which it sold the product.

In brief, unlike most car advertisements of its time, this particular sport didn't focus on the BMW so much as it did on the super-fast racecar. Then, after the parachute is deployed and the missile comes to a halt, the camera car does the same, though it doesn't require a parachute. That's because it's a series production model with fully working brakes and everything. You guessed it, it's a BMW M5, and it had no problem keeping up with the bullet-shaped vehicle.

The clip dates back to 2001, which is probably why somebody thought enough time has passed for an uncredited remake to go unnoticed. The video description says the stunt was pulled by a Chinese car publication, but to us, it definitely feels like a commercial. Granted, the two are not mutually exclusive.

Unlike the 2001 BMW ad, this one features a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and a Koenigsegg Agera R, two very respectable supercars with mind-bending performance. The pair are locked in a drag race, but those with a keen eye will realize the action is captured by a camera mounted on a third car. One that's leading the race.

The reveal comes immediately after, and it's the all-electric NIO EP9 that, at one time, held the fastest lap record around the Nordschleife (and has only been overtaken by four cars since).

 
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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