The cars that ate China

Imitation may be the finest form of flattery, but patently ripping off a creative endeavour – say, a car design – is generally a big no-no. Except in China.

From the Ford Wrongco to the Porsche Macan’t and the The Big Dong, some of these vehicles are staggering in their copycat car design.

The Chinese automotive industry is the world’s largest new vehicle market and it’s been maturing rapidly as customers demand a wider array of vehicle types. But for every MG ZST, an SUV that is closing the gap with its Korean and Japanese rivals, there’s a WEY Tank 300 – a brazen rip-off of the Ford Bronco.

Chinese brands continue to find inroads in established automotive markets like Australia, but that hasn’t stopped the unabashed rip-off designs and reverse engineering that continues at some Chinese car-makers. Here’s a selection of the most flagrant copycat designs.

Zoyte SR9 (Porsche Macan)

Known by Porsche’s crack legal team as the Porsche Macan’t, the Zoyte SR9 is a fairly close approximation of the Macan luxury SUV. Revealed in 2014 as a concept car, Porsche attempted to sue the Chinese car-maker for copyright infringement.

The production model that arrived in 2016 – with almost the exact same design except for a redesigned grille, headlights and tail-lights – suggests the legal action was unsuccessful. Priced at around $20,000, the Zoyte SR9 even copied the Porsche Macan’s interior.

Foton Big General (Ford F-150)

The Foton G9 Big General dual-cab ute features a front-end design with a striking resemblance to the Ford F-150’s. Ironically, it could satisfy pent-up demand for the F-150 in Australia given that Ford is not bringing the big rig Down Under, since local Foton dealers are clamouring for this Ford replica.

Unlike the Ford F-150, however, the Foton Da Jiang Jun (which translates to Big General) is not a full-size pick-up – not by American standards at least – but more of a mid-sizer like the Ford Ranger.

Landwind X7 (Range Rover Evoque)

When the Landwind X7 first emerged in 2015 it took people’s breath away with its blatant rehash of the Range Rover Evoque design.

At the time it was significantly more affordable than an Evoque in China ($30K v $90K) and had a very similar profile, windows, headlights, tail-lights and overall proportions.

Land Rover took Landwind to court and won a legal battle to get the Evoque knock-off removed from the Chinese market, but it took three years and significant legal investment to do so.

WEY Tank 300 (Ford Bronco)

Dubbed one carsales staffer as the Ford Wrongco, the Wey Tank 300 cleverly disguises its Ford Bronco inspiration with a pair of LED spot lights on the grille. It’s the Groucho Marx mask of the car world!

Pilfering many major design elements from the Ford Bronco design, the WEY Tank 300’s cubist body shape and circular headlights have succeeded achieving doppelganger status.

The bead-lock wheels are there too but the squared-off wheel-arch extensions are a little different and the Goodyear tyres on the Bronco are swapped out for BF Goodrich All-Terrain hiking boots on WEY’s latest mud-plugger.

Dongfeng EQ2050 M3D (Hummer H1)

Often referred to as ‘The Big Dong’, the Dongfeng EQ2050 M3D is a civilian version of China’s military vehicle – a localised version of the US Army’s Humvee (or HMMWV, for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle).

Nicknamed the Mengshi (‘brave soldier’), the hulking off-road machine has more than a passing resemblance to the Hummer H1 made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger, who bought one to get around in. It's no Hawkei though!

Yema F16 (Audi A4)

Perhaps best described as a munted Audi A4, the Yema F16 was first shown in 2011, and despite looking every bit like an Audi A4 Avant, 100 electric versions were built and pressed into service as taxis in Chengdu, where Yema’s HQ is located.

The Yema F16 car eventually morphed into something quite different by 2014, a mid-size SUV with a unique design.

KDC Regola (McLaren 570 GT)

With a name like the KDC Regola, you’d expect some sort of Camry-like snooze-mobile. But when the orange sports car broke cover at the 2018 Beijing motor show it stunned everyone with its sporty design and exotic dihedral doors.

And by ‘everyone’ we mean those who have never seen nor heard of McLaren. Mimicking the tone – if not the explicit design cues – of the McLaren 570S, the KDC Regola was planned as an electric car.

BAIC BJ80 (Mercedes-Benz G-Class)

The BAIC BJ80, or Bawdy BJ as some wags call it, is a cheap alternative to the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, priced at around $50,000 in China.

It’s almost impossible to tell the difference between the Benz and the BAIC (Beijing Auto Industry Corporation) at 50 paces, but drive them and you’ll probably notice the Saab 9-5’s 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine is quite different to the six- and eight-cylinder mills from the G-Class.

At the time of the BJ80’s introduction, Mercedes’ parent company Daimler had a 12 per cent stake in BAIC Motor, and is said to have expressed displeasure with the design.