Car Rip Offs - A List Of Copycat Cars

By Santosh

Updated: Thursday, April 16, 2020, 9:16 [IST]

If you can't beat them, join them. This seems to be the mantra for so many things these days, and car design is not to be left out. Several cars in the world today are blatant rip offs of other automobiles - China is known to do this best, with a long list of copycat cars.

While the Indian car design scene seems more ethical - we seem to do a decent job in terms of originality - but there are instances where one does feel that a particular car looks quite similar to other production models available in the market.

We have compiled a list of cars for you to go through and guess which car they resemble. While most of these vehicles are from China, we did find a couple of Indian cars too that just might have been closely 'inspired' by models from other automakers.

The Geely Panda versus...

...the Maruti Suzuki A-Star/Suzuki Alto

A yuppie car in China, the Geely Panda doesn't look so bad when viewed separately. The rounded grille and headlamps give it a rather friendly face, not unlike a panda, it has to be said. However, look a little more closely at the car against the picture of the A-Star and you see similar proportions, especially with the front three-quarters profile.

The Dongfeng EQ 2050 versus...

...the Hummer H1.

In essence a reverse-engineered Humvee, the Dongfeng EQ2050 makes no secret about ripping off the original American Hummer H1. Every body panel looks the same with changes to only the headlights and grille, making you wonder why they bothered. True, the military does not worry about cosmetics, but a little originality for the Chinese Hummer, or Chummer as we call it, could have gone a long way in giving Dongfeng some credibility.

The Great Wall Florid versus...

Picture credit: Wiki Commons
Navigator84

...the Toyota Ist.

Funny name, but not such a funny copy. The Great Wall Florid is an almost shameless rip off of the Toyota Ist, making you wonder what the design team at Great Wall is paid for. When viewed from the rear three quarters, the looks are almost identical. The Florid's nose isn't original either, it is heavily lifted from the Toyota Yaris, making the car seem like a copy-paste job. Great Wall Horrid, if you ask us...

The Tempo Trax Judo versus...

...the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen.

Although designed for very different audiences, the Judo does look heavily influenced by the G-Wagen. The sloping headlamp area, flared wheel arches, large greenhouse, and the proportions as a whole work together to make the Trax Judo quite a close imitation.

The Lifan 320 versus...

...the Mini Cooper.

The Lifan 320 is another example of a Chinese company disregarding design ethics in a big way. The 320 is an attempt to make a regular hatchback look like a Mini Cooper. Needless to say, the Lifan fails in a big way to stand on its own, with the two-tone paint job and Mini-inspired chrome-embellished grille that look rather ridiculous. The rear tries hard to imitate the Mini too, with overly similar tail lamps and chrome garnish for the license plate.

The Arrinera Automotive Hussaraya versus...

...the Lamborghini Reventon.

So rip offs are not restricted to China alone. In this example, Polish company Arrinera Automotive produces the Hussaraya, a copy of the Lamborghini Reventon. The lines are almost identical to the stealth fighter-inspired Reventon, and one wonders how Lamborghini allowed this car to be produced. While the Hussaraya was Poland's first supercar, Arrinera should have invested more to give the car its own character.

The Shuanghuan CEO versus...

...the BMW X5.

German design too, has not been spared by Shuanghuan of China. The Shuanghuan CEO shares plenty of lines with the BMW X5, especially with regard to the side and rear profiles. It's startling to see how the side character lines, the pillars, and tail lamp design have been imitated here. Sheesh.

The Hawtai Boliger versus...

...the Porsche Cayenne.

Germans again, and this time its Porsche that suffers at the hands of Hawtai. The disproportionate Hawtai Boliger is seen to have an almost Bentley EXP 9 F concept-style large chrome grille combined with the side and rear profiles of the Cayenne. The Boliger shares several design elements like the airdam LEDs, almost-identical A, B and C-pillars and a contrived rear end that copies the Cayenne, and badly at that.

The BAW B90 versus...

...the Range Rover.

Chinese automaker BAW this time, who takes on the mighty Range Rover. Here again, the similarities to the original design are shocking, with the same angular profile being ripped off completely. The B90 doesn't have an original line by the looks of it, perhaps the only saving graces are the decent looking headlamps that the designers can be ‘proud' of.

The Geely GE versus...

...the Rolls Royce Phantom

Look Dad, a Rolls Royce! No son, that's a Geely. Must have been as disappointing for the kid as it was for the Rolls Royce design team when they laid eyes on the GE. This Geely sees overly-inspired body panels, basic proportions and an oversize imitation grille that wouldn't look out of place on a Mack truck. Even the Spirit of Ecstasy hood ornament has been borrowed for the GE. Sad to see.

The Mustang F16 versus...

Picture credit: yemaauto.cn

...the Audi A4 Avant.

Three, two, one... we have liftoff again! China's Mustang F16 might sound like the name of a car that is inspired by fighter aircraft, but it actually represents Audi design. At least this time the characteristics of the Audi A4 have been fully copied, without combining design elements from other manufacturers for the usual disastrous result. One of the more tolerable copycat jobs, simply because they haven't changed too much and the original design stands for so much that we've grown to know and trust.

The Tata Safari versus...

...the '97 Land Rover Discovery.

When you look at the pictures closely, isn't there a lot of resemblance? The Tata Safari's profile seems to have been quite heavily inspired by the lines of the Discovery, especially when viewed side on. Look at the rooflines, see how similar they are. Also, the Safari's greenhouse or window area looks quite close to the Discovery's. Maybe Tata had it's ‘eye' on JLR even back then...

The BYD F8 versus...

...the Mercedes-Benz CLK.

The three-pointed-star brand has also been pinpointed by the Chinese manufacturer, BYD. Their F8 model almost directly imitates the front and side profiles of the original Mercedes CLK. Those unique, fused round headlamps are a dead giveaway to the CLK, while the rear is a lousy attempt at originality. Doesn't work, sorry BYD...

The Shuanghuan Noble versus...

Picture credit: Wiki Commons
Overlaet

...the Smart ForTwo.

The Noble by Shuanguan is the next car to feature in this list by imitating the Smart ForTwo. The Noble is seen to have lifted the design almost entirely. A major difference however is the original, much-loved exposed steel monocoque of the ForTwo does not feature on the Noble. The added engineering effort required possibly put off the ahem, tired designers...

Fender ender

So there you have it. We've brought you cars from China, India and even Poland that blatantly rip off the products of other carmakers. Is this what happens when designers run out of sketching paper, or does the problem go deeper than that?

In China at least, the government sides with car manufacturers when facing copyright infringement from foreign car companies, and the country has a policy of foreign carmakers having to partner with local companies to sell cars.