On this episode of China Uncensored, the Eastern Wind Crazy Soldier...is a type of car in China.
Hi, welcome to China Uncensored, I'm your host Chris Chappell.
Whether it's a delicious burger from OMC McDnoalds or a fun-filled afternoon spent playing the
Polystation, nothing beats a good old Chinese knockoff.
Especially if you like cheap cars.
Because word is, Chinese car manufactures are looking to play the proverbial Thomas
Edison to the Tesla car company.
Meet the Le Car.
No, I'm not speaking French.
"Le" in Chinese means "happy."
And nothing makes car owners happier than getting a fancy electric car for half le price.
For now, LeCar is still in the concepting phase.
And you might be thinking that Tesla uses some pretty advanced technology, so there's
no way Chinese car makers could knock it off.
But guess what?
Chinese car makers have been ripping off foreign car designs for decades.
So here are my top seven Chinese car knockoffs.
Number 7
This is the Bamin.
And this is an old Mercedes-Benz W123.
Look similar?
That's exactly what the Chinese Army wanted.
Yes, in the 80s, China's People's Liberation liked the Mercedes so much, they decided to
rip it off.
It also came in a station wagon model.
Back then, basically everything was a state-owned enterprise and Chinese companies just did
whatever they wanted.
Actually, that second part hasn't really changed.
Number 6 You know, China has come a long way from its
army "admiring" Mercedes-Benz.
And by admiring, I mean actively admiring.
These days, Mercedes' parent company Daimler is actually working with Chinese car companies.
They've got a partnership with China's BAIC Motor.
In less than a decade they've rolled out over half a million cars in China.
Which is kind of funny considering BAIC was also rolling this out during that time.
It looks like the Mercedes Benz G Class with the grille of a Jeep.
Number 5 But if classy cars are your thing, then you're
going to love the Geely GE.
Don't let the characteristic flying lady hood ornament fool you.
Uh, actually, wait, yes.
Let it fool you.
But while some, like the lawyers representing Rolls Royce, think it's a cheap knock off,
Geely feels it's just "re-inventing the classic."
Just like how I'm planning to sell my "re-invention" of the Mona Lisa to the Louvre.
Actually, to the knockoff Louvre in Hebei province.
Number 4 Does this LandWind X7 look familiar to you?
It certainly looked familiar to the head of Jaguar Land Rover.
Though he took a pretty soft tone when he said that "China… has enough creativity
and engineering power to do something on their own and doesn’t have to fall back to the
time when copying was of interest."
Unfortunately for him, copying is still of interest to China.
And Chinese authorities dismissed his legal complaints that the LandWind X7 looks almost
the same as the Range Rover Evoque.
But one thing isn't the same.
The LandWind is only a fraction the price.
Number 3
The Lifan 330?!
How did this get on the list?!
I'm sorry, this is a mistake.
At first some people thought it looked a lot like a Mini Cooper.
But the Lifan has made the good point their car has four doors, not two.
So, totally different.
Wait?
This is the 2015 Mini Cooper.
Um, but it has stripes.
So again, totally not the same.
Number 2
We've already seen the LandWind.
This is the Eastern Wind, or Dongfeng.
The model is called Crazy Soldier.
I think they mean crazy-good, not crazy-unreliable.
But anyway, it might look familiar to anyone who's ever seen a Hummer.
Everything is pretty much a direct copy: the exterior, to the interior, even the engine.
But none of these will prepare you for the greatest Chinese knockoff of foreign cars...
Number 1 Autobots.
Though the title makes it sound like a knockoff of Transformers, pretty much everything else
screams Disney's "Cars."
Though I can't say for sure because, honestly, there's no way I'm going to sit and watch
this.
I mean, what's next, a Portuguese rip off of Muppet Babies?
Oh.
So what do you think of these knockoff Chinese cars?
Are they really different designs?
Or are they just taking Western car companies for a ride?
Leave your comments below and subscribe for more China Uncensored!
Once again I'm Chris Chappell, see you next time.