China is home to the knock-off culture and there are established carmakers working on this principle.
We continue on with part 3 of the 7 Chinese copycat cars that are sold in the USA but no one really buys. Now the U.S. is home to a prominent automobile market selling millions of cars every year. There is no shortage of car buyers in the States which could possibly be the reason why some Chinese firms thought of offering replica cars of renowned models at much affordable prices. But the lack of quality ensured that these found almost no buyers.
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7 Chinese Copycat Cars in the USA
Shuanghuan Noble
For those familiar with the German Smart ForTwo, the resemblance will seem uncanny. Shuanghuan Noble was a 4-seater front-wheel mini car that was designed for urban mobility. It was supposed to be showcased at the 2007 Bologna Motor Show in Italy. However, Mercedes prevented it from entering citing the reason that the model is copied from its Smart sub-brand. While Daimler (Mercedes) sued Shuanghuan in 2009, a Greek court ruled in favour of the latter.
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Huanghai Plutus
Huanghai has already featured in the previous part of this and the Plutus that was sold between 2007 and 2012 tells that the company believes in the philosophy firmly to have yet another copied product. This time around, the design was ‘inspired’ by the Chevrolet Colorado, which was an already famous pickup truck in the American market. It came with a 2.0-litre gasoline and a 2.8-litre diesel engine. The price was around $10,000 which was significantly lower than the Chevy.
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Shuanghuan CEO
The tail-end of the CEO bears an uncanny resemblance to the BMW X5. That was the reason why BMW sued Shuanhuan and a ban was imposed on the import of the CEO into Germany. What is interesting about this SUV is that the front end is an exact copy of the Honda CR-V. As with every other car on this list, the engine is massively underpowered. There is a 2.4-litre engine developing a mere 123 hp.
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Haima 2
This next product is an interesting case where Haima used to work as a partner with Mazda. That is why a lot of their models seem to have ‘drawn inspiration’ from Mazda. The Haima 2 is a copied version of the Mazda 2 (even the same was similar). It is powered by a 1.3-litre or a 1.5-litre engine with the option of a 5-speed MT or a 6-speed MT. However, the interior layout of the Haima 2 is quite different from the Mazda 2. Still, thanks to a similar exterior, it finds a spot on our list of Chinese Copycat Cars in USA.
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CH Auto Lithia
The CH Auto Lithia looks strikingly similar to the Audi RS. But not only that, one could even compare it to something like a Bugatti Veyron. However, the front elements are not directly borrowed from any one model but are an amalgamation of various cars. What is completely different in this model is the powertrain. It is powered by 2 electric motors good for 376 hp and a driving range of 365 km (227 miles).
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Lifan 330
The Lifan 320 was first showcased in 2008 with quite a similar design as the Mini Cooper. However, the facelifted model launched a few years after the 320 was called the 330 which had even more similarities to the Mini. In fact, the interior layout was also copied. It used to come with a 1.3-litre engine with a 5-speed MT. The prices ranged from $6,300 to $7,000 which is just a fraction of what the actual model used to cost even back then. However, it was rated as one of the worst cars when it comes to safety rating and had a safety rating of 0 stars at the Latin NCAP. No wonder, it’s among the most infamous models on our list of Chinese Copycat Cars in USA.
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Zotye Z700
All those who have read our previous articles on this topic must recognise Zotye as a repeat offender. While the previous model was a copycat of the Porsche Macan, this one is a blend of a VW Passat and an Audi A6. Interestingly, the combination makes the exterior look quite unique but the Z700 features an interior layout similar to the Audi. It comes with a 1.8-litre 4-cylinder turbo engine or a 2.0-litre engine with 150 hp and 177 hp respectively. These engines were mated to a 6-speed automatic. The price of this car hovered around $16,000 to $25,000 which was nothing compared to the original models. Which out of these Chinese copycat cars in the USA are you the most surprised with?
