China’s imitation game

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then global carmakers are basking in the compliments at Shanghai’s auto show, where some Chinese-made models bear striking resemblances to famous foreign brands.

The annual exhibition is the biggest automotive showcase in the planet’s largest car market, but also an event that revives persistent accusations of Chinese businesses copying foreign designs.

The show opened this week with automotive media and Internet wags highlighting a range of Chinese models with more than a passing likeness to their Porsche, Land Rover, Mercedes and other counterparts.

Intellectual-property theft is rampant in a range of industries in China, and foreign automakers have taken legal action over the years against Chinese competitors for suspiciously similar designs. But Mercedes’ China boss Hubertus Troska laughed it off when asked by reporters about a Chinese-made car on display across from the Mercedes stand which looked just like the German manufacturer’s G-Class SUV. “We take it as a compliment,” Troska quipped. Other automotive doppelgangers include one by little-known Chinese brand Zotye which sells for $14,500 and could be mistaken for Porsche’s sporty Macan SUV, which has a sticker price of $87,000. A Porsche spokeswoman brushed it off, stressing that foreign automakers compete for different market segments and income levels than their Chinese counterparts. Land Rover’s Range Rover Evoque SUV also is on display in Shanghai, as is a model by similarly-named Chinese carmaker Landwind that has sparked a legal battle between the two. The British manufacturer in 2014 launched a bid to void Landwind’s patent on its X7 SUV, prompting a tit-for-tat move by the Chinese company in a fight that continues. The chances of a foreign carmaker winning an auto patent case in China are “extremely low” due to the way the country’s patent laws are written, said Li Yanwei, an analyst. “A conviction can only be made when the two vehicles’ design and size match exactly,” he said.

Honda filed a lawsuit in 2004 against Shuanghuan Automobile, accusing it of copying the exterior of the Japanese manufacturer’s popular CR-V SUV, but lost the case in 2015. Honda had to cough up 16 million yuan for legal fees and “reputation damage” inflicted on Shuanghuan, which folded last year. Industry watchers say the number of such disputes are expected to diminish as Chinese manufacturers’ design capabilities grow.

“There was a time when design was not at the core of the (Chinese carmakers’) concern. It was more about delivering a product.

But now, original design creation in China is blossoming,” said Christophe Cayrol, head of French car brand Citroen’s design centre in Shanghai. — AFP