Believe it or not fakery is actually illegal in China.However looking at some of the cars around it seems like a blind person judges what is real or a copy.
Here are a few examples for you of cars that “strongly resemble” European cars, call them fakes if you will.
It is actually hard to tell which are copy cars or not because some manufacturers actually make cars for China that Europe won’t have ever heard of, mostly Volkswagen.
It’s also unclear if Chinese vehicle manufacturers have purchased the plans of older vehicles from the respected manufacturer or not.
Who knows!
Here are a selection of vehicles I’ve seen, and my opinions on what they really are. Challenge me if you’re brave enough!
Item number one: The Ford Transit
The shell is identical to the original however they have installed new lights. An exciting upgrade. It’s used mostly by the police as a shuttle bus.
Item number 2: the Peugeot 206/ Citroen C3.
You often hear of manufacturers teaming up to make a car. This however looks like the perfect definition of a “Cut and shut”, where they have stolen the front of one car and have attached it to the back of another car. I’m sure it’s passed all of its crash tests.
Item number 3: VW Santana
On the surface it looks fake but after looking into it a bit I discovered VW actually have a Chinese division that make this. Based loosely on the third generation Passat. As seen below.
Item number 4: VW Lavida.
Once again this looks like a good fake of the Audi A3 with VW badges on, but like the Santana it is a current model that is made by Shanghai Volkswagen.
Item number 5: Bmw 1 series
I could really tell you what the car underneath is but the main features are all borrowed/ stolen from BMW’s F20 1 Series. As seen below.
Item number 6: Porsche Cayenne
This one is a little harder to identify however if you look at the chromed B pillars and features it’s clear to see. I’m sure it fools most Chinese buyers as it has a different front end. Here’s the real thing.
Item number 7: Trumpchi
Not actually fake but was featured in the former Top Gear’s Chinese cars report, so thought it should get a mention.
Item number 8: Range Rover Evoque.
This is a blatant copy in every aspect. Branded as the “Land Wind”. The front end is identical to the original right down to the font on the bonnet. The back differs slightly but only with the addition of a plastic panel on the tailgate. The inside also looks the same as the original and they have put Land Rover badges all over it. Makes you wonder if the Chinese buyers know it’s not the real thing. I’ve also seen some real ones out here too. Maybe they should have called it the “Provoke” which is an argument the fakers definitely did with Land Rover when the Land Wind was released over copyright claims.
Item number 9: VW Jetta
Once again another model made by Shanghai Volkswagen. This time they’ve recycled the shell from the old European Jetta, but face lifted the front and rear end. The interior is still very 90’s however, maybe they forgot to improve that bit!
Item number 10: Mercedes B class
There’s no way this is the genuine article, but instead a very similar copy. They’ve only managed to switch the badges, no imagination at all! Come on China!
Item number 11: Ford Escort
Car fans will know that this particular model was killed off in the late nineties, however this is in fact a genuine model from ford that’s been brought back! It is actually just a fiesta saloon. Maybe they ran out of model names so had to recycle a few old ones.
Item number 12: Subaru Legacy.
This again is a blatant copy of the Subaru Legacy. They’ve only changed the front grill to a more open and chrome style. The wheel arches are also slightly more flared and the wheels are directly from halfords.
Well those are a few of the fake cars I saw after a month and a half of travelling around china. There were plenty more out there that I wasn’t able to picture quickly enough.
Hope you found this as interesting as I did. It definitely helped pass the long bus journeys.
One day you might be driving a fake and not know the difference from the genuine car!
stuartglobal 