Cloning is a word very closely associated with China and they have it in almost every other form. Their habit of copying designs from international companies have now extended to cars as well which was limited till now. Copyright laws never seemed to bother the aftermarket customization industry and if the place in discussion is China then they intend to take every inch of advantage to their benefit. A new trend in China has emerged, where look alike knockoff kits of premium western cars are used on economic Chinese models to give the vehicle a premium luxury look at a fraction of a price.
One such kit was found for Brilliance models. Brilliance Auto is the Chinese partner of BMW and they too have officially copied their V5 SUV on the grounds of the BMW X1. But aftermarket kits were found for Brilliance HB30 sedan featuring a complete set comprising of BMW front grille pieces, rims and steering wheel, a model nameplate and a set of 8 BMW logos. The original parts would be removed and fitted with those in the kit and an almost perfect BMW is ready at a mere cost of about $60-65 (Rs. 3500/-).
Other car companies like Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have also fallen prey to this mimicking business. A Lexus RX look alike kit for the BYD (Build Your Dream) S6 SUV was found in the market for the same price aforementioned. But the scenario is quite confusing because the cloning is done as an aftermarket solution and also officially as was mentioned in the case of the Brilliance V5 SUV. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz’ Chinese counterpart BAIC have openly copied their BC301Z based completely on the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. Well, it is indeed difficult to predict what’s running inside those Chinese heads.
