Cars
Does the headline ring true? Is it BMW finding itself "stuck" in a debacle with a Chinese automaker? Or is Shuanghuan "stuck" in a fight with BMW, a fight it didn't start?
The editors of daily newspapers who cover the auto industry weren't in Shuanghuan's offices during the display of design proposals for an upcoming SUV. The pundits from monthly car mags weren't either. Even The Good Car Guy from GoodCarBadCar didn't make an appearance in the boardroom. So we can't really say for sure that: "BMW's X5 has been obsequiously copied by Shuanghuan." But.... really, I mean - that profile pic is a slavish rehash. I think. Maybe.
We the people of North America and Europe are prone to suggesting that BMW (and Honda, and General Motors) should not be so bothered. That makes sense - to us. We're not confused as to the differing merits of the BMW X5, Mercedes ML350, Audi Q7, and Shuanghuan CEO. We understand and believe that BMW builds ultimate driving machines whereas Shuanghuan hasn't hit the big time quite yet. Yup, that's what we know.
We forget that China is different. Perhaps you were ignorant to this fact. Chinese consumers have only been purchasing/leasing luxury cars - any kind of car at all - for a few years. Yeah, deep down they know that BMW is a greater status symbol and that Audi would be a better alternative to the CEO. But the CEO doesn't compete with the X5 or Q7. Shuanghuan's SUV is likely no more than one third the cost of the BMW. What hurts and pains BMW about this is the detrimental effects the CEO will have upon its image. In North America, we wouldn't downgrade BMW's image without the combined effect of poor quality, ugly cars, and depressed performance .
In China, it's possible that a potential X5 buyer would head to the Audi or Mercedes or Cadillac dealership when he realizes the look-like-previous-X5-Shuanghuan CEO's trolling Shanghai's streets make the real X5 look 'cheap'.
But that name - CEO. Nifty.
- Greek Court Dismisses Daimler's Claim Against Chinese Smart Fortwo Knockoff
Remember Shuanghuan Automobile's Noble, the Chinese minicar that blatantly copies the design of the previous Smart Fortwo? Well, the Noble has made its appearance in several European countries including Greece where Smart's parent company, Daimler,...
- China’s Great Wall Banned From Importing Panda Clone To Europe
Following in the footsteps of BMW that managed to stop the Chinese Shuanghuan CEO SUV from being imported into Germany, Fiat has won a court order against China’s auto manufacturer Great Wall Motors (GWM) banning the latter from bringing the GWPeri...
- Bmw Wins Court Order To Ban Sales Of Chinese X5 Clone In Germany
In a decision that might set the example for similar cases in the near future, a court in Munich, Germany ruled that China Automobile Deutschland GmbH’s Shuanghuan SCEO SUV infringes BMW's design rights as it’s appearance clearly resembles...
- Toyota Rav4 & Bmw X5 Chinese Clones Go On Sale In Germany
Nearly a year after China Automobile Deutschland made its European debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Munich-based importer announced today that it has began sales of its SCEO and UFO SUVs at 80 dealerships across Germany. Both models have caused...
- How To Transforming The Chinese Sceo Into A Bmw X5
Even though it is apparent that the Chinese automaker Shuanghuan was heavily inspired from the previous generation BMW X5 when designing the SCEO SUV, it would have been a bit too inappropriate -even for their standards- to blatantly imitate bimmer’s...
Cars
BMW STUCK IN COPYCAT UPROAR
Does the headline ring true? Is it BMW finding itself "stuck" in a debacle with a Chinese automaker? Or is Shuanghuan "stuck" in a fight with BMW, a fight it didn't start?
The editors of daily newspapers who cover the auto industry weren't in Shuanghuan's offices during the display of design proposals for an upcoming SUV. The pundits from monthly car mags weren't either. Even The Good Car Guy from GoodCarBadCar didn't make an appearance in the boardroom. So we can't really say for sure that: "BMW's X5 has been obsequiously copied by Shuanghuan." But.... really, I mean - that profile pic is a slavish rehash. I think. Maybe.
We the people of North America and Europe are prone to suggesting that BMW (and Honda, and General Motors) should not be so bothered. That makes sense - to us. We're not confused as to the differing merits of the BMW X5, Mercedes ML350, Audi Q7, and Shuanghuan CEO. We understand and believe that BMW builds ultimate driving machines whereas Shuanghuan hasn't hit the big time quite yet. Yup, that's what we know.
We forget that China is different. Perhaps you were ignorant to this fact. Chinese consumers have only been purchasing/leasing luxury cars - any kind of car at all - for a few years. Yeah, deep down they know that BMW is a greater status symbol and that Audi would be a better alternative to the CEO. But the CEO doesn't compete with the X5 or Q7. Shuanghuan's SUV is likely no more than one third the cost of the BMW. What hurts and pains BMW about this is the detrimental effects the CEO will have upon its image. In North America, we wouldn't downgrade BMW's image without the combined effect of poor quality, ugly cars, and depressed performance .
In China, it's possible that a potential X5 buyer would head to the Audi or Mercedes or Cadillac dealership when he realizes the look-like-previous-X5-Shuanghuan CEO's trolling Shanghai's streets make the real X5 look 'cheap'.
But that name - CEO. Nifty.
- Greek Court Dismisses Daimler's Claim Against Chinese Smart Fortwo Knockoff
Remember Shuanghuan Automobile's Noble, the Chinese minicar that blatantly copies the design of the previous Smart Fortwo? Well, the Noble has made its appearance in several European countries including Greece where Smart's parent company, Daimler,...
- China’s Great Wall Banned From Importing Panda Clone To Europe
Following in the footsteps of BMW that managed to stop the Chinese Shuanghuan CEO SUV from being imported into Germany, Fiat has won a court order against China’s auto manufacturer Great Wall Motors (GWM) banning the latter from bringing the GWPeri...
- Bmw Wins Court Order To Ban Sales Of Chinese X5 Clone In Germany
In a decision that might set the example for similar cases in the near future, a court in Munich, Germany ruled that China Automobile Deutschland GmbH’s Shuanghuan SCEO SUV infringes BMW's design rights as it’s appearance clearly resembles...
- Toyota Rav4 & Bmw X5 Chinese Clones Go On Sale In Germany
Nearly a year after China Automobile Deutschland made its European debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Munich-based importer announced today that it has began sales of its SCEO and UFO SUVs at 80 dealerships across Germany. Both models have caused...
- How To Transforming The Chinese Sceo Into A Bmw X5
Even though it is apparent that the Chinese automaker Shuanghuan was heavily inspired from the previous generation BMW X5 when designing the SCEO SUV, it would have been a bit too inappropriate -even for their standards- to blatantly imitate bimmer’s...