Some Chinese car companies use foreign cars as ‘inspiration’, other companies quite sensibly take foreign made cars and use them as benchmarks, especially for performance and suspension. This kind of behavior isnt just limited to the automobile world, every manufacturer in the world likes to check out what his/her opponents are making.
These two cars were (allegedly) spotted in a SAIC R&D center car park, and then posted on Chinese automotive forums website.
This Nissan Murano was allegedly seen outside a Chery factory, complete with Chery badging alongside the Nissan badging:
Wow, first it was the Toyota Aigo, then the Citeron C1, and a Pug 107, then a BYD F1. Will it also be the MG 15?
Hooray for automotive piracy. Who needs innovation when you can just copy? As far as the Murano goes, I’m hoping it’s the redneck equivalent of putting Honda V-TEC badging on an 86 Pontiac Gran Am.
Its not piracy, its benchmarking.
Unless of course, they are copying, but copying brings terrible negative press. Chery and SAIC are a long way past that stage.
I’m hoping you’re right about the benchmarking. Maybe Chery can learn to make an engine similar to Nissan’s VQ series of engines.
Ash
In SAIC I understand but why Chery puts their own badge on the Murano ?
But if they are really willing to learn then it’s a good thing
Inspiration? That is a tricky concept here in china.