Chinese Byd for entry into sports car market
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From many angles, the F8 has a definite Mercedes-Benz SL look to it. Scheduled to be unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show by Chinese automaker Byd Auto, the hardtop convertible is the first one in China with independant intellectual property rights. Byd says that the F8's hard-top can be lowered in 25 seconds with the touch of a button. It's funny the company would bother to engineer its own hydraulic hardtop mechanism when it relies so heavily on the designs of other automakers. In 2005, it began selling the F3 that looked more than a bit like a Toyota Corolla, and soon it will also release the F6, which has strong BMW 7-Series overtones. (See both cars after the jump.)
The F8 will also be equipped with features such as ABS, four airbags, electric windows and a DVD player. An official U.S. launch date, yes we said U.S., is TBD, but Byd says the F8 should hit our shores priced about $26,000.
See the F3, F6 and F8 after the jump.
See the F3, F6 and F8 after the jump.
[Source: edmunds.com]
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Byd Auto F3
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Byd Auto F6
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Byd Auto F8
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
LT 4:09AM (1/31/2008)
And "Nation of Thieves", let me ask some of the native Indians.. wait, where did you guys put them again? Oh, how about I ask the African Americans, how did their ancestors get here, hm.........................!
I can go into how oil from the gulf is traded in US dollars (and who controls the dollar and the banks that issues it??), but that might be over the top for you pink ice-cream sundae licking, bacon sucking fatasses. Oh what the hell, basically since oil is traded 'exclusively' in US dollars, that means if China wanted to buy oil from, say, Kuwait, they have to first BUY the U.S. dollars (such as from the U.S. controlled World Bank). Hm.. exchange rate, exchange rate... do the math. Wonder why we're having a HUGE ass deficit but Bush just keep signing spending bills (for the troops at least) like it's nothing? Nation of thieves..... who wrote your history book.
Bitch and moan, bitch and moan, you're just getting a taste of what your government has been doing to the rest of the world.
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LT 8:55PM (1/31/2008)
Copying the design saves BYD major $$$ on R&D for coming up with its own chassis, etc. Plus the chassis will already have been crash-tested, unless they used too much/too little steel, different alloy mix, etc. that would alter it's performance. Otherwise it's essentially the same shell with (maybe) different engines under the hood. All you @-holes are bitching about is the shell. Whatever that is under the hood that's giving the car its performance specs is what counts. And don't give me any $h!t unless you have a detailed technical spec, and I don't believe any of you read Chinese.
So Nixon went to China in 1972 and asked them to trade with the USA. They thought if just half the population of China just drank 1 can of Coca-Cola a day (say 500 million?), and profit just 5 cents for it, hell, let's make it 1 penny per can. Wow, that's $5 million in profit... A DAY!!! Lordy, imagine the possibilities... dr00l.
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Ryan 11:28AM (11/05/2006)
"From many angles, the F8 has a definite Mercedes-Benz SL look to it."
-yes it does,
Ya know, f**k these mother fu**ers, you think HYUNDAI is bad?
If and when China cars come to the USA and they copy designs so obvious like the above-listed examples I hope nobody *in great numbers* will purchase them.
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RZ 11:34AM (11/05/2006)
Boy front headlights are 100% Benz.
What they need to do is to buy American carmakers...and now is PERFECT TIME. Saab or Saturn even Pontiac are possible buys. After buying them they need to introduce their new brands. Plus by keeping some jobs in USA they will score points with consumer.
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idawson 11:36AM (11/05/2006)
The only thing that F6 reminds me of is Bozo the clown, with those orange eye-brows.
At least I know that those people who put Mercedes badges on Kias (and yes, there is a Sorento with ML55 AMG badges on it that rolls around Tucson), will have a successful career in the Chinese automotive design industry.
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Huecifcer 12:12PM (11/05/2006)
The rear of the F8 is totally 6-series
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far jr 11:49AM (11/05/2006)
The "F" in F3 and F8 must be for Forgery.
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fred 11:54AM (11/05/2006)
The trunk lid and rear proportions look a lot like those of a Renault Megane C+C (either copied or licensed by their original designer Heuliez).
Prior comments make me laugh : guys, please have a look at the wonderfull chevrolet Aveo and tell me who is driving the industry back to that 80s "piece of shit design" era.
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PiCASSO 12:28PM (11/05/2006)
Here's another pic of the Byd Auto F8:
http://www.acspy.com/UploadFiles/200610312150698.jpg
And more Byd stuff:
http://www.carspyshots.net/zerothread?id=14929
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Misaniovent 12:01PM (11/05/2006)
Yeah, wow. Totally original.
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RZ 12:09PM (11/05/2006)
On the other had is a new carmaker enters this market the price will go down. Picture this, Civics for under 20,000 after all taxes and hidden costs. Plus these Chinise companies will most likely enter the small car class. Where GM and Ford are not playing in, and in any case have never been good at.
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Yaroukh 12:13PM (11/05/2006)
RZ: Saab is American automaker ... ?
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thomas 2:50PM (11/05/2006)
Saab is owned by General Motors.
Anyone else think the F3 looks like the corolla?
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BMW M3 12:50PM (11/05/2006)
ugly
looks like mixture of Mercedez, honda, toyota,
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thomas Piper 12:50PM (11/05/2006)
Yep saab is American a Part of GM
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R Kaufman 4:46PM (11/05/2006)
They even copied the corolla on the inside. Normally they copy the outside and do a generic inside on it. Its amazing how the Chinese auto industry can't come up with an original design. Either one that isn't a generic blob, nor a blatent copy of another. Only then would I ever consider a chinese car. There was one they did of a Wrangler, it was so bad, yet such a copy. Probably would fall apart the moment you took it off road.
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RZ 1:07PM (11/05/2006)
#9, it's part of GM, they can buy Saabs American operations, and do so on the cheap too. GM has been rumored to trying to get rid of some of it's brands. I think Chinese would love to take Saab or Pontiac off Gm's hands. In the long run everyone would win, cars would become cheaper, these plants won't close, GM will not have to kill of a brand like they did with Olds.
By the way there are allready two companies named SAAB totaty independant of each otherm one is owned by Swedesh government and makes Jets and the other one is the Shame of the world headed by Rick Wagoner.
So why not have Saab Europe, Saab Jet makers and Saab America--sold to Chinese car company.
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Arnie 1:16PM (11/05/2006)
"Saab or Saturn even Pontiac are possible buys." Dude, these are brands, not automakers, with the possible exception of Saab. I think it would be rather difficult to "sell" Pontiac as an automaker.
Regarding those cars from the Nation of Thieves, they are just like virtually any other Chinese product: copied & stolen. I'm surprised how many comments here are positive towards possible Chinese auto offerings in the US. I would not touch these things with a 10 ft pole. I would not buy them any more than I would buy stolen CD players or sound systems. Stolen stuff is cheap but it's not for me.
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ruggels 1:18PM (11/05/2006)
Given the current chinese business model of stealing/copying intellectual property or simply buying companies outright (ie ibm) i'm curious why ANYONE would be surprised at the lack of originality in these cars. This is CHINA, where they release exact copies of other companies cars prior to said cars making it to market.
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Sasha 1:44PM (11/05/2006)
Just a logical byproduct of globalization, and free market economics, without any tariffs or protections, taken to its logical end.
We've already lost our manufacturing sector, so our shrinking middle class can't afford the real deal anymore, anyway.
If you don't like these shoddy knock offs: 1) Vote out politicians who won't protect american workers. 2) Don't buy one.
If you do like the value proposition they offer, then do buy one-they probably are decent enough cars.
If you already buy everything at Wal-Mart (ie, Beijing-Mart), why not buy a chinese car, too?
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