Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone
by Dan Roth on Dec 1st 2007 at 3:34PM 
Daimler's not taking the close resemblance of a Chinese minicar to a smart fortwo lightly. The German automaker has gotten a court order forbidding Martin Motors, the European distributor for China's Shuanghuan Automobile, from displaying the Shuanghuan Noble at the upcoming Bologna Auto Show. This is the second time Daimler has blocked the Noble from being displayed, having taken similar action at the Frankfurt show.
Martin Motors is calling the Noble the Bubble in Europe, since there's already another Noble. Martin contends that the Bubble is not a copy of the fortwo, citing the four seats and front engine configuration among the differentiating details. Martin Motors has also demanded in Italian courts that Daimler prove its exclusive rights to the design of the smart. If a resolution can be reached, the Bubble will go on sale for about $10,000 euros across Europe. The resemblance is striking, but copying the look isn't the same as cribbing the underlying engineering. We haven't had the opportunity to crawl over, under, or through the Bubble, so we can't comment on whether it's better or worse than the smart, but from the looks of things in the video we've posted after the jump, the Bubble is hardly a premium vehicle. Shuanghuan also sells the CEO, a midsize SUV that borrows an awful lot from the BMW X5's looks. The appearance similarities between Shuanghuan's vehicles and those of well respected competitors may not help the Chinese automaker avoid having its European sales bubble burst.
Check the jump to see a video of the Noble/Bubble in action.
More shots from Autoblog China.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
why not the LS2/LS7? 3:49PM (12/01/2007)
The dollar sign on the price is incongrous with the denomination, Euros.
And wow, 10,000 Euros is a lot for that car. Considering it's so small, new to the market and probably unreliable, it doesn't seem worth it.
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Gregg 4:25PM (12/01/2007)
10,000 Euros is really cheap for any conveyance in Europe. a run-of-mill Focus might be 25,000 Euros. Cars just cost more there comparatively.
As for Mercedes' suit, that is ridiculous. There are many cars that look alike. I think you draw the line when they use the same body panels. This one is a rip-off stylistically, and the Chinese often do that, rather than issue their mostly really bad original styling exercises. But like the Koreans, they will get there, and meanwhile, copying the style of other successful rides avoids a lot of Geeley-style bad stuff.
Anyway, Mercedes ought to be scared. This thing is way cheaper, has the engine in front, and lots more inside storage space. I'd consider one if I were looking for an urban runabout...but I doubt it would ever be available here.
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jake 4:48PM (12/01/2007)
I agree, there's a difference between copying exterior design cues and copying a car wholesale. If it was the same as the chery QQ vs Chevy Spark, where even the doors can be taken off and interchangable with the original car, that is clearly a violation. If it was just the looks, then that is argueable, as this is what the Japanese and Koreans did in the past to get to where they are today. It's still not a good idea to blatantly copy exterior design, but the severity of that is a lot less than copying a whole car.
GT 4:27PM (12/01/2007)
prove the design is Daimler's...easy, send it for crash testing... if it gets a one star (like that Brilliance BS(6) (pun intended)) but anything 2 star and up shows that the smart's engineering was copied, too.
I think we got to check the paint, too...
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Val 1:14AM (12/02/2007)
But the smart FourTwo has a 4 star EuroNCAP rating... When this car gets 4 stars, i'll be amazed
GT 10:49AM (12/03/2007)
yea i know, but seeing how the chinese can barely get a two star...
Just a friend 8:26AM (12/03/2007)
But didn't the Brilliance BS6 get 3 stars ?
This Bubble or Noble has a lot of similarities with the Smart. The video did not show clearly the interiors, so I cannot say if the interior is same or different, but externally, the car looks very much like a Smart, although there are some slight differences.
Hank 4:29PM (12/01/2007)
It's no more ridiculous than if Rowling went after an author who photocopied her books, only changing names (Larry Plotter) and a detail here and there. I hope they win and win big.
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blinkra182 4:30PM (12/01/2007)
you would think if they were gonna rip off the design of a car, they would at least rip off a GOOD car...
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SPG 3:06AM (12/03/2007)
If this company were ripping off good designs everybody would probably have quite a conflict protesting the Chinese clones.
Cloned Jaguar E-Type? That would be nice.
Michael 5:02PM (12/01/2007)
also, don't let your kids put their mouth on any of the material. They may get mercury or lead poisoning.
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geo.stewart 5:03PM (12/01/2007)
wanna bet thats not a real safety cell??
you guys (commenters) are a joke. you rip hyundai for taking styling cues from bmw, lexus, mb, and others on the new genesis while it looks nothing like any of the models in total but the chinese blatantly copy a design whole and you defend them.
must be a lot of commies/sympathizers on here. if the chinese want to get away with plagiarism, copy the gremlin, pay a royalty, and call it a kit car.
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jake 5:35PM (12/01/2007)
Where did you get that commenters collaborate before reaching a decision to comment? Did I talk to you before commenting? So how do you know that the same commenter that ripped Hyundai for copying styling cues defended the chinese. It is precisely because Hyundai copied styling cues (as other Korean and Japanese manufacturers also did in the past) and got away with it, that people are saying why rip the Chinese for doing the same. And why does defending China automatically make us commies/sympathizers? Open your eyes, there are countries and political systems beyond America and beyond democracy. Just because the US is democratic doesn't mean it is all good; it is not as straight foward as democracy=GOOD, communism=EVIL. In fact, we have done a lot of horrible things in this world in the name of democracy, and I don't think I need to point out the individual examples.
But I digress, my point is just that there is a difference in severity between copying a whole car and copying styling. If this smart clone was really a direct copy (see Chery QQ vs Chevy Spark) then the level of severity is orders of magnitude greater than if they just copied some styling cues.
geo.stewart 6:06PM (12/01/2007)
ahh, I dont believe I mentioned collaboration but you can read the posts and get the general sway of the conversation, see the common author's names and note the hypocrisy.
your best counter would be there is a difference between bashing for copying and someone's right to, but no, not that good. You have to jump on the political aspect. A lot of negative (or evil in your mind) has been done in the name of democracy? A lot has been done evil in the name of Christianity, it doesnt make Christianity wrong or evil, just that some have acted wrongly in their zeal. And by the way, ours is more a republic than a democracy but that is for another blog, or class.
It doesnt make Christianity or democracy evil.
And be sure you KNOW the reasons behind the actions before you judge them. I doubt you have that clearance.
And that car is as much of a ripoff as a kit car, which requires a license from the original mftr in most countries.
Its a moot point in China because the gov't owns the companies, direct or through shells. And hey, in China, you wouldnt get to voice your disapproval with the government.
wormyguy 5:04PM (12/01/2007)
"$10,000 euros." Oops.
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idawson 5:11PM (12/01/2007)
Interestingly enough, the artist who created the music on the video copied and tweaked the beat of the Sugar Hill Gang 'Rapper's Delight' a little bit. Kind of par for the course with the car.
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Dan Roth 9:46PM (12/01/2007)
Speaking of ripping off - "Rappers Delight" - See Chic, Good Times. Both songs are fun.
idawson 10:10PM (12/01/2007)
Haha. Good call on that one, Dan.
Chaz 5:22PM (12/01/2007)
Interesting. Certainly more than a passing resemblance to Smart ForTwo. A lot of the interior appears to be cribbed from mk1 Smart as well.
Did anyone notice how much effort was put into emphasizing the fact that this car has light up gauges and directionals? If those are the differentiation points they're working with, I don't think Daimler AG has anything to worry about.
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Xcountryflyer 5:22PM (12/01/2007)
I want to see a crash test. I'm sure it will be an utter failure.
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