If you think you're seeing a Mercedes or Jaguar, then you've just validated Hyundai's approach. Now think about how many in the general public don't follow car design closely, and you can see why their strategy is succeeding. I don't find what they're doing offensive, as they are more borrowing general styling cues that are seen to evoke different levels of the market and building unique cars from them.

Truly the new Buick LaCrosse mimics a Lexus at least as much as the Hyundais do. Its tail looks quite bit like the Equus as well.

What several Chinese companies are doing is a different animal. Producing near exact copies of specific models is much closer to the line of being unethical.

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With all due respect, regardless of validation, it's THEFT by Hyundai and Kia! I've personally trashed other companies including domestics for doing it!

In a world of blur, you find something to be original only to have it stolen and capitalized on by un-imaginative and opportunistic companies. It's like you inventing something, spending everything you own on R&D and consumer opinion testing and then having some a-hole down the street clone it and sell it for 10% less because they didn't "invent" it.

I think that was the original point..... Ya know?

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I agree with you completely. Of course, all the Hyundai/Kia supporters would be like "OMG HYUNDAI SO ORIGINAL STFU THEY COPIED NO ONE." and that's the trend of modern day automotive -- be all over the underdog. Seriously, they're better than ever, but for the brand. And that's not to mention that these cars are, undeniably, a ripoff of other established brands with original designs. There are similarities between brands with regards to design, but not that close. No one says an Audi A4 resembles an Acura TSX. The style of a BMW X6 is remotely similar to the Acura ZDX. But it's not a copy. I've shown my non-car friends pictures of the Kia Forte and a Honda Civic. 10 out of 10 says they are remarkably similar while every time someone mentions that here they get voted down and be like "The Forte is 10x better than the Civic and doesn't look the same at all!111!!111!"

/rant

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Mason, the $75k price tag is a rumor. It's like saying "why someone buy a $60k Genesis Sedan?", which is how much it went for in Korea before it was sold in the states in the $30k-40k range. You can't directly convert the price of cars in Korea to the U.S. This car will probably sell in the $50k range.

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@John
The Buick LaCrosse mimics Buick's designs from the past... the concept came out before this thing.
You sound just like the idiots who say the new E-class looks like a Lexus... when all Lexus does is copy MB and BMW to begin with.
I personally don't think its OK to copy the work of others... but as long as there are poseurs who cant afford an expensive car but will buy a cheap crappy one that looks like an expensive one to look cool, that design strategy won't change.

BWT: I can't afford an expensive MB or BMW, but will never buy a car that intentionally tries to copy them... I'd rather have a nice car in it's own price range that has it's own unique styling.

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XJ, I didn't say that it was $75,000. Somebody else said that if it was $75,000 it would be affordable for "common folk." I simply disagreed with that. I don't think it will cost that much. People would laugh in Hyundai's face if they tried to charge that much.

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Mason

What about Honda's rip off of BMW 5 series design elements for its Accord, or the 2009 Mercedes take on the Lexus LS tailpipes, or Infiniti's rear window kink from BMW's over the last 20 years. It is done by every automaker--taking popular design elements and translating them to fit your brand.

I can't tell you how many cars have implemented the Bangle butt off the 2002 BMW 750iL over the last few years. Funny thing about that is Hyundai did those design elements a little before BMW made it popular.

Once Hyundai becomes even more mainstream, and popular other automakers will be borrowing from their designs...Look at the Hyundai Tucson coming done the pipeline...

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I was thinking about the same thing on the way home the other day. Hyundai had done well borrowing other cars but all the cars on the road today looks like each other. I would not be surprised if a lot of people will not be able to tell what car it is if all the logos and brands name are removed from all the cars. I guess we have Japanese and Koreans to thank for all the same boring looking cars that are on the road today. Why can't they be bold and put out some thing original?

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Designing and building cars is like gambling. Try betting $260 million and 4 years of work on a radical design and see if people are going to jump in and purchase that car. All the while hoping to return a profit. Do you risk everything and rely on faith to step in? Or do you go the tried and proven way of building modest cars with good returns? Just ask yourself that before making strong statements like "cant they come up with an original design?". Original = radical, radical = risk, risk = potential to lose money. Why are car companies in business? To make money.

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I'm wondering how what I said got negative votes! It was unbiased and true. Not even my own perspective!

Hmmm.. Maybe it's in the stars today? ;)

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http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=58&vf=1

When Toyota launched its Lexus luxury car brand a decade ago it made no secret that it had Mercedes in it sights.

Ten years later, the Japanese are sending in the clones with increasing frequency.

It's not just the expensive models which European makers accuse Japan of copying. Consider, for example, the headlights on the latest Toyota Tarago. Now picture those of the Peugeot 206. Look familiar? Looks as if they should share the same part number.

When Audi's TT coupe and convertible were unveiled, diminutive Japanese maker Daihatsu had a car with an amazing likeness displayed at the very next Tokyo Motor Show called the Kopen. The latest Lexus coupe, due here before the end of the year, looks like a larger interpretation of Audi's Bauhaus design.

Daihatsu has also built a miniature Hummer and, bizzarely, called it the Naked. And in 1999 at the same show, Mitsubishi took the wraps off a car that, if you squinted, you would swear blind was a new Mini.

What about the "teardrops" on the headlights on latest batch of Hondas, such as the HR-V, Odyssey and the new Integra? A hint of BMW 3 Series perhaps? The tailights on the HR-V have a remarkable resemblance to the Volvo 850 wagon's.

From a distance, Toyota's square-shaped MR2 looks like a Porsche Boxster.

The original Toyota Celica was so inspired by the Ford Mustang of the era that today's enthusiasts call it the "Mustang Celica".

Now, even after 10 years, Lexus still hasn't broken its clone-like mould. The latest Lexus LS430 has the sillouette of the superseded Mercedes S Class and a headlight theme borrowed from the new S Class.

When the covers came off the fourth generation Lexus at the Detroit Motor Show two years ago, Mercedes-Benz broke its corporate silence over what it called "Japanese copycat cars" but stopped short of calling it plagiarism.

"People explain to us it is really an honour to have someone copy our cars, but I don't think we see it that way any more," said Harald Leschke, the head of design at Mercedes-Benz. "I think it is quite obvious that they admire the design, then try to do it their way. I'm sure in some industries this sort of thing is not legal.

"What surprises us most is that [Lexus] are prepared to do it, in public, and that customers are prepared to buy their copycat cars."

"I think it's fair to say all their cars have been influenced by someone else's models," he said. "They don't have a history so they have to copy someone else's."

Industry experts argue that a flagship Lexus made sense when it was considerably cheaper than the German benchmarks. But now that it is priced the same, there's less incentive to drive an imitation. Nevertheless, Europe's car maker have now become so concerned about Japan's sincere forms of flattery that they are wary of showing concept cars of future models.

Porsche, for example, has deliberately not shown "design studies" of its Cayenne off-roader because it fears a Japanese maker will be able to release its interpretation just as Porsche unveils the real thing.

[...]
The lack of history is also an Achilles heel. "Japan had no horse-and-carriage era. True, the nobility were transported in carriages for a time, but these were import!!ed or the designs were copied.

"So the country skipped a critical phase in its maturation process as a car stylist. Too often, designers took the easy option and borrowed looks from around the world."

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Hyundai is clearly taking a page out of the Lexus playbook here.

I think it is a pretty good execution of that, and although it is a clearly a KDM, with minimal exterior changes, it could work well here in the U.S.

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I seem to remember people asking the same thing about Toyota/Lexus. It won't happen overnight, but if they execute, then it's not unthinkable.

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It isn't unthinkable, but in this economic climate it doesn't seem like a great time to try. Plus, the Phaeton was pretty nice and look how bad it did - from a company that American's already support quite a bit. I just don't think this will work out for them.

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