Spy Shots: New Great Wall hatchback plunders Toyota Yaris' booty
Great Wall i7 - Click above for image gallery
If we were heading up one of China's numerous automakers and we were looking through the annals of history for a vehicle design to crib, our choice probably wouldn't be that of the Toyota Yaris. It's not so much that the Yaris is a bad car, it's that the success of Toyota's little subcompact hatchback is probably based more on the merits of its nameplate and reputation for reliability and low running costs than its styling. No matter, China's Great Wall has indeed aped a good portion of Toyota's five-door hatchback for its latest entry into the small car wars, imaginatively named i7.
The rear end may have a lot of Toyota in it, but we especially like the front grille, which appears to be a Vulcan mind-meld between the design languages of both Dodge and Audi while managing to look completely
So far, there's no word on what powers the i7 or when it's expected to make it into production.
Gallery: Spy Shots: Great Wall i7
[Source: China Car Times | Photos: BitAuto]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
huisj203 9:36AM (6/17/2009)
It's got more than a hint of hungry aveo to the front end too. Again, why would they choose that to copy?
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/13/frankfurt-preview-look-out-the-new-chevy-aveo-5-door-wants-to/
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airswingman 10:30AM (6/17/2009)
what is autoblog trying to say right here?
Motor_Yakuza 9:37AM (6/17/2009)
Looks crappy, and Acura style head lights? Oh yeah, this will work.
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huisj203 9:38AM (6/17/2009)
Also, anyone notice that in picture 4, there's a different car parked a few over that is pretty much identical to a Scion xA (or Toyota ist to the rest of the world I guess).
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Aprime 9:46AM (6/17/2009)
Horrific interior is horrific.
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fulsxy85 9:57AM (6/17/2009)
I was under the Impression that Great Wall was Toyotas Chinese partner if so these are'nt knock off or copy's but good old fashioned badge engineering it isnt the first Great Wall to be based on a toyota body with a different front end look at models like the Coolbear(1st gen XB), Hover(4runner based with isuzu axiom body??) and Florid( Scion xa w/yaris front).
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Bloke 12:10PM (6/17/2009)
Good point - two of Great Wall's 4x4 models were based on Toyota underpinnings. There's little known about the basis for this car.
anonymous j 2:54PM (6/17/2009)
yeah it would be nice if autoblog would include more details regarding these types of posts instead of always mindlessly posting pictures and constantly letting people assume the worst, but hey who needs facts when you have stereotypes?
Luis 10:02AM (6/17/2009)
Why not? Is this any worse than the Aveo? Or....the G3?
And that's why GM failed.
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Bloke 10:03AM (6/17/2009)
Autoblog stop scraping the barrel with your anti-Chinese rhetoric: there are only so many ways to style the rear of a B-segment hatchback. I could easily argue the rear lights ape the BE13-based 1989 Ford Fiesta mk3, but that doesn't mean it's a blatant copy. It borrows no more styling cues than any other vehicle in its class.
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Pengwin 10:22AM (6/17/2009)
+1
the tail lights are quite similar but the front is definitely a somewhat original idea.
Aprime 10:22AM (6/17/2009)
Are you f***ing blind?
I mean seriously, have you seen the steering wheel, side profile and practically everything else Great Wall has come up with before?
Bloke 10:34AM (6/17/2009)
Aprime - no, I'm not blind. But this design is a typical far eastern B-segment hatchback. It takes cues from many other manufacturers. As I said, the tail lights alone are most reminiscent of a 1989 Fiesta, but that doesn't mean it's a blatant copy.
The real problem here is blatant anti-Chinese sentiment. While there are some notorious copies from Chinese manufacturers, broadbrushing their entire car industry is short-sighted, wrong-headed and will ultimately come back to kick you in the teeth.
Coolio 11:17AM (6/17/2009)
Joke I mean Bloke.
"But this design is a typical far eastern B-segment hatchback."
This is not a copy of the Yaris ? Open your eyes ?
Anti-Chinese whatever...they are great imitators.........
Aprime 11:14AM (6/17/2009)
It looks nothing like the 1989 Fiesta, keep trying.
I'll give a dang about the Chinese when they start making worthwhile stuff, not white goods with four-wheels and interiors that belong in a Cozy Coupe.
Mwmorph 11:17AM (6/17/2009)
You didn't hear? It's the new Chinese racism. It's no longer cool or acceptable to discriminate and bad mouth black and hispanics so all the self embarrassed racists have to hate Chinese people., instead of "Mexicans stealing our jobs and IP OMG", it's Chinese stealing our jobs and IP OMG."
Same racists, but now they have to switch to a more acceptable race to hate against.
Bloke 11:36AM (6/17/2009)
Aprime - I said the taillights resemble the BE13 Fiesta - not that you have any clue what I'm talking about.
Bloke 11:38AM (6/17/2009)
Coolio - how familiar are you with various Daihatsu and Suzuki hatchback profiles from the past, say, twenty years? (Assuming you've been alive that long).
Bloke 11:41AM (6/17/2009)
Mwmorph - I think you've hit the nail on the head. Oddly enough, the criticism usually stems from individuals on here who aren't even of legal drinking age.
imlrevo 1:26PM (6/17/2009)
Hey you are so patriotic and seemed to know quite a lot. I can't agree with you more that it isn't a knock off of Yaris, actually Yaris didn't occur to me when I saw it at the first time. But we have to admit that Chinese automakers did many copies which let us down. Whatever, Mwmorph said something really hitting home.
By the way, how can I make friends with you.