Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[BMW loses Clonewars Italian court battle]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/bmw-loses-clonewars-italian-court-battle/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/bmw-loses-clonewars-italian-court-battle/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/bmw-loses-clonewars-italian-court-battle/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Take a close look at the image. A court in Italy has just ruled that the crossover pictured above, the five-seat CEO built by Shuanghuan Automobile of Shijiazhuang, China, is not a clone of the BMW X5. Um... yeah. The legal battles began when Shuanghuan introduced their "Noble" last year, a near-clone of the Smart fortwo. Mercedes-Benz wasn't impressed, and threatened a lawsuit. Shortly thereafter, BMW started losing sleep over the Chinese CEO, an obvious facsimile of their previous-generation X5 (E53). The Bavarian automaker took Shuanghuan to court in Munich this past summer and won their case, and when Martin Motors (the distributor of Shuanghuan Automobiles in Italy and central Europe) started selling the CEO in early 2007, BMW again took legal action, this time in the Italian judicial system.

Last week, the Germans met their defeat when the Italian courts rejected their claims. To date, Martin Motors has sold about 200 copies of the CEO and expects to sell about 1200 this year in their European markets. "We are convinced the CEO wasn't a clone of the X5. We are happy to see our view supported by a court ruling," said an obviously pleased spokesperson from Martin Motors. We have to wonder how quickly the Italians would change their tune if Shuanghuan began to knock-off the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

BMW loses Clonewars Italian court battle originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BMWclonecopycatCopyrightcourtduplicatefortwoinfringementItalianlawsuitlegal battleLegalBattlepiracyShuanghuanShuanghuan AutomobileShuanghuanAutomobileSMARTX5Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:59:00 EST<![CDATA[Ripped-off automotive logos lack innovation]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/21/ripped-off-automotive-logos-lack-innovation/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/21/ripped-off-automotive-logos-lack-innovation/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/21/ripped-off-automotive-logos-lack-innovation/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Automakers worldwide spend millions of dollars perfecting and updating their logos. Study groups offer input to help capture that timeless design and color that precisely represents their product. Once approved, the automakers drop tens of millions of dollars into promoting the new look in product and advertising. What happens when another company arrives with a mildly-modified copy-cat version of the same logo? Apparently, if the country is in Asia, not much.

A reader tipped us off to a site loaded with proprietary logos from some well-know automotive corporations, and their not-so-original Chinese, Philippine, Korean, and German... well, look-alikes. Sure, they aren't exact copies, but some of them are close enough to be kissing cousins.

Thanks for the tip, Alex!

[Source: Cartype]

Ripped-off automotive logos lack innovation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AsiaCopycatDesignLogoThu, 21 Feb 2008 18:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Is nothing sacred? Chinese release copycat Humvee]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/22/is-nothing-sacred-chinese-release-copycat-humvee/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/22/is-nothing-sacred-chinese-release-copycat-humvee/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/22/is-nothing-sacred-chinese-release-copycat-humvee/#commentsFiled under:

UPDATE: The Crazy Soldier is, in fact, being built with the full knowledge and support of General Motors. Thanks for all who caught this.

It looks as though no car is safe from China's car copying industry - not even the U.S. military-derived Humvee. Guessing that there's an extensive market out there for urban assault vehicles, China's Dongfeng has released a new model it calls the 'Crazy Soldier,' which shares a striking resemblance to the original military truck created by AM General.

The Crazy Soldier was apparently developed over a period of four and half years, with engineers working closely with army officials and General Motors in an effort to design a vehicle that perfectly suited the needs of the military. They then added a radio and CD player, slapped a price tag on it and released it onto the Chinese domestic market.

[Source: China Car Times via Autoblog.nl]

Is nothing sacred? Chinese release copycat Humvee originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copycatHummerHumveestealingWed, 22 Aug 2007 14:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Chameleon A8 - an Audi that drives like an Elise, GTI, Getz and E-Class!]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/02/chameleon-a8-an-audi-that-drives-like-an-elise-gti-getz-and/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/02/chameleon-a8-an-audi-that-drives-like-an-elise-gti-getz-and/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/02/chameleon-a8-an-audi-that-drives-like-an-elise-gti-getz-and/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Audi has seen the future, and the future is exciting; at least in Ingolstadt. Engineers at Audi have cooked up the automotive equivalent of the Focusrite Liquid Mix. An A8L has been pressed into service as the basis for Audi's emulator, having been modified with extra hydraulics, an active steering system and hardware to steer the rear wheels, as well. Dubbed HORST, for Handling Online Research Simulation Tool, the car was initially developed to ape the dynamic responses of an E-Class Benz. More cars have been added as "presets," and engineers can switch from a range of vehicles, including a VW GTI, a Lotus Elise, even a Hyundai Getz, all at the behest of a laptop.

[Source: Auto Express]

Continue reading Chameleon A8 - an Audi that drives like an Elise, GTI, Getz and E-Class!

Chameleon A8 - an Audi that drives like an Elise, GTI, Getz and E-Class! originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Jul 2007 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audicopycateliseemulationengineeringgetzgolfhyundaiimitatelotusmercedesmimicsimulatortechvwMon, 02 Jul 2007 20:02:00 EST