Chinese carmaker LandWind launched its own £14,000 X7 at the Guangzhou motor show in China last week
LandWind's X7 is remarkably similar to the popular Evoque – and it retails at £26,000 cheaper than the British bestseller.
And in a land where you can buy fake Rolexes, fake Ray-Bans, fake iPhones, and anything you can think about, its no surprise that you can now buy a fake Range Rover Evoque.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so perhaps parent company Jaguar Land Rover should take it as a compliment that the China-manufactured LandWind X7 boasts the bodyshape, lights and radiator grill of the British bestseller.
But when it retails at £14,000 – a significant price chop from the £40,000-plus Evoque – it was always going to put some noses out of joint.
The X7 was launched at the Guangzhou motor show in China last week.
And it has sparked a furious response from Jaguar Land Rover.
Dr Ralf Speth, chief executive of Land Rover, said he will be complaining to Chinese officials over the X7.
He told Autocar: "The fact that this kind of copying is ongoing in China is very disappointing. As a company we have invested heavily in China with our joint venture partner Chery.
"That commitment is based on a clear business plan, that allows us to hit our sales targets at clear prices. Anything that damages the potential profitability of our plant damages the integrity of those plans."
Infotainment system runs on Android. Can do radio, television, SMS, the internet, email, phone, and satnav.
Landwind is a Chinese car maker jointly owned by Jiangling Motors and Changan Auto, coincidentally (or not?) both joint venture partners of Ford, with Jiangling-Ford and Changan-Ford respectively. Ford owned Land Rover/Range Rover until 2008 when they sold it on to the Indian TATA conglomerate. Today the Land Rover is in the hands of the English.
See the comparison between the cars below:
Checking sides. There are a few differences. Really.
1) The mirrors of the X7 are in the same color as the roof, whereas the mirrors of the Evoque are in the same color as the body.
2) The X7 has a chrome strip running under windows. The Evoque does not.
3) The X7 has a roof rack. The Evoque does not.
Checking the rear. One notable difference:
4) The third brake light of the X7 is red when not engaged, whereas the third brake light of the Evoque is white when not engaged.
Otherwise they are pretty much exactly the same in terms of design.
It also comes in many beautiful colors like green, white, blue, red, golden yellow, magental, metalic teal, black.
The car will be launched on the Chinese car market in March 2015. Price will start around N3.8 Million.
What are your thoughts on the Evoque twin? While some are skeptical that its a 'Chinese car', and the reputation China has for producing goods below standard for Nigeria, others are of the view that since it wasn't made with Nigeria in mind, it might be close to the real deal and durable. And of course the price is a huge bargain. What are your thoughts?
Dr Ralf Speth, chief executive of Land Rover, said he will be complaining to Chinese officials over the X7.
He told Autocar: "The fact that this kind of copying is ongoing in China is very disappointing. As a company we have invested heavily in China with our joint venture partner Chery.
"That commitment is based on a clear business plan, that allows us to hit our sales targets at clear prices. Anything that damages the potential profitability of our plant damages the integrity of those plans."
China accounts for 24 per cent of Jaguar Land Rover's global sales and the firm recently opened up a £1billion factory in the country.
The 2.0 turbo, completely covered.
The X7 will be powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with 190hp and 250nm, mated to a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Infotainment system runs on Android. Can do radio, television, SMS, the internet, email, phone, and satnav.
Landwind is a Chinese car maker jointly owned by Jiangling Motors and Changan Auto, coincidentally (or not?) both joint venture partners of Ford, with Jiangling-Ford and Changan-Ford respectively. Ford owned Land Rover/Range Rover until 2008 when they sold it on to the Indian TATA conglomerate. Today the Land Rover is in the hands of the English.
See the comparison between the cars below:
Checking sides. There are a few differences. Really.
1) The mirrors of the X7 are in the same color as the roof, whereas the mirrors of the Evoque are in the same color as the body.
2) The X7 has a chrome strip running under windows. The Evoque does not.
3) The X7 has a roof rack. The Evoque does not.
Checking the rear. One notable difference:
4) The third brake light of the X7 is red when not engaged, whereas the third brake light of the Evoque is white when not engaged.
Otherwise they are pretty much exactly the same in terms of design.
It also comes in many beautiful colors like green, white, blue, red, golden yellow, magental, metalic teal, black.
The car will be launched on the Chinese car market in March 2015. Price will start around N3.8 Million.
What are your thoughts on the Evoque twin? While some are skeptical that its a 'Chinese car', and the reputation China has for producing goods below standard for Nigeria, others are of the view that since it wasn't made with Nigeria in mind, it might be close to the real deal and durable. And of course the price is a huge bargain. What are your thoughts?
No comments:
Post a Comment