For long a period of time we have seen Chinese manufacturers taking heavy inspiration from the car and motorcycle designs of foreign markets. The latest one is the upcoming Maruti Suzuki Jimny. In February, we told you about how a Chinese automobile manufacturer has already copied the design of the Suzuki Jimny. Now the car will make its official debut 2023 Shanghai Auto Show.
Ahead of the official reveal, the pictures of the upcoming car show how it resembles the design of the Suzuki Jimny three-door and even the Ford Bronco, which are already on sale in the international market. This is the first time that the car was spotted without any camouflage. The Baojun, owned by SIAC, produced the heavily-inspired Boujan Yep. However, there is a significant difference in the powertrain when compared to the Jimny.
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The Boujan Yep is an all-electric vehicle with no Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). It has a certified range of 303 km on a full charge, but the technical specifications of the car are not yet available on public websites. The Boujan Yep measures only 3,381mm in length, 1,685mm in width and 1,721mm in height. The wheelbase is 2,110mm while the weight is only 1,006 kg according to Electrek.
With a single electric motor mounted on the rear, the EV will deliver a maximum power of 68 PS and peak torque of 140 Nm. The car gets a lithium-ion phosphate battery. Interestingly, the vehicle has been developed by SAIC, Geneal Motors and Wuling. SAIC is the parent company of MG Motors that sells cars like the Hector, Gloster, Astor and ZS EV. MG India is also planning to bring a new electric car to the Indian market, which will be called Comet.
Chinese manufacturers and copied car designs
Chinese manufacturers are notorious for introducing copied versions of popular cars within the legal boundaries of China, which are then sold in domestic market. While some manufacturers have faced court cases over such copies, China continues to dominate the automobile market and has even influenced big brands to tweak its designs.
In 2016, Tata Motors-owned Jaguar Land Rover filed a case against Jiangling for selling the Landwind X7. In 2019, the Chinese court found Jiangling guilty of selling a knockoff of the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque and ordered the manufacturer to cease sales of the Landwind X7 SUV immediately and pay compensation to Jaguar Land Rover.
The Chinese automobile industry also copies motorcycle designs, selling cheap knockoff versions in countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. These include cloned versions of popular models like the Bajaj Pulsar, KTM Duke, Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja, and others.
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The post Chinese copycat of Jimny spied before launch, but this is an EV! first appeared on Cartoq.