Car manufacturers are powerless to prevent Chinese companies ripping off their designs, according to JLR’s CEO Ralf Speth.
“China, from my point of view has enough creativity and engineering power to do something on their own and doesn’t have to fall back to the time when copying was of interest,” Speth said at the Tata Motors Q4 results in Mumbai, according to Autocar India. However, Speth said there is nothing that manufacturers can do if they have their designs copied by Chinese car companies.
“We can’t do anything. I hope the Chinese customer at the end of the day sees the difference and selects the real product and not a copied one. We hope they generate a self-regulation process so that they can get rid of this kind of copy-paste way of working”, Speth added, pointing out that there is currently no law against the practice.
The comments follow complaints from Land Rover that the Chinese-built LandWind X7 too closely resembles the Range Rover Evoque have been dismissed by authorities in the country, Autocar understands.
The row between LandWind and Land Rover broke out last November, when the covers came off the LandWind at the Guangzhou motor show.
The X7 is on show again at the Shanghai auto show, and Autocar understands that Chinese officials gave the firm the go-ahead to manufacture the car earlier this year, dismissing Land Rover's complaints. It is understood that Land Rover is continuing to investigate potential legal channels over what it regards as intellectual copyright and will not make an official statement on the matter while it is pursuing these claims.
Range Rover Evoque vs LandWind X7 copycat - which is better?
At the time of the LandWind X7's reveal Jaguar Land Rover chief executive officer Dr Ralf Speth confirmed to Autocar that he would complain to Chinese officials regarding what he considers to be Intellectual Property theft regarding the lookalike LandWind X7 SUV.
The LandWind X7 bears a striking resemblance to the Evoque, a locally produced version of which was also unveiled at the Guangzhou motor show in 2014.
While the authentic local-market Evoque retails for the equivalent of £40,000, the LandWind X7 costs £14,000. The X7 is powered by a 188bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 184lb ft of torque. It is offered with a choice of either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox.
"The fact that this kind of copying is ongoing in China is very disappointing," said Speth last year. "The simple principal is that it is not something that should happen; the Intellectual Property is owned by Jaguar Land Rover and if you break that IP then you are in breach of international regulations that apply around the world.
"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.
"I will talk to our officials and I will talk to our partners at Chery to find a way around this situation. I cannot imagine Chinese officials will be happy at any actions that undermine the credibility of the country. What we have seen today is not correct."
LandWind is a standalone Chinese car maker created as a joint venture between respected Chinese car makers Changan Auto and Jiangling Motors Corporation.
Changan Auto is regarded as one of the top four Chinese car makers, producing two million cars a year and working in other joint ventures with the likes of Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen and Suzuki.
The firm previously made headlines for selling the LandWind CV9, a car that took clear design inspiration from the Vauxhall Frontera and was briefly sold in Europe, until poor Euro NCAP crash tests forced its withdrawal from sale.
The news that the LandWind X7 will go on sale is another blow for Land Rover in China. Earlier this year the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine asked Land Rover dealers to recall all Evoque models over an issue with potentially defective gearboxes, following a critical television programme on Chinese state television that also highlighted issues on VW and Nissan models. The Reuters news agency also reports that Land Rover is under investigation for possible anti-competitive behaviour.
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