Land Rover lookalike proof that copycat strategy persists in China

If it looks like a Land Rover and purrs like a Land Rover, it could be a copycat.

In yet another instance of the mainland's fabled knock-off prowess, small carmaker LandWind has just launched its newest model, X7, which is a striking lookalike of Evoque, a compact luxury sport-utility vehicle from the stable of British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover owned by India's Tata Motors.

Launching the new model at the just-concluded Guangzhou car show, LandWind, owned by a joint venture of Changan Auto and Jiangling Motors, has priced the X7 from just 135,000 yuan (HK$170,300), compared with Evoque's entry-level tag of 578,000 yuan.

As competition continues to be fierce, imitating foreign luxury brands was still a prime strategy for some smaller, non-mainstream carmakers, said John Zeng, a director at consultancy LMC Automotive.

"I believe LandWind X7 will sell well as its resemblance with the Land Rover model will create a talking point. That helps in the marketing and the advertising," Zeng said, adding, however, that he expected very little impact on Evoque sales as the two models targeted different customers, with substantial differences in features and parts.

Neither LandWind nor Jaguar Land Rover were available for comment. But JLR chief executive Ralf Speth told Britain's magazine last week: "The fact that this kind of copying is ongoing in China is very disappointing.