The LandWind X7 is £25,000 cheaper than the Range Rover Evoque, but looks exactly the same
Coventry car firm Jaguar Land Rover is furious after a copycat model of one of its best-selling cars was unveiled at a recent motor show.
Bosses at JLR say they plan to make an official complaint after a Range Rover Evoque lookalike - the LandWind X7 SUV - was launched at the Guangzhou motor show in China last week.
The X7 is available with a 2-litre, 188bhp engine and is around £25,000 cheaper than the award-winning Evoque - with a price tag of just £14,000.
Speaking to Autocar, Dr Ralf Speth - chief executive of JLR - which has its global headquarters in Whitley, said: "The fact that this kind of copying is ongoing in China is very disappointing.
"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 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.
In the last fiscal year, JLR sold more than 100,000 vehicles in China, making it JLR’s single largest market.
Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:37 pm