Copycats

[Arragonis]

I could have saved some money on George it seems.

Aygo


Aygo Inside


Or is it this one ?


Chinese interior ?


I suppose its only a cheap car though, not like copying something like maybe Smart ?

[old redneck]

We call them BELLYBUTTON cars. Seems like everyone has them. They ought to make each brand have an exclusive color so you could identify them. Like Model T fords all black.

[Arragonis]

Maybe - these are not available, yet, from China - its only a matter of time.

If I was Mr Smart or Mr Toyota, I would be annoyed.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Arragonis

Maybe - these are not available, yet, from China - its only a matter of time.

There may be a reason or two why Chinese clones aren't available in Europe

But if you really, really, want one, then there is a way to get it: It can't be legally sold here, but you can buy it in China and import it privately. You'll have to go through a bunch of paperwork, but you won't have to watch your car wrap itself around a crash test wall. I've seen 'dealers' here which help import cars which can't be legally sold in Europe.

[cleanspeed1]

Thppppppppppttttt!

The Chinese have built their whole economy on stealing.......erm..cloning anything. Masters at it.

There was an article where a Buick was stolen and cloned in China ( they love Buicks apparently ). Took a minute for GM to find out. I'm going to find the article and post it.

[Arragonis]

Interestingly there are loads of youtube links to the F1, or the Geely Panda - google this grinning Aygo clone for a laugh - in crash tests. I suspect they won't get the Euro 4star rating the Aygo has but I doubt they would publish them if they folded like a wet envelope.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

But if you really, really, want one, then there is a way to get it: It can't be legally sold here, but you can buy it in China and import it privately. You'll have to go through a bunch of paperwork, but you won't have to watch your car wrap itself around a crash test wall. I've seen 'dealers' here which help import cars which can't be legally sold in Europe.

If it's a blatant copy, you run the risk that Customs will impound the car, then destroy it as an unauthorized copy.
It happened to a German bloke who imported an electric Smart-clone from China.


Importing stuff that violates IP rights, is an offence in most of Europe, even when done privately - it applies to watches, T-shirts and the like as well. The administrative fines on counterfeit stuff are a pretty heavy.


BTW : the "chinese interior" is cloned from the Toyota Yaris / Getz

[Arragonis]

If by Chinese Interior you mean the F1, nope its a copy of the Aygo. Like mine

[Old Tele man]

...nah, they're not "copying"--those are just "full-scale" miniatures of the originals (wink,wink).

[graydonengineering]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...nah, they're not "copying"--those are just "full-scale" miniatures of the originals (wink,wink).

They did the same thing with motorcycles. I used to have a Honda Reflex and drove to work on it every day. Got 65 to 70 mpg and was loving it for about 2 years before I broke my hip rollerblading and the wife told me to I had to get rid of it.

At any rate, the Reflex was 250 cc and sold for $5,600 new:


And the cone, 250 cc sells for around $1,600 Sounds like a great deal right??




The cone actually looks better I think but it's beauty is skin deep. Anyone who made the mistake of buying one of these was very sorry. Out of the crate the "fluids" all have to be changed as they don't resemble what the should be. The fuel lines and fittings must be replaced or gas spills down the road as you ride. The cheap rubber valve stems must be replaced as they often fail causing a flat. All the bearings only have a small dab of grease and will soon fail. The electronic problems are never ending due to sub standard equipment and loose connections. The list goes on and on.

I would never put my health at the mercy of a Chinese made vehicle!