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CAR TECH
Imitation Game: China carmakers ape foreign brands at Shanghai show
By Albee ZHANG
Shanghai (AFP) April 21, 2017


Flying cars take off on French Riviera
Monaco (AFP) April 20, 2017 - Flying cars might seem like the stuff of science fiction, but two prototypes were launched Thursday on the French Riviera, at an event showcasing "supercars" in Monaco.

Dutch and Slovak companies unveiled their designs as world premieres in the tiny well-heeled principality, where luxury automakers have gathered until Sunday for the Top Marques showcase event.

Bratislava-based Aeromobil, whose first prototype presented two years ago suffered an accident, is back with a "new generation" of flying vehicle named after the firm which makes it.

"We are taking reservations from today for deliveries expected in 2020, after the process of (regulatory) approvals is completed," the Slovak firm's spokesman Stefan Vadocz told AFP.

The Aeromobil vehicle, six metres long and with a fully-deployed span of nine metres, is a normal four-wheeled car which can unfold its wings to transform itself into a plane able to fly two passengers at a cruising speed of 260 km/h for up to 750 kilometres.

The price? Between 1.2 and 1.5 million euros, depending on options chosen.

Its Dutch rival for the futuristic vehicle type, the Pal-V Liberty, is the brainchild of Robert Dingemanse, whose company is based near Breda in the south of the Netherlands.

His crossover car-plane is more compact, at four metres long, and should be deliverable as early as next year, once official approvals are secured. He is already taking orders for a vehicle which will cost between 299,000 and 499,000 euros.

The Dutch flying car is in fact a gyrocopter with three wheels and a retractable rotor. It can carry two people at a cruising speed of 160 km/h for between 400-500 kilometres.

It is "one of the safest flying machines on the planet," able to fly "whatever the weather conditions," say its designers.

Users of the the Aeromobil and the Pal-V Liberty will require both a driving licence and a pilot's qualification.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then global carmakers are basking in the compliments at Shanghai's auto show, where some Chinese-made models bear striking resemblances to famous foreign brands.

The annual exhibition is the biggest automotive showcase in the planet's largest car market, but also an event that revives persistent accusations of Chinese businesses copying foreign designs.

The show opened this week with automotive media and internet wags highlighting a range of Chinese models with more than a passing likeness to their Porsche, Land Rover, Mercedes and other counterparts.

Intellectual-property theft is rampant in a range of industries in China, and foreign automakers have taken legal action over the years against Chinese competitors for suspiciously similar designs.

But Mercedes' China boss Hubertus Troska laughed it off when asked by reporters about a Chinese-made car on display across from the Mercedes stand which looked just like the German manufacturer's G-Class SUV.

"We take it as a compliment," Troska quipped.

Other automotive doppelgangers include one by little-known Chinese brand Zotye which sells for 100,000 yuan ($14,500) and could be mistaken for Porsche's sporty Macan SUV, which has a sticker price of $87,000.

A Porsche spokeswoman brushed it off, stressing that foreign automakers compete for different market segments and income levels than their Chinese counterparts.

"We are absolutely sure that car enthusiasts will easily be able to tell the difference between the original Porsche Macan and the copycat due to design, perfection and overall quality," said Anja Wassertheurer, Porsche's director of product and technical communications.

- Land war -

Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque SUV also is on display in Shanghai, as is a model by similarly-named Chinese carmaker Landwind that has sparked a legal battle between the two.

The British manufacturer in 2014 launched a bid to void Landwind's patent on its X7 SUV, prompting a tit-for-tat move by the Chinese company in a fight that continues.

The chances of a foreign carmaker winning an auto patent case in China are "extremely low" due to the way the country's patent laws are written, said Li Yanwei, an analyst with the China Automobile Dealers Association.

"A conviction can only be made when the two vehicles' design and size match exactly," he said.

"Companies like Zotye only need to slightly adjust some parameters and the other brand won't be able to win."

Global automakers largely have to just accept such mimicry and focus on the fact that they compete for different buyers.

Chinese carmakers involved in such disputes did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

Honda filed a lawsuit in 2004 against Chinese carmaker Shuanghuan Automobile, accusing it of copying the exterior of the Japanese manufacturer's popular CR-V SUV, but lost the case in 2015.

Honda had to cough up 16 million yuan for legal fees and "reputation damage" inflicted on Shuanghuan, which folded last year.

Industry watchers say the number of such disputes are expected to diminish as Chinese manufacturers' design capabilities grow.

"There was a time when design was not at the core of the (Chinese carmakers') concern. It was more about delivering a product. But now, original design creation in China is blossoming," said Christophe Cayrol, head of French car brand Citroen's design centre in Shanghai.

tq-azk/dma/amj

HONDA MOTOR

CAR TECH
Automakers see promise in China car-sharing
Shanghai (AFP) April 19, 2017
Unable to afford a car, Shanghai university student Long Yi endured an expensive taxi commute across his vast city until he started using one of the car-sharing schemes quickly gaining momentum in China. Essentially an Internet Age twist on car rentals, car-sharing is attracting Chinese millennials who increasingly demand mobility but shun the burden of auto ownership. Long, 20, drives ... read more

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