New Chinese Champion Of Derivative Styling Discovered: Yema Motors

by Edward Niedermeyer

January 31st, 2023 5:45 PM

TTAC wasn’t able to be on-hand for the Chengdu Auto Show, but thanks to Carnewschina.com, we’ve got the latest in “we’re far enough into the interior that foreign firms won’t complain about our blatant ripoffs” styling, from the new heavyweight champion of Chinese ripoffs: Yema Motors. Seriously, calling these things “derivative” is wholly undeserved a compliment. And if you think this Audi A4… excuse me, Yema F16, is bad just wait until you see the rest of their new cars. From the Infiniti-aping E-series, to the Touareg-alike “T-SUV,” to the Subaru Forester clone F99/F10, the stylists at Yema Motors take their mimicry very seriously. And apparently the last original idea their design team had was “I know, let’s put our faux-Audi grille on the Faux-rester.” Tada, new model! The Jiade Dynasty rolls on…

#3WTP #China #Copy #Design #WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

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Dynasty on Sep 20, 2011

As a culture, recently in the past 50 to 60 years anyhow, China has a tendency to copy others. There is little ingenuity in their DNA. Why not produce their own computer code or DVDs or car designs or whatever. Because it is a lot easier to copy someone else' hard work and profit, than to create yourself. So this is basically the Big Bad China everyone is afraid of. A nation of thieves sanctioned by their government.

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- Tekdemon on Sep 20, 2011
  
  This has nothing to do with a lack of ingenuity. Anybody with half a brain would know that the fastest way to catch up with others technologically is to plain tear apart and copy. Coming out of the restrictive communist economy the basically had no modern consumer tech, and trying to catch up when you're 50 years behind without peeking at the cheat sheet is plain stupid since it's undoable. Everybody copies to start out with. The Japanese learned to make cars by tearing apart American cars (Honda's founder even explicitly admitted doing so), the Koreans did the same, and now China is doing it. You'll see real innovation once they've caught up via copying. In the computer tech world they're innovating more than you realize and in 20 years I suspect they're going to surprise people much like Hyundai has. Early Hyundai engines were barely disguised mirror images of Mitsubishi motors-those 90s Hyundai Accents all had "Alpha" motors that looked exactly like Mitsubishi powerplants except with everything on the opposite side, lol.
  
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TimCrothers on Sep 20, 2011

Ed the car the T-SUV is copying is a Tiguan not a Touareg.

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Wallstreet on Sep 20, 2011

For those interested in owning one of those imitation goods, Yema means "wild horse".

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Eldard on Sep 21, 2011

Isn't yema egg yolk in Spanish? Where I come from it's a candy made from cooked condensed milk.

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