Clone Wars: Jaguar Land Rover Still Pissed About Chinese Evoque Knock-Off, Files Lawsuit

When is a Range Rover Evoque not a Range Rover Evoque? When it’s a Landwind X7 — a carbon copy Chinese imitation that Jaguar Land Rover wants out of the picture.

According to a report in Reuters, the automaker recently served China’s Jiangling Motor with legal papers over their copycat crossover SUV, alleging the vehicle amounts to copyright infringement and unfair competition.

The British company (owned by India’s Tata Motors) tried to play nice with Jiangling ever since the Landwind X7 bowed in 2015, but early attempts to have the vehicle removed from the market failed, leaving JLR with no choice but to pull out the big legal guns and sue.

If an American, European or Japanese automaker pulled this stunt, the reaction would have been very different, but China operates in a different realm. Automakers who have had their designs copies are reluctant to pursue legal action.

China is the market automakers flock to in search of steady sales growth. The rise of that country’s car-buying middle class means luxury and near-luxury foreign makes are a hot commodity.

Jiangling is one of the country’s top automakers, and a lawsuit against that company could sour the Chinese public on JLR’s products. The odds of winning such a legal battle in China seem low, causing automakers to hold their fire when a design clone pops up.

Still, there’s a repercussion for the copycat — Jiangling won’t be able to export the X7 while the case is before the courts.

The JLR case could be a watershed moment in the automotive industry, though it depends if they win in their suit against Jiangling. If the court decides in JLR’s favor, expect to see more lawsuits leveled by automakers with illegitimate Chinese sons.

[Image: Navigator84/ Wikimedia]