2018 CopyCat Awards

​​"Not all snowflakes are the same, but yours is too close to another."

​    Not all copycats look exactly like the model they are copying.  Some utilize key aspects, while others copy the entire design.  Each year AutoLooks outlines which products are utilizing someone else's design and gives them our CopyCat award.  Below is our list for 2018 and an outline of what each company has borrowed.

    After a drop in CopyCat Awards last year, we had a feeling that the good times wouldn't last forever.  And we were correct, as 2018 has blown up with eleven (11) copycats.  From complete copycats, to a ones with just a few profile lines, 2018 is full of every variation of copycats that can exist.

Everett J.
​#autolooks

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2018 ATS GT Supercar (copy of a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C)

     ATS is back and this time they are here to take the GTS market by storm.  That is if they don't get noticed that their new GT Supercar resembles the first McLaren since the F1.  The outline is similar, but that is where it stops.  But when you can't distinguish between your ride and your buddies McLaren, then we are going to have issues.

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2018 Changan CS55 (copy of a 2016 Ford Explorer)

    Last year the bigger brother of the CS55 won a CopyCat Award. And guess what, it was for the same model from Ford.  For 2018 Changan utilized their Ford partnership to help them update their mid-size CS55.  This is something that Ford still has not done, but in the end the CS55 still follows the same lines as the Explorer.

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2018 Changhe Beidouxing (copy of a 2009 Scion xB)

     Scion is long gone, but one of its products is still roaming the streets of China.  Changhe has decided to keep the spirit of the xB alive with its new Beidouxing model.  Utilizing a near exact profile of the xB, the Beidouxing is a sure fire winner for cube marketplace.

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2018 Chery Arrizo (copy of a 2016 Kia Forte)

    Chery is a leader in the Chinese automotive world and its designs are usually class leading.  But for 2018, they seemed to have lost their way, as the new Arrizo sedan is borrowing its fair share of parts from the 2012 Kia Forte / K3.  This is odd, as Kia is usually the one on the copying side.

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2018 Chery EQ1 (copy of a 2012 Toyota Iq)

     Toyota already let Aston Martin use its IQ platform to help bring down its fleet EPA.  But for 2018 Chery wanted to borrow the IQ to help it enter the micro car ring.  Unlike Aston, Chery is doing this on their own, without asking Toyota for permission.  The worst part about this is that the name they chose is also similar to Toyota's.

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2018 Hyundai Accent (copy of a 2014 Toyota Corolla)

      For 2018 Hyundai seems to have inherited a Japanese accent.  Moving from their native Korean tongue, to a Japanese dialect must have been hard, but in the end it may work out for the all new Accent.  Speaking Japanese may help their sub-compact live a bit longer, but it won't help its image when people find out its just a Corolla with a Korean accent.

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2018 Jaguar E-Pace (copy of a 2017 Mazda CX-5)

     Moving into the luxury compact ring isn't all that easy.  With competition from Audi, BMW and Mercedes, Jaguar had big shoes to fill.  That could be why they chose to borrow the sleek design profile of the Mazda CX-5.   With a few minor changes, the E-Pace could have been made into a dominating compact.  But instead it became a bug-eyed CopyCat.

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2018 Landwind X7 (copy of a 2012 Range Rover Evoque)

     After losing their legal claim against Landwind's previous X7, Land Rover has stepped back and let the company take the Chinese marketplace.   Even though the X7 cannot be sold outside of China, that didn't stop Landwind from updating its design for 2018.  This years model makes a few changes, but in the end it is still just an Evoque in disguise.     

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2018 Shandong Qilu Supercar
​(copy of a 2015 Pagani Huayra)

    Another year has past and another EV copycat company has sprung up in China.  Shandong wants to enter the city EV marketplace with their Qilu Supercar.  You make recognize the Qilu as it does borrow its design from the Pagani Huayra.  And why wouldn't you want an underpowered EV city car to look like a high performance supercar.

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2018 Volkswagen Atlas
​(copy of a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee)

    Ever wondered why the Atlas looks familiar.  The similarity between its rear and that of the Grand Cherokee are uncanny.  Yes, there are differences, but in the end the overall appeal of the Atlas rear is the same as Jeeps.  From its oversized bumper to its block styled lights, VW wants to play in the big pond.

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2018 Zotye T600 Coupe
​(copy of a 2012 Volkswagen Touareg)

   Zotye won last year for its copying of the Touareg.  This year they decided to add a coupe model to the T600 lineup, but they forgot to change the front.  This gives their coupe model the same CopyCat Award that the standard CUV won.

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