While the Chinese have actually started to produce some impressive vehicles in recent years, the country still has a poor reputation for ripping off designs of Western vehicles. Just take a look at the BAIC BJ80, for example.
This Mercedes-Benz G-Class clone has been on the market for a number of years and was recently displayed at the Shanghai Auto Show. CarWow took an up-close look at it and was astounded at the similarities between it and a G-Class.
Viewed from the exterior, those not overly familiar with the G-Class could easily mistake the BJ80 for a Mercedes. There are nearly-identical round headlights, a rugged bumper, and an upright grille. The BAIC also includes flared wheel arches and squared front quarter panels. If you thought the front had a striking resemblance to the G-Class, it is the sides which are virtually a mirror-image of the Mercedes.
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BAIC has gone to the trouble of fitting side steps to the SUV while even installing doors with exposed hinges just like the G-Class. At the rear you will find a spare wheel attached to the tailgate and fake exhaust tips which curiously, actually have tow hooks in the center of them. The interior of the BJ80 is also very similar to the previous-generation G-Class.
What’s perhaps more surprising than the fact that the BJ80 actually exists is that Mercedes-Benz and BAIC actually have a partnership to build vehicles across China and soon, the duo will start making electric vehicles for the Chinese market. See the BAIC BJ80 and other cars influenced in one way or another from Western models at the recent Shanghai Auto Show below.