Posted on 08/28/2007 11:27:43 AM PDT by LibWhacker
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is not happy. In a case which proves that nothing is immune to the sleight of hand of Chinese manufacturers and their ability and willingness to clone any product on earth, BMW has been forced to threaten legal action over a cheap knock-off version of their popular X5 SUV.
The Chinese-made SUV which ironically enough is called CEO is almost identical in appearance to BMW’s X5…especially from the rear.
“We have already taken steps against the marketing of the CEO (SUV) in Europe. Should this car be presented at the IAA, we will look into taking further legal steps,” a BMW spokesman said.
Forbes reports that Karl Schloessl, the owner of independent importer China Automobile Deutschland said he knew nothing of the legal action, but said it might well help sales of the model.Schloessl said he is planning to sell the cars at around 100 dealerships in Germany starting in October…again proving there is no shame among the Chinese or the vendors who get rich selling their knock-off merchandise.
The BMW X5 is pictured on the left and the Chinese CEO SUV is on the right.
Chinese probably use real people in their tests.
John
Actung: Wir sind nicht alle "arrogant," though as a long time Beemer fan I will admit to being a bit of a car snob. Audi has been trying to out BMW BMW for years, and they haven't pulled it off yet. I doubt the Chinese will be any more sucessful.
No, there's a difference. The Japanese were on a learning curve, leading to the best manufacturing capability in the world.
The Chinese deliberately use inferior materials and skip QA/QC steps.
All the difference in the world.
Actually it’s cultural. If you speak to any businessmen who go over there to make the deals...they’ll tell you the same.
Westerners are subhuman. They will not deal with us as equals. We are here just for the purpose of lining their pockets. In their eyes we are all talking chimps.
LMAO. Probably women, too.
Who do you think taught the communist how to build cars? The Japanese auto makers, the European auto makers and the American auto makers.
The best part of the scam is that the foreign auto makers had to build the auto plants and the communists had 51% ownership of the partnerships.
The communists will do well with their quality.
Stupid capitalists cutting the throat of democracy for a few extra pennies.
“The Chinese deliberately use inferior materials and skip QA/QC steps.”
100% spot on.
Of course we all thought the early 7 Series was fugly....then the 5 Series adopted it. Now both the Camray and the Hyundai have 'borrowed' it.
Kinda looks like my daughters Chevy Equinox.
I forgot to add that my daughters Equinox is full of Chinese parts. The CV joints went and the rotors warped after only one year! The dealer told it was because of cheap Chinese parts.
If we really want to eliminate this car as a competitive threat, we should urge them to merge with one of the big three. Chrysler absolutely destroyed Mercedes' reputation and market share in only a few short years.
Everything an Asian says has a double meaning. You have to study every nuance.
LOL! Kerry would fit right in over there.
At the risk of sounding like an idiot, I think Audi has superior styling on a number of its models. Some of the latest BMWs really leave me cold, styling-wise, although the new 6-series is pretty hot. Knowing what mechanical goodness lies underneath causes me to cut them some slack, though. Oh, yeah, I like the Boxster S better than the Z4. And that new RS6 is pretty sweet. Actually, I’d love to have any number of German cars, but I can’t afford to buy them or maintain them. I might look at a lightly-used A4 Quattro for my next car, though. I’d like a TT Quattro - just because they look so cool.
Fire Bangle!
He mucked up such clean lines on the BMW.
“Porcupines have their pricks on the outside”
/proud BMW owner ;)
I think the older model BMWs had better lines. The new Bangle Butt is butt ugly.
Some of the newer Audis are pretty sharp. We see alot in New England because of the AWD feature, and they are a few thousand bucks less than BMWs. I still prefer BMW cornering and overall handling to the Audi. Though the S models are pretty nice, and cost less than the M series....
The lack of anything to protect door skins is simply unbelievable.
LOL!
The Chinese couldn’t are less about intellectual proeprty rights, much less ANY human rights.
Wal-Mart takes advantage of that in cooperation with the Chinese government.
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