New Chinese Knockoff – Ford F-150
Tim Esterdahl | Feb 24, 2012 | Comments 9
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Shanghai-based JAC Motors must be in love with Ford. The state-owned automaker plans to debut its newest love letter to Detroit’s big blue oval in April, when the Ford F-150 clone it calls the JAC 4R3 is set to appear at the International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing.
Is it a Ford F-150 or a JAC 4R3? At any rate, it is very, very similar.
JAC sells vehicles all over the world, but the Chinese automaker doesn’t have a presence in the United States. Similarly, the F-150 isn’t sold in China. Ford does have strategic relationships with a number of Chinese municipalities, but the US automaker is unlikely to prevail in a Chinese courtroom.
According to Ken Duck, of Shanghai-based Boss & Young, legal challenges to state-owned Chinese automakers are difficult. Since these automakers are incredibly important to the stability of local economies, “Anything potentially destabilizing to the community would be a factor in (a judge’s) thinking.”
The cloning of foreign vehicles isn’t anything new to Chinese automakers. In 2003, state-owned Chery was accused of cloning the Chevy Spark. Aside from the similar company names, the Chery QQ reportedly also had many components that could be interchanged with parts from the Spark.
Other Chinese automakers have borrowed designs from a number of Japanese companies, and Toyota has been the target of more than one Chinese love letter over the years. Various state-owned Chinese automakers have borrowed designs from the Land Cruiser, RAV4, Allion and other models. Even the Scion xB has a Chinese cousin named, of all things, the Greatwall Coolbear.
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Filed Under: Auto News
Get your hands on one Jason and do a full review.
The grill badge should say, “JACKED”! Lol!
Put me down for one Greatwall Coolbear!
I wonder if you took it offroad will the frame bend?
Dez – I would love to. If I could take the time to fly to Shanghai (not to mention the money) I’d go back in a second.
Kels – LOL – good call.
Mickey – Maybe? A cheap knockoff is even more likely to have problems than the original.
To all – In an interesting turn of events, Ford has decided to start selling the F150 in China soon. Evidently, JAC helped Ford realize that their is demand for full-size trucks in China.
Too bad automakers are so slow to take risks…Ford should have known that there was a market for the F150 in China, much like Toyota should know that there’s a market for a baby diesel here in the US and Canada…
Sigh.
Jason you know where I was heading? Raptor comes to mind.
You Chinese Bastards suck! come up with your own ideas you coping SOB’s. time for a bomb drop again.
*sigh* – Another moronic comment from a domestic truck fan. If I didn’t know better, I’d think all Ford, Cheyv, and Ram owners were big flaming idiots. Of course, I know that’s not the case…sort of like anyone with a half a brain would know that the U.S.A. didn’t “drop the bomb” on China.
I think China needs to come up with their own truck design and America needs to support American made vehicles and not foreign made vehicles. Thats why our country is so in debt, they wanna support the foreigners instead of our own people!
If Ford or the U.S. tried to sue China, China’s attorneys would simply respond “That doesn’t look anything like an F-150”.