Tuesday, Jun. 22, 2010
Huanhai Landscape VA3 and Lifan 320
In a luxury-car-obsessed country, the Beijing Auto Show attracts swarms of people each year to gawk at the most extravagant new Lamborghinis, Bugattis and stretch Range Rovers. But shanzhai cars also feature prominently. Take the Huanhai Landscape VA3, which appeared at this year's auto show. It's an almost exact replica of a Lexus RX SUV. And two years ago, Lifan introduced a carbon copy of a Mini Cooper, the only major difference being that it has four doors instead of two. That, and the price tag: the Lifan 320 retails for about $7,500 in China, roughly a third of a Mini Cooper's cost in the U.S.