Some Chinese automakers are known for being notorious for copying cars from the rest of the world to manufacture cheap knock-offs for the domestic market.
The Haval Xianglong will be a copycat of the iconic Land Rover Defender that is slated for launch in the latter half of the year. Haval is a Chinese carmaker owned by Great Wall Motor (GWM) which also owns Wey and Ora. It is one of the biggest conglomerates in China. The SUVs from Haval are quite prominent in many international markets. In fact, last year, there were reports of Haval even wanting to enter India with one of its SUVs. However, the plans didn’t reach fruition. Nevertheless, it has now announced Xianglong which is heavily inspired by the iconic Land Rover Defender of the past.
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Haval Xianglong or Land Rover Defender?
The large SUV has a design language that many would instantly associate with the iconic Land Rover Defender in its previous generations. At the front, there is a colossal rectangular grille with HAVAL written across it, upright bonnet, round headlamps encapsulated inside a square housing much like the Mercedes G-Wagon, sturdy bumper and skid plate area which is reminiscent of the Defender, the clamshell bonnet design and a boxy silhouette. On the sides, the similarities become more apparent with a boxy pattern at the rear, curve-less side panel, functional roof rails, stylish alloy wheels, and window frames that look straight out of the latest Defender. It measures 4,800 mm in length, 1,916 mm in width, 1,822 mm in height and 2,739 mm in wheelbase.
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Specs
Since Haval is a sub-brand of GWM, it features the latter’s hybrid powertrains. These include a 1.5-litre petrol hybrid engine with a 94 hp electric motor at the front and 201 hp electric motor at the rear AND a 1.5-litre turbo petrol hybrid engine that has a 108 hp electric motor at the front and 201 hp electric motor at the rear. There is a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery that allows 105 km of pure electric driving range which is great for a full hybrid car. The AWD configuration allows great off-roading capabilities.
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What We Think
Having been a part of this industry for a while now, we are not surprised to see this at all. In fact, China has a long history of simply copying some of the most iconic vehicles in the world. While it may seem a bit odd from the outside, we have to look at it from the perspective of the local Chinese customers. They get to experience a version of a world-class product without the hefty price tags. That is why such cars work well in the domestic markets. Also, carmakers take the legal route to prevent such cars to be sold be sold in other markets. In any case, it is quite an interesting scenario, at least for car enthusiasts like us.
