i think you cant really say who copies who in the car industry, since this whole industry if just full of copying. just like when DC first started the minivan, now every car industry has a minivan. i dont know about you but i think the pics below just shows some similarities between the designs.
http://www.autoaubaine.com/auto-pics/21573/1.jpg
1999 honda accord
http://hilarioauto.com/listman/listings/images/7_1.jpg
1999 toyota camry
http://members.at.infoseek.co.jp/tadauto/CVPMCVP9080040521908093700092.jpg
1989 Mazda RX7
http://carpictures.duble.com/Toyota/MR2%20(1989-1999)/9.jpg
1989 toyota mr2

http://motor.tuportada.com/img/wp/ford-focus-cosworth-13.jpg
http://scallowaymotors.co.uk/image.php?Id=20
http://articles.motortoday.com/testdrive/R34VspecII/R34VspecII_rear-angled.jpg
http://images4.fotki.com/v42/photos/4/49373/210525/hnpca0054a-vi.jpg

http://t-style.japancar.ru/i/wallpapers/005.jpg
http://t-style.japancar.ru/i/wallpapers/2810-.jpg
http://t-style.japancar.ru/i/wallpapers/rx8-2-1280.jpg
http://www.dieselstation.com/wallpapers/S2000/Honda-S2000-005.jpg

The grill tells all for this one
http://www.2you.ro/kia/fata1.jpg
http://www.ambassadorautosales.com/1216%202003%20bmw%20x5%20DR%20ANGLE.jpg
http://images.autobytel.com/view/aic/NISSAN/ALTIMA/sdn/usa_2006_nissan_altima_sdn_4_x_exfrdrvr75_x.jpg
http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/4070/kia2bw.jpg

http://www.sorento-forum.de/images02/crd_tuning/CRD-Sorento%20Front%2045%20Grad%20tiefer.jpg
http://arabam.milliyet.com.tr/fuar/2003/cenevre/lexus_rx300_xx.jpg
http://www.autogl.ru/images/catalog/Lexus%20LX-470%202002%20White_Beg%20rear%2020-09-2005.jpg
http://images.automotive.com/cob/factory_automotive/images/features/auto_shows/2006_CIAS/2006_Lincoln_Navigator__Rear.jpg

http://www.autogaleria.pl/tapety/img/lexus/lexus_ls430_2002_01_s.jpg
http://www.ambassadorautosales.com/0175%202002%20MERCEDES%20CLK320%20PREARANGLE.jpg
http://images.securedwebform.com/stock/300/mercedes/clk-class/2002/2co.jpg
http://www.stevenskia.com/images/amanti06a.jpg

To be fair, there's a difference between "borrowing" styling elements and "borrowing" an entire design, like the disputed Chery QQ/Daewoo Matiz controversy.

Yes, everyone borrows - but they don't borrow the whole thing.

And sometimes they end up in court. Jeep sued General Motors in 1999 because the Hummer was "borrowing" the seven-slat "family face" of the Jeeps. They also sued (successfully) Ssangyong over the seven-slat grille on the Korando - which was then changed.

great thread g8!!:thumb:

To be fair, there's a difference between "borrowing" styling elements and "borrowing" an entire design, like the disputed Chery QQ/Daewoo Matiz controversy.

Yes, everyone borrows - but they don't borrow the whole thing.

And sometimes they end up in court. Jeep sued General Motors in 1999 because the Hummer was "borrowing" the seven-slat "family face" of the Jeeps. They also sued (successfully) Ssangyong over the seven-slat grille on the Korando - which was then changed.

yea i know, the cars above just having similar styleing, but i just want to point out to people that his industry is just full of borrowing/copying etc. its just that when people hear chinese cars they think of copying, and they would start staring at the car untill they figure out what the car could look like. i mean if you stare at a car hard enough it would look like another one. i bet if i look at the QQ hard enough it would look like the ford focus or ferrari F50 or something.
its the same thing like who on earth is the first one who put the grill between the two headlights? or who is the first to put a spoiler on the car?? the industry is just full of copying and borrowing.

Camry and Accord: these cars were introduced within one year of each other. No way either styling team could've seen the other's design to copy it.

RX7 and MR2: the only similarity is that they both have popup headlights.

Focus and Civic: they're both hatchbacks, that's it.

Skyline and Impala: the Impala's taillights were inspired (although I wouldn't really use the word "inspired" when descibing the Impala) by a car of the same name from the sixties.

Evo/Skyline/RX8: they all have big grilles (which are there for a purpose), but they aren't even the same shape.

Kia and BMW X5: that's an aftermarket grille on the Kia.

Kia and Nissan Altima: headlights have a similar shape but different layout. The grilles and lower fascias are different.

Kia and Lexus: The Kia actually came first, and I don't really think Toyota set out to copy any parts of the Kia. The Kia actually is closer in styling to the original Lexus RX, but even then you can't pick out any major elements that look the same.

Lexus and Lincoln Navigator: they're both white and large, but they don't actually look like one another.

Mercedes and Kia: That Kia is one of the ugliest cars you can buy today. But it's also a very old design.

There's not that much copying in the above pictures. Some of the basic shapes are the same, but there's really only so many shapes you can use. Real copying has to do with using details or multiple styling or engineering elements from one car. That's where QQ and the like come in.

Camry and Accord: these cars were introduced within one year of each other. No way either styling team could've seen the other's design to copy it.

RX7 and MR2: the only similarity is that they both have popup headlights.

Focus and Civic: they're both hatchbacks, that's it.

Skyline and Impala: the Impala's taillights were inspired (although I wouldn't really use the word "inspired" when descibing the Impala) by a car of the same name from the sixties.

Evo/Skyline/RX8: they all have big grilles (which are there for a purpose), but they aren't even the same shape.

Kia and BMW X5: that's an aftermarket grille on the Kia.

Kia and Nissan Altima: headlights have a similar shape but different layout. The grilles and lower fascias are different.

Kia and Lexus: The Kia actually came first, and I don't really think Toyota set out to copy any parts of the Kia. The Kia actually is closer in styling to the original Lexus RX, but even then you can't pick out any major elements that look the same.

Lexus and Lincoln Navigator: they're both white and large, but they don't actually look like one another.

Mercedes and Kia: That Kia is one of the ugliest cars you can buy today. But it's also a very old design.

There's not that much copying in the above pictures. Some of the basic shapes are the same, but there's really only so many shapes you can use. Real copying has to do with using details or multiple styling or engineering elements from one car. That's where QQ and the like come in.

the point p8 was trying to make that these cars look similar...maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasnt...

but why brand all chinese cars as copycats just when some cars look similar to others.....very few cars are 100% original

very few cars are 100% original
But very few copy most or all of the details from another (single) car. Look at the Shuanghuan S-RV. Looks exactly like a Honda CR-V, right down to the shape of the windows and the chrome grille piece. The front of the Great Wall Sailor is exactly the same as the old Nissan Frontier, even the pattern and detailing in the headlights and the dimples below the grille. And as you already know, the QQ's body parts are actually interchangable with the Chevy Spark. Couple this with the Chinese government's not taking copyright and intellectual property lawsuits seriously and it's no wonder the whole industry is branded as copycats.

Derivative styling is legal.

Mechanical replication is not. Chinese manufacturers are in trouble because mechnically replicate other company's cars, not just getting some styling "insperations" .

yea i know the crv srv stuff and i know its a total copy almost, i just want to point out that if i stare at some car hard enough it would look like another one. its just that now when chinese concepts are out, such as m14 or geely cd ppl start staring at the car untill they see another car out of it.