I have answered this type of question several times before. The last time I answered it, the Great Wall was still a typical positive example. This time, I came up with an idea:
https://www.zhihu.com/pin/1368696677201739776
“Watching the friends who have blown Euler, Tank, and Big Dog, and gradually seeing their expressions freeze after watching this year’s auto show; as for the friends whose expressions have not frozen, I see their expressions gradually freeze. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)”
Yes, I am the friend who has blown the Great Wall before. I previously wrote an angry response to the loosely copied question about the “SS Dolphin”, a “tribute” version of the Corvette C1 made on the front-wheel-drive platform of the BYD Qin Pro 1.5T plug-in hybrid system.
Underneath that angry and scattered response, some Dees fans came in with an automatic defense, maintaining BYD’s image, and brought up the Great Wall as a positive example:
https://www.zhihu.com/question/443286283/answer/1720084684
“Take a look at the Great Wall up north. Recently, they have also been launching retro car models. Although there are suspicions of patchwork with various elements, there are innovative and unique design ideas overall.”
The retro models mentioned here refer to the ORA Black Cat, White Cat, Good Cat, and Great Wall COUPE, which were released last year. They fully utilized the freedom of proportions provided by the electrified platform and created a retro proportion with a low waistline and large windows. They added elements such as concise design body surfaces, round lights, and two-tone designs to bring a unique touch to the retro proportion. Although it is undeniable that there are some patchwork designs, such as the Porsche elements on the front of the Good Cat, overall, it reminds people of another successful retro case in the international automotive industry.
This retro case comes from Nissan, a Japanese manufacturer who had just gradually got rid of its copied image in the late 1980s.
At the Tokyo Motor Show in 1985, Nissan exhibited the small car Be-1 in the upper left corner of the figure below. Its simple retro style was completely different from the deliberately pursued modern style of other automakers at that time, causing a huge sensation at the exhibition. The subsequent release of the PAO, S-Cargo, Figaro, etc., made people flock to them at that time. You can even still see fans in Europe, the United Kingdom and other places seeking to buy a second-hand Figaro convertible today.
This is Nissan’s retro design in the late 1980s, which is not intentionally imitating any classic car from the 1950s or 1960s. It uses a low waistline to create a larger proportion of side windows, and adopts a large area of simplified surfaces and a two-tone design to carve out a retro style. The round headlights and distinctive grille bring back the brilliance of the past. Such a design eventually became a masterpiece praised by car enthusiasts and even sought after and developed peripherals.
Nissan’s four small cars prove a simple truth: to create a retro and personalized small car, you don’t have to copy or pay so-called “tribute”. You can completely follow your own path and let others admire it.
Comparing the two, do you feel the same as me:
Did last year’s Great Wall Motors almost create such a modern classic, and it was only one step away from success?
However, Great Wall Motors seems to have gone astray.
Look at what Great Wall Motors displayed at this year’s auto show, Tank 700, Tank 800, Ora Punk Cat, Ora Lightning Cat, and the Haval X Dog. Let’s compare them with these pictures:
- Tank 700 compared with Dongfeng Mengshi Civilian Edition and Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force concept car
- Tank 800 compared with Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Range Rover
- Ora Punk Cat compared with original Volkswagen Beetle and the four-door derivative car
- Ora Lightning Cat compared with Porsche 989 and two generations of Panamera
- Haval X Dog compared with Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport
Let’s take a look at some foreign media comments:
- Jalopnik: Great Wall Motors Is Going To Make An EV Beetle Before Volkswagen Does
Great Wall Motors will build an electric Beetle before Volkswagen
- Carscoops: What The Punk Cat? A Four-Door Electric Beetle Debuts In China But It’s Not Made By VW
The Punk Cat? An electric four-door Beetle was unveiled at the auto show in China today, but it was not built by Volkswagen.
- CarAdvice: Great Wall sub-brand Ora to unveil Volkswagen Beetle-inspired electric car
Great Wall sub-brand Ora will launch an electric car inspired by Volkswagen Beetle.
Looks like the reports are all quite neutral? And maybe a bit of anticipation?
Take a look at how Chinese cars have been reported by foreign media in the past and feel whether this image is good or bad:
- AutoExpress: Chinese copycat cars: how do they get away with it?
- Autocar: Dead ringers: History of the Chinese copycat car
I won’t translate these two news items. I just want to say something from the heart:
Under the joke “pay tribute”, I said this sentence with indignation. However, when I see Great Wall, whose sales, technology, and reputation are thriving, doing similar things, please let me say it again with sadness and anger:
How many Chinese auto industry professionals are working hard to shake off the label of “plagiarism” and “copycat” that has been imposed on them in the past ten years, and to draw a clear line with these jokes that once tried to take shortcuts.
We cannot turn back the clock of history!
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.