Porsche may take legal action against Zotye Automobile over the Chinese automaker's T700 SUV that closely resembles the Macan, a report said.
Zotye will launch the T700 next year in China, according to a CarNewsChina report. The T700 is an almost exact copy of the Macan, the report said.
Porsche may take legal action over the T700, Automobil Produktion said in a report on its website, citing Chinese media reports.
Porsche is unlikely to be successful with any legal action Automobil Produktion said, citing IHS analysts. Enforcing copyright laws in China is difficult as Jaguar Land Rover discovered when it wanted to take action against Chinese automaker Landwind, whose X7 closely resembles the Range Rover Evoque. JLR CEO, Ralf Speth said the company could not prevent the X7 from going on sale.
Zotye Automobile has been criticized for plagiarizing designs from foreign automakers in the past, most notably with a city car that looked like Daimler’s Smart ForTwo, and with the T600, which resembles the Volkswagen Tiguan, Automobil Produktion said.
Porsche did not respond to requests to comment.
The Zotye T700 will go on sale from 170,000 yuan (24,162 euros) greatly undercutting the Macan, which starts from 558,000 yuan (79,282 euros) in China, Chinese media said.
The T700 has the distinctive grille, air inlets and sloping roof design of Porsche's SUV. However, the T700 has wrap-around front and rear lights and squared off tail pipes that are not found on the Macan.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect spelling of the name Zotye.
