Fiat sued Chinese automaker Great Wall both in Italy and China claiming that the GW Peri design was too similar to the Fiat Panda.
On July 16 the Italian court ruled that the Great Wall Peri can't be sold in Europe, citing: "the [GW Peri] doesn't look like a different car but is a [Fiat] Panda with a different front end."
Fiat was not so lucky in China however.
On July 21, the Chinese court established noticeable differences between the Panda and the GW Peri and rejected Fiat's claim that Great Wall had breached patents. The court also ordered Fiat to pay 8,800 yuan ($1,291) in legal expenses.
Great Wall is now planning to appeal the decision made by the Italian court banning the sale of the Peri in the European Union.
So what are your thoughts? Is the GW Peri different enough, or is it a blatent copy of the Fiat Panda?
I'd like to first state that I don't work for either manufacturers. IMHO They do both have similar proportion and graphic breakups, however I think they are different enough. I think the negative perception that Chinese automakers (or whatever-maker) always make people think that they did copy the design. They may have the thought to copy the design to begin with, and for that I wouldn't be surprised.
I think the GW looks better, but these Chinese companies are making too many products that are too close to others'. It's time for them to stand up on their own feet and let their creativity flow!
True, the whole rear end definitely bears an uncanny resemblance to the Nissan Note: wrap over lamps, 3rd window. Indeed, all the same lines and surfaces are there - just re-proportioned.
I agree that the rear end has an uncanny resemblance to the Note and you can't help but notice how close the overall lines of the design are to the Panda in the first 3/4 of the vehicle. It obviously shows they consider the Panda to be a successful design, it's just a shame their version is so similar.
The quality of the finish on the GW shows that the Chinese can compete very well, with this I agree with Sven that it's time they started carving their own path in the automotive industry.
it appears they buy one take it apart and construct duplicate pieces. appearances can be decieving. perhaps safety items, structures are made on a budget.this design is not alone. a whole host of supposed original designs are in mass production that are simple copy paste jobs. bmw x5,smart car, Honda frv, new shape ford focus,toyota aygo, s max not to forget the phantom from tg reccently !
it appears they buy one take it apart and construct duplicate pieces.
Companies in the west do that and sell the data.
The Chinese are smarter; they use the companies' own factories to produce the same product during the night. They're called 'ghost factories'. That way, they can sell the products for a longer period instead of a one-time sale of the data. Popular Science ran an article on it not too long ago.
