Chinese auto manufacturer Great Wall Motor has been banned from importing its Gwperi minicar into Europe, after an Italian court ruling said the car’s styling is too similar to Fiat’s Panda. The ruling went as far as saying “the [Gwperi] does not look like a different car but is a Panda with a different front end.”
The Turin court ruled Great Wall will have to pay Fiat a 15,000 euro fine for the first Gwperi imported into Europe and 50,000 euros for every subsequent car that is imported, as per recent Automotive News reports. Fiat’s intention to sue Great Wall in order to stop the sale of the car in China and Europe first became known in December of 2006, when Great Wall released a concept of the car, then known simply as Peri.
The car’s sale in Europe by Italian importer Eurasia Motors has been postponed until the court decision was made, but the car went on sale in China earlier this year, where a court case is still pending. Great Wall lawyers say they intend to appeal the Italian court’s decision.
Great Wall also makes SUVs and trucks that bear some resemblance to new and old vehicles from the likes of Toyota, Nissan and Isuzu.
Closer to home, Chinese automaker Chery motors was sued by automotive entrepreneur Malcom Bricklin for different questionable business practices.
07/23, 10:18 AM
posted by:
xyunya
Beautiful! The only problem is that FIAT will not have opportunity to be raped in China like the rest of automakers who jumped into this craphouse.
07/23, 10:27 AM
posted by:
Need4SSpeed
Great, Some of the Chinese auto companies have come out with almost direct copies of some of the other foreign auto manufacturers products and that’s not right…
07/23, 10:31 AM
posted by:
xyunya
Need4SSpeed, you should venture on street of NYC or Boston Chinatown. Never mind cars, everything else is replicated shamelessly.
07/23, 10:51 AM
posted by:
jumpoffit
eh, its close – REAL close, it’s like playing one of those picture games where you try to find what is missing or different…. oh and i’m surviving hurricane dolly!! damn i need a surf board
07/23, 10:54 AM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
Of course the judge made this ruling, then checked the time on his $12 Rolex, and rushed away for his spaghetti dinner (made, of course, with noodles that italians stole from China).
07/23, 10:56 AM
posted by:
ihustle
You’d Have To Pay Me To Drive This Thing.
07/23, 11:00 AM
posted by:
xyunya
^^^ New Ford Logo?
07/23, 11:39 AM
posted by:
zeeck
well hopefully the rest of the car companies will follow suit and sue the hell out of those chinese copycats
looks like fiat at least decided to follow the american dream
07/23, 11:46 AM
posted by:
shaver
Its a start, the intelectual property debacle that is so much a part of the new world economy really pisses me off. Anyways Im off to go rip more songs or watch WEEDs on you tube.
07/23, 12:13 PM
posted by:
injunraiv
Does anyone else see the irony in Fiat naming their car after the Chinese Panda?
07/23, 12:27 PM
posted by:
ktulu
was this a chinese court?
07/23, 3:15 PM
posted by:
xyunya
injunraiv, you are right! This probably gave China rights to the whole car!
07/23, 7:14 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
LMAO…unbelievable. These damn Chinese don’t know the word innovation. All they do is copy EVERYTHING, no wonder you can’t tell them apart.
07/23, 8:28 PM
posted by:
elviososa
I think the Chinese clone is better looking than Fiat. Fiat just afraid that they cannot sell the original design since it look sucks. And, I don’t see the Panda in the Gwperi…the Gwperi, however, does look like KIA “SOUL”. In the future, Chinese auto makers may use same “weapon” to prevent the imports from getting into the Chinese market. So this ruling is stupid!
07/24, 12:21 AM
posted by:
sharpie
At first glance of the title, I thought Fiat successfully sued Great Wall in China, which would be surprising. But this is a ruling from an Italian Court, which is to be expected. Win the Chinese case then Fiat might have something.
07/24, 1:27 PM
posted by:
wagon
Zeeck, what’s the american dream? Sue people to get rich?