miramax
07/01/2007, 06h20
Encore les chinois :roll:
A Chinese car maker's imitation city car isn't so smart, writes RICHARD BLACKBURN.
City Spirit
Shandong Huoyun Electromobile started production of the City Spirit two-seater electric car in August.
According to the Autoweek website, production was stopped after DaimlerChrysler complained the car looked too much like the Smart (pictured).
Autoweek says Shandong Huoyun used a toy model Smart car purchased via the Internet to help with the design.
The website says the company has stopped production to work on revisions to the car, including shortening it by 20cm and changing the doors, rear-end and cargo capacity.
At the moment, both cars are identical in length and share the tiniest of details, such as the shape of the grille and the rear window design.
The biggest difference between the real Smart and the copy is the means of propulsion. Rather than a three-cylinder petrol or diesel engine, such as Smart's ForTwo, the Chinese example used an electric motor capable of pushing the pint-sized city-car along at a top speed of 55kmh. The battery range is about 100km.
Further differences can be found inside. The Chinese car has a rather low-rent interior compared with Smart's neat French-built original.
And then there's the price. With a projected European price of just €4200 ($7100) the Chinese car would have cost less than half of next year's all-new second-generation Smart ForTwo.
The first examples of the electric City Spirit have already reached Britain and Hungary, where it was planned to go on sale early next year, following its recent introduction in China.
Established in 2001, Shandong Huoyun has 150 employees, including 31 mid- and high-level engineers. It makes a range of golf cars, electric mini-cars and all-terrain vehicles.
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=22247&vf=7
A Chinese car maker's imitation city car isn't so smart, writes RICHARD BLACKBURN.
City Spirit
Shandong Huoyun Electromobile started production of the City Spirit two-seater electric car in August.
According to the Autoweek website, production was stopped after DaimlerChrysler complained the car looked too much like the Smart (pictured).
Autoweek says Shandong Huoyun used a toy model Smart car purchased via the Internet to help with the design.
The website says the company has stopped production to work on revisions to the car, including shortening it by 20cm and changing the doors, rear-end and cargo capacity.
At the moment, both cars are identical in length and share the tiniest of details, such as the shape of the grille and the rear window design.
The biggest difference between the real Smart and the copy is the means of propulsion. Rather than a three-cylinder petrol or diesel engine, such as Smart's ForTwo, the Chinese example used an electric motor capable of pushing the pint-sized city-car along at a top speed of 55kmh. The battery range is about 100km.
Further differences can be found inside. The Chinese car has a rather low-rent interior compared with Smart's neat French-built original.
And then there's the price. With a projected European price of just €4200 ($7100) the Chinese car would have cost less than half of next year's all-new second-generation Smart ForTwo.
The first examples of the electric City Spirit have already reached Britain and Hungary, where it was planned to go on sale early next year, following its recent introduction in China.
Established in 2001, Shandong Huoyun has 150 employees, including 31 mid- and high-level engineers. It makes a range of golf cars, electric mini-cars and all-terrain vehicles.
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=22247&vf=7