Chinese Automaker Clones Iconic Volkswagen Kombi, Shortly After Shamelessly Producing an Electric Copy of the Beetle

At The Time, The Multinational Volkswagen Was Not At All Pleased With The Outrageous Electric Copy Of The Beetle And Wanted To Sue Great Wall Motors

The Chinese industry still hasn’t abandoned some old habits, and the multinational Volkswagen was not at all flattered by the electric car manufacturer ORA, which is part of the Great Wall Motors group. The brand recently showcased a clone of the Beetle at the Shanghai Auto Show. Named ORA Punk Cat, the vehicle has the same features as the iconic car from the VW manufacturer. To make matters worse, another Chinese automaker, SongSang Motors, cloned the iconic Kombi; will it stir up “a lot of controversy”?

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The Chinese automaker launched a new model inspired by an existing one. In this case, it is SongSang Motors that presented the SS Summer, a van with a retro design clearly based on the Volkswagen Kombi or Type 2, as can be seen below.

Unlike the original model manufactured by the German automaker Volkswagen, where the horn was front-facing and more prominent and at the back the pneumatic assistance locked externally, located right in the center.

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The iconic Kombi clone is nearly 5 meters long and adds the possibility of raising the interior height through the removable roof concept, as was done with the old VW Kombi equipped by Westfalia. Because when it came to copying, the Chinese went all out.

Its engine is hybrid and is powered by an electric motor and a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine, with which it achieves a combined power of 320 hp, with a range of 550 km (according to the manufacturer).

This “beauty” is not cheap for Western pockets:   it has a price of 288 thousand yuan (about US$ 45 thousand), and the first deliveries of this model will be made in 2022.

Volkswagen Wants To Sue Chinese Automaker For Outrageously Manufacturing An Electric Copy Of The Iconic Beetle

It’s possible to see that ORA was inspired – not to say that they outright copied – the features of the Volkswagen Beetle in their new Punk Cat. The hood with a curved design, rounded headlights, and the shape of the rear, complete with oval taillights, refer back to the old bug.

The interior of the ORA Punk Cat also resembles the Beetle, as it is equipped with a three-spoke steering wheel and circular instruments and gauges. Despite the retro feel, the interior offers a multimedia screen and a cantilevered central console.

But the creation of this car with a “time machine feeling,” as ORA itself stated, did not please Volkswagen at all.

Volkswagen Was Not The Only “Hostage” Of The Chinese; The SongSang Motors Also Outrageously Cloned The First Generation Chevrolet Corvette

This is not the first time that SongSang Motors has gambled on a copy; last year it revealed the SS Dolphin model at the Beijing Motor Show, which is blatantly a copy of the first generation Chevrolet Corvette.

Many saw it as a kind of tribute, bringing an iconic model into this era, but with electric powertrain.