The Shuanghuan CEO Banned in Germany

The recent lawsuit filed by BMW against the European importer of Shuanghuan, China Automobile, over the CEO model, which shares more than just design traits with the X5 (especially at the rear), has reached a result: the Munich brand has succeeded in getting sales of the aforementioned model banned on German territory.

This happens weeks after Shuanghuan put two of its models on sale in Germany, the CEO and the UFO, the latter of which inherits the look of the second-generation Toyota RAV4. The importer can now appeal the lawsuit; however, the most likely outcome is that dealers will have to collect the displayed units once again.

Before Shuanghuan attempted to set foot on European soil, the head of the importer China Automobile, Karl Schloessl, told reporters from Associated Press that the CEO had no problem regarding imitations because its design was developed independently of the X5, and was later approved by the Chinese government. Nevertheless, BMW did not share this view and insisted that customers would not see the differences at first glance between the Chinese and the German model, which constituted an offence.

This paves the way for a second lawsuit that the Chinese manufacturer could face from Mercedes-Benz, which was not pleased at all when the Nobel was launched, a vehicle copied from the first-generation smart Fortwo, which was additionally presented with an unfriendly message signed by the Stuttgart firm.

It seems Chinese companies still have quite a way to go before entering the European market, and they should think carefully about what to bring before colliding with reality, although the latest Beijing show showed that other brands were indeed heading in the right direction.

Via | Motor Authority