Automakers Are Helping Chinese Government Monitor Every EV On The Road

Big Brother is watching Chinese EV drivers.

Ever get the feeling that someone's watching you? Well they very well may be. Especially if you're driving an electric vehicle in China.

According to the Associated Press, quasi-governmental agencies in the so-called People's Republic are tracking alternative-energy vehicles through a variety of parameters, including their location, make, model, mileage, and battery-charge levels... all in real time. But the information isn't being obtained covertly. It's being provided by their manufacturers – both domestic automakers and by foreign automakers (like Tesla, General Motors, and BMW) that are eager to do business in the country.

Data collected by the automakers is transmitted to local monitoring agencies like the Shanghai Electric Vehicle Public Data Collecting, Monitoring and Research Center, which tracks over 222,000 vehicles (most of them electric passenger cars) in Shanghai. The stated purpose is to help plan infrastructure requirements and to enhance public security. But the data is shared with a national monitoring center in Beijing, and can be shared with law enforcement on request.

“The government wants to know what people are up to at all times,” said Maya Wang, senior China specialist at Human Rights Watch. “Tracking vehicles is one of the main focuses of their mass surveillance.”

Though some foreign manufacturers initially resisted sharing the information, AP reports that many have acquiesced to the requirement as the “cost of doing business” in China, one of the largest and fastest-growing market for new cars in the world.

“The automakers consider the data a precious resource,” a government consultant told AP on condition of anonymity. “They gave you dozens of reasons why they can’t give you the data. They give you dozens of excuses. Then we offer the incentives. Then they want to give us the data because it’s part of their profit.” The market for such data is estimated to be worth $750 billion by 2030.

Chinese Guy's New BMW Burns To A Crisp After Blessing It With Incense

It should have been a joyous moment. It wasn't.

Buying a brand new BMW is a special occasion, especially when it's your first one. Some may take the car to a nearby driving road or even the track, others may mark the event in another way. As Autobuzz.my reports, a Chinese gentleman who recently purchased a new BMW felt it was necessary to bless his car with burning incense to start things out right. Only it all ended very badly. The man should have known better because fires and cars are a bad combo, even if the burning incense wasn’t directly next to the BMW.

For some reason, the owner left the car and incense unattended for roughly 20 minutes. Then his neighbors called to say his car was on fire. By the time the local fire department arrived it was too late. The BMW, which we think was a new G30 5 Series, although it’s hard to tell from the photos and video, was a goner. Only its bare metal remained.

Heck, the owner didn’t even get the chance to screw on the license plates. But if the burning incense was far enough away from the car, how did the fire break out? CCTV footage managed to catch some kids moving the incense closer to the car. Without any other plausible explanation, that was the likely cause. Damn kids. Fortunately no one was hurt. The poor owner should have just taken a selfie with the car and called it a day.

Chinese Copycats That Will Make You Angry

They're worse than you think.

It was only a matter of time before a Chinese automaker squeezed its way into the highly lucrative American car market. Many have tried and failed, but now that Zotye has announced it’ll launch an SUV in the US for 2020, we figured it was time to highlight Chinese-built cars and SUVs that shamelessly copied vehicles (with help from the government) from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Jeep, Bentley, Ferrari, and Porsche.

While some Chinese customers may have been fooled by these blatant design thefts, Westerners are not. So we dug through the archives to find some Chinese vehicles whose designs are the most blatant rip-offs. Before you ask, China passed a law to protect its domestic carmakers by making it nearly impossible for a Western automaker to prove to a Chinese court its patented designs were stolen. So don't expect these ripoffs to stop anytime soon.

Eagle Came

Let's begin with the worst of them all. Translated as the 'Eagle Came' (presumably, it sounds better in Chinese), where to begin with this one? Well, the Eagle Came debuted back in 2015 attempting the impossible: fusing a Ferrari with a Porsche. Its headlights and grille are very Ferrari California T-like while the rest of is all Porsche 718 Cayman. Even the badge looks like it was ripped off a Porsche.

Built by Suzhou, the Eagle Came is also all-electric, capable of a 0-62 mph of 4.8 seconds. Top speed, however, is only 75 mph.

BYD S8

Is this just a rebadged Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class convertible? Nope, it’s the BYD S8. BYD stands for ‘Build Your Dreams,’ or, in this case, someone else’s. The S8 first premiered in concept form back in 2006 at the Shanghai Motor Show and went into production for 2009. Fortunately, it lasted for just a single model year. That’s because only seven examples were sold.

Unlike the Mercedes, the S8 was front-wheel-drive and was powered a 140-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine instead of a V6. It also featured a folding metal roof, just like the Mercedes SLK. Now, here’s the ironic bit: BYD not so long ago signed a technical agreement with Mercedes so it's safe to assume that all is forgiven for this blatant ripoff.

BAIC BJ80

This is the BAIC BJ80, a 4WD luxury SUV that looks suspiciously like the iconic G-Class. On the bright side, it costs an awful lot less, starting off at 288,000 yuan, or about $43,000. Launched for 2016, the BJ80 is powered by a choice of turbo diesel inline-fours linked to either a six-speed manual or automatic. At many angles, it’s a dead ringer for the G-Class, and yet, there was no lawsuit by Mercedes as far as we know.

Like the original G-Class, the BJ80 was initially developed for the military, in this case, the People’s Liberation Army. And just when you thought BAIC couldn’t more blatantly take the design of a foreign automaker for its own purposes, it did so again with another SUV. Read on.

BAIC BJ90

The mind reels. This is not a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It’s the BAIC BJ90. And it’s also a Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Yes, really. The BJ90 is based on the GL-Class as part of an agreement with Mercedes whose parent company Daimler now has a 12 percent stake in BAIC.

Legally use the platform of one automaker and illegally swipe the design of another? Welcome to China. The BJ90’s drivetrain is also all Mercedes. A choice of two engines are offered (sales began earlier this year): a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 333 hp and a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 421 hp. Even the seven-speed automatic and 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is Mercedes-sourced. The interior, not at all shockingly, is from Mercedes, too. The three-pointed silver star, however, has been replaced with BAIC’s logo on the steering wheel.

Hawtai B35

Try not to laugh too much, but the Hawtai B35 was originally a Porsche Cayenne clone back in 2011. Today, it’s a Bentley Bentayga clone, at least up front. Like we said, there is no shame. Underneath its ugly skin (let’s face it), is a first generation Hyundai Santa Fe platform. Power comes from a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 184 hp or a turbo 1.8-liter with 160 hp. Two gearboxes are on offer: a five-speed manual and a four-speed automatic. Okay. We’re done here. This one is just too pathetic to keep writing about. Moving on…

Geely GE

Perhaps we spoke too soon regarding pathetic. This is the Geely GE, a literal carbon copy of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Revealed back in 2010, the Geely GE was initially a concept and later went into production in 2014. Supposedly, production ceased earlier this year. Geely has, to its full credit, greatly improved over the past few years by actually getting involved with the global auto industry. Its financial successes enabled it to purchase Volvo and Lotus, for example.

The GE was proof that it was capable of building a luxury car, though not one of its own design. Look closely and even the “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament has been closely copied. But hey, the GE is far cheaper than the Phantom, costing around $45,000.

Jinma JMW 2200

The Jinma JMW 2200 tries so hard to be a BMW i3. Just look at its twin-kidney grille and curved body panels. It’s absolutely horrible to look at. Sorry about that. But it is all-electric, powered by a lead-acid battery providing energy for its three kWh electric motor. Top speed is said to be – wait for it – only 31 mph. It can barely go 75 miles on a single charge. A full recharge requires about seven hours. Why anyone would buy this for regular road use is beyond us. You’d be better off buying a motorcycle or scooter. But if a Chinese golf course is ever looking for more stylish (to an extent) golf cars, we know exactly what it ought to buy. Photos courtesy of Car News China.

Land Wind X7

We actually traveled all the way to the Shanghai Auto Show back in 2017 to see this one in-person. The Land Wind X7’s claim to fame was how much it resembled the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. Jaguar Land Rover even sued Jiangling Motor for its design rip-off, but the Chinese government put a stop to that. It’s almost as if Jiangling Motor reverse engineered an Evoque, made a few slight tweaks and called it a day. Funnily enough, JLR builds Evoques in China, its first Chinese-built SUV. Jiangling Motor could’ve cared less.