BMW alleged that the Chinese Shuanghuan CEO SUV strongly resembled that of the German automaker's own X5 model, and a Munich court has agreed. The court ruled that imports of the Chinese vehicle to Germany must be destroyed and all sales halted.
China Automobile Germany may appeal against the court's decision and
take matters to the EU Court of Justice. A spokesman for the company
was quoted by DPA as saying "the ruling was based on
similarities to the BMW X5 dating back to 1998," describing it as "a
very old" car. "The appearance of the vehicle could easily be altered
by changing five or six elements."
Questions have also been raised about Shuanghuan's Nobel car, which
bears a striking similarity to a Daimler compact two-seater. Media
reports that while on a visit to China in August 2007, Chancellor
Angela Merkel condemned Chinese carmakers for obvious copies of German makes.
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