Copyright and international law aside, you’ve got to give Chinese knockoffs due credit for genuine effort.
The latest copycat car, not to be confused with factory models that explicitly copy BMW X5s, is a grill and badge job applied to a new Brilliance H530, a Chinese-market sedan designed by Pininfarina.
For $72, a Brilliance owner can buy a fake BMW kidney grill, eight real BMW roundels and a “523i” nameplate that installs in minutes. The roundels replace the wheel caps, the steering wheel badge and even the Brilliance logo on the engine cover. At first glance, it’s surprisingly convincing, even with fake M graphic stripes painted on the hood.
The price of the car itself? Just $13,000 to $20,000. A real BMW 523Li — the standard 523i isn’t sold in China — costs nearly $70,000.
It may not be a coincidence. Brilliance has been building the BMW 5-Series in China since the two automakers signed a joint venture agreement in 2003. Special long-wheelbase versions of compact and midsized cars, such as the BMW 335Li and 535Li, are sold only in China. And the H530, both in phonetics and appearance, starts off well enough as a fake 5-Series.
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