You can bet DaimlerChrysler won't be much happier about the Flybo-EV than they were about the Smart Fortwo clone that Shandong Huoyun Electromobile Co. brought out last August. In fact, as AutoblogGreen is quick to note, it's not at all clear that this isn't the same car with a front-end makeover and a new corporate skin.
The clone that had DMX's underthings in a bunch last fall, the City Spirit, was reportedly reverse-engineered from a toy Smart that was bought online — and although an exec insisted that "we definitely did not expect our car to resemble the original," the clone was yanked in October and sent back to the lab for genetic retooling.
The current lookalike, the euphonically christened XFD-6000ZK, is one of three Flybo-EV models headed for the U.S. market. All are classed as LSVs/NEVs (Low Speed / Neighborhood Electric Vehicles), which means they're limited to 25 mph (40 mph without the mechanical limiter) and needn't be especially crashworthy. However, Flybo-EV North America assures us that they're "100% legal for on-road use." Not exactly competitive with Smart's new offering, but it's still easy to see how some consumers might be confused.
Whether the Flybo-EV is a separate effort from the City Spirit or a case of automotive nip/tuck, American and European OEMs had better get used to the idea that many Chinese entrepreneurs (emphasis on the prendre) are fully primed for this kind of endeavor. One well-placed auto industry source reminded me that Chinese companies have been buying up retired tooling and dies from Japanese car makers (e.g. Toyota) and using them to kick out clones for years now. And for many companies in China, as elsewhere, reverse-engineering is a way of life.
Of course, the fact that the Flybo-EV is aimed at the U.S. market puts a few more legal arrows in DaimlerChrysler's quiver. But until China is playing by the same intellectual property rules as American and EU carmakers, low-priced clones will be the order of the day, and there won't be a whole lot the gene donors can do about it. Let the makers beware.
Electric Cars in the USA [China Car Times via AutoblogGreen]
