The Clone Wars: Chinese copy banned from Europe
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/economy/" rel="tag">Economy</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/china/" rel="tag">China</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/" rel="tag">Hatchbacks</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/fiat/" rel="tag">FIAT</a></p><a href="http://www.automotiveworld.com/WVMA/content.asp?contentid=696 78"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/07/gwperi_vs_panda.jpg" alt="" /></a>Fiat's Panda is the best selling minicar in Europe, and has been for four years. When China's Great Wall Motor -- <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/06/chrysler-and-great-wall-to-share-technology-distribution/">Chrysler's Chinese partner</a> -- decided to make a minicar called the GWPeri, it borrowed from the best. That is, if by "borrowed" you mean created a car that differs only from the Panda in it's headlamps and bumper details.<br /><br />Fiat didn't just do a double-take when it saw the GWPeri, it sued Great Wall Motor both in Italy and in China to prevent the car from being sold in Europe and China. A court in Turin recently decided that "the [GWPeri] does not look like a different car but is a Panda with a different front end." Furthermore, if a Peri ever shows up in Europe, GW will have to pay Fiat &euro;15,000, with every GWPeri after that incurring a &euro;50,000 fee.<br /><br />Great Wall has already said it is going to contest the European verdict. The Chinese ruling hasn't come down yet, where the GWPeri went on sale earlier this year. <em>Thanks for the tip!</em><br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.automotiveworld.com/WVMA/content.asp?contentid=696 78">Automotive World</a>]<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href=http://www.automotiveworld.com/WVMA/content.asp?contentid=696 78>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/23/the-clone-wars-chinese-copy-banned-from-europe/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/1263820/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/23/the-clone-wars-chinese-copy-banned-from-europe/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p><hr />

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