Chinese Brand Zotye Builds A Knockoff Porsche Macan Called The SR9 SUV

It costs about 1/5th what a Macan does, and there’s probably nothing Porsche can do about it.

byBradley Brownell|
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Porsche has indicated that they may sue Chinese manufacturer Zotye for building what amounts to a knockoff copy of their Macan small SUV. Taking a peek at the details of both cars, it's easy to see why. Unfortunately, due to China's legal system that helps protect Chinese companies from outside lawsuits, Zotye has been thus far immune from legal action against their other knockoffs. Zotye has previously made copies of Audi's Q3 (SR7) and Q5 (T600), as well as Volkswagen's Tiguan (Damai X5), with no repercussions. Even the inside of the Zotye SR9 looks like a close facsimile of the inside of a Macan, featuring switchgear and cup holders in the same locations. This cheap knockoff really is cheap, too. While a Macan retails for about 550,000 yuan (about 83,000 USD), the Zotye copy is about 100,000 yuan (about 15,000 USD), making some buyers look like they're balling while maintaining their budget.

The Zotye is already on sale in China, with dealers quick to make deals and trying to move product as quickly as it comes in. The SR9 comes equipped with a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, which makes 190 horsepower, built by Shenyang-Mitsubishi. Next year the SR9 is planned to be offered with a smaller and more efficient 150 horsepower 1.5 liter turbo. Zotye offers the SR9 with a five-speed manual, while Porsche's Macan is only available with a PDK gearbox, perhaps the only derivation from Porsche's formula (though a 6-speed dual clutch gearbox is available for the SR9 as well). 

How should we, as Porsche fans, feel about this knockoff? Should Porsche be outraged or apathetic? China, and Zotye, are banking on the second. For more information and more photos of Zotye's SR9, check out Car News China and Forbes.

Forbes / Tycho De Feijter
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