Ruili DoDa V8
China’s clone masters are at it again.
The new victim in the Toyota Alphard, a
large van. The clone comes from a company called BAIC Ruili, based in Yunnan
Province. Their clone is called the Doda V8. Doda is the brand name and V8 the
type name.
BAIC Ruili is a subsidiary
of BAIC, the Beijing Auto
Industry Corporation, better known as ‘Beijing Auto’. Ruili basically functions
as a local production facility for BAIC. They make the BJ40, the Doda V2 based
on the Weiwang M20, and now the Doda
V8.
To make matters a bit more complicated:
the Doda V8 is based on the Joylong Aifei, which
is also an Alphard
clone, but slightly less so. The Aifei costs 229.800 yuan and
is powered by the famous 4G69 165 hp 2.4 liter Mitsubishi engine.
The dashboard of the Doda V8, with a
large touch screen and trendy wood on the steering wheel. It is not very much a
clone here, mostly because the Alphard has a center tunnel and the Doda has
not. Stack is also different, but the instrument pods are somewhat similar.
Size check: Doda V8: 4900/1830/1890 mm, and
wheelbase is 2950 mm.
Alphard: 4925/1850/1890 mm, and wheelbase is 3000 mm.
Alphard: 4925/1850/1890 mm, and wheelbase is 3000 mm.
We call that a clone.
The Doda V8 will not be powered by a V8
but by the same engine that serves in the Joylong Aifei. The V8 will cost a bit
more than the Aifei, and hit the market in Q4.