In case you thought the Chinese have run out of
Western models to plagiarize, check out this Zotye T800 prototype, doing a
particularly bad job at pretending it’s not a Range Rover Sport clone.
Aside from the patent-style images from Zotye, the
car was also captured in prototype form which paint a
pretty clear picture about the T800, from its overall dimensions all the way to
its not very original styling. Still, to anybody who’s rooting for the T800,
we’ll at least admit that it does do a good job at mimicking the Range Rover
Sport’s form factor.
Yet, there are obvious differences, such as the
different taillight design as well as the design of the front fascia, which we
can see thanks to a bunch of patent images released a while back. Let’s put it
this way, it’s not as good of a replica as the Landwind X7, which from a
distance, looks identical to the Range Rover Evoque.
Inside, the center console is a lot more
Mercedes-Benz than it is Land Rover. The rest of the dashboard doesn’t resemble
anything specific, but we wouldn’t go as far as to call it original.
Quality-wise, things seem to be in order as leather is used abundantly,
bolstered by contrast stitching on the seats, center console and even on the
upper dashboard.
According to reports by Sina, the Zotye T800 will
make its debut early next year, targeting large SUVs such as the Haval H9, the
Toyota Highlander or the Guangzhou Trumpchi GS8. As for power units, rumor has
it that it will receive 1.8-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engines
that run in the Zotye family. For example, a 2.0-liter turbo with 190 HP could
be in the cards, as it already powers the Chinese automaker’s SR9 Macan clone.
