Yet another Range Rover lookalike has
emerged out of China, so say hello to the Hunkt Canticie, which is based on
last year’s Zotye T900, another Range copycat. Car News China reports
that the Range Rover Sport-inspired SUV comes from Chinese automaker Hanlong
Auto based out of Hubei province. Its Chinese name is ‘Kuangshi’ and it is a
hell of a lot cheaper than a legitimate Range Rover.
As these images show, the exterior of the
Hunkt Canticie is very similar to current Range Rover Sport. There are some
unique touches, including the headlights, chrome front grille, and taillights,
but if you were to affix a couple of Range Rover badges, many people could be
fooled into thinking this is the latest vehicle from the British car manufacturer.
Local buyers will have a sole engine
available to them, namely a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine
delivering 218 HP, a far cry from the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 used by the
Range Rover Sport SVR, for example. The Canticie has a top speed of 185 km/h, also shy of any legitimate Range Rover vehicle.
To Hanlong’s credit, the interior is quite
different to any Range Rover model in existence. Most notable is the
all-digital instrument cluster and a second screen housing the infotainment
controls in the center of the dashboard. There are also a large circular gear
selector and a series of physical buttons to control the climate control.
Pricing is what makes the Canticie shine.
In China, the cheapest full-size Range Rover costs 1.22 million yuan, or US$ 173,000 at current exchange rates. By comparison, the Canticie will start at
just 126,800 yuan (US$ 18,042), which makes it way more affordable for local
customers.
