Chinese rip-offs of specific cars aren’t a shock anymore. We’ve made no less than three lists of Chinese copycat cars over the years because it’s a country that doesn’t care too much about intellectual property. The only reason we don’t see them on the global market is because if they were to go on sale in countries with global agreements for copyright and trademark infringement, the company would be sued out of existence. Of the cars that end up on the Chinese market, the Skyworth Summer van might be one of the most breathtaking examples of design theft yet. We imagine the pitch, then the design brief was very short and involved the words “ID.Buzz.”
Leaked via the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), through which dozens of vehicle designs have been prematurely revealed, the Summer somehow looks more like a modern interpretation of the VW Bus than the ID. Buzz does. Because of the source of the leak, the images are of particularly low quality, but there’s no disguising the influence behind this, no matter how grainy the photos are.
Taking Microbus Nostalgia To The Next Level
Perhaps someone thought Volkswagen wasn’t playing into the original Microbus design enough with the all-electric ID. Buzz because Skyworth isn’t messing about. Even the wheels mimic the old powder-coated steely design of the first-generation Volkswagen Microbus. The belt line accent down the sides and leading into the shape on the front of the van is almost as shameless, and nobody is fooled by the Summer having a U shape instead of the Volkswagen V. The headlights are round, albeit mounted higher at the front, and the roof rolling over to the side of the van is a distinctive shape of the original Microbus. Comically, the designers didn’t copy the iconic split-screen at the front, opting for a single piece of glass for the windscreen. Instead, they split the rear window.
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Differing From The ID. Buzz In One Major Area
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is a modern all-electric take on the original Microbus, while the Skyworth Summer is a plug-in electric hybrid that can carry seven people. According to the MIIT, the engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline three-cylinder from Geely – the same Geely that owns Lotus and Volvo and a replica of the Volvo engine from the XC40 – here producing somewhere between 137 horsepower, supplemented by a hybrid electric system for a final output of 154 hp. The e-motor itself, however, is claimed to produce 94 hp.
|
Skyworth Summer Specifications |
|
|---|---|
|
Powertrain |
Gasoline Hybrid |
|
Engine |
1.5-liter inline |
|
Combined Power Output |
154 hp |
|
Top Speed |
102.5 mph |
|
Curb Weight |
5,015.5 lbs |
|
Wheelbase |
128 inches |
|
Length |
208.3 inches |
|
Width |
81 inches |
|
Height |
76 inches |
Presumably, the engine is at the front as there seems to be a grille that stops, the U shape being a V and the back is a split-door design. The Microbus didn’t have a rear door as the engine was at the back, accessed by opening a panel under the rear window. Amusingly, the Summer looks like it has also taken cues from tuner culture by making it low and wide with aggressive fender flares and giving it the murdered-out look that died out over a decade ago now.
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There Could Be Consequences
Volkswagen, like most brands with iconic car designs, is aggressively litigious when it comes to protecting copyright – even having a listing yanked from a car auction site recently that was selling a Suzuki Kei car modified to look like a classic Microvan. Back in 2021, Volkswagen’s lawyers sharpened their knives for electric knockoffs of the Volkswagen Beetle by Chinese brand Ora called the Punk Cat and the Ballet Cat.
Skyworth, an automotive subsidiary of Skywell, has aspirations of being a global brand. The Skyworth EV6 has been available in Germany under a different name and has announced plans to enter the US and UK markets. The most recent Skyworth vehicle we know of is the Skyhome, an ultra-luxury sedan built to rival the Lucid Air, BMW i7, and Mercedes EQS at a fraction of the cost.
Source: MIIT
