While Alibaba and Aliexpress have risen in popularity among consumers, third-party sellers are now starting to take on the car brands – but what are these deep fakes like and can you actually drive them?
Online retailers such as Aliexpress and Alibaba are popular because they offer almost anything you can think of at very low prices – and they’re not done yet.
Scanning through the listings, Drive has found that some of the sellers on these platforms have started making and selling copies of popular car models ranging from luxury cars to everyday vehicles.
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These replica cars are being sold and distributed through unregulated websites like Alibaba and are typically priced significantly cheaper than the original model.
Introducing the low-rent Range Rover.
There’s one example of a “mini Land Rover electric car… for adults” advertised on Alibaba. It’s essentially a full-sized rip-off of a Range Rover.
The seller claims the copy is powered by a 5kW lithium-ion battery and has a top speed of 50km/h – all for the low, low price of $AUD3900.
However, it’s not just JLR that is vulnerable to these illegal businesses profiting off its designs. Drive found listings for a range of other models like the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon, Mini Cooper, and Jeep Wrangler, to name just a few.
Regardless of the brand, the advertised replica cars aren’t a one-to-one recreation, they’re usually a bit smaller in size, lower in quality and generally sold for less than $AUD10,000.
To see how these replicas compare in real life, YouTuber Supercar Blondie purchased a Range Rover and Land Rover Defender and pitted them against their legitimate counterparts.
The team took to social media platform TikTok to share their initial impressions of the $4000 Range Rover they reportedly purchased on Alibaba.
“We really got a Range Rover off Alibaba… the front is almost exactly the same… at the back, it looks like the updated Range Rover,” one presenter can be heard saying.
However, the replica stops short of a complete copy of the interior – where, unlike the original versions, which are known for their luxurious leather trims and high-quality materials, the dupes are the exact opposite.
Various other TikTok users were quick to share their thoughts on the copy, with one commenter stating, “[The] only Range Rover I can afford”, while another remarked: “Strange Rover”.
Though the fake models are closer to a toy car than a road-legal version, some unauthorised businesses utilise cosmetic features that are traditionally seen in the Land Rover line-up, such as the head and tail-lights, grilles, and most notably, the location of the badge without the name.
When asked if it is aware there are fake copies of its products being distributed and sold online, a JLR spokesperson declined to comment.
@supercarblondie I can hardly tell the difference… ???? #rangerover #suv #fake ♬ original sound – Supercar Blondie
While it might be tempting to purchase these vehicles given their price point, importing them into Australia won’t be easy, cheap or even a legal.
According to a spokesperson for the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, under the 2018 Road Vehicle Standards Act, “it is an offence to import a road vehicle into Australia without approval”.
“If a person imports and/or provides a road vehicle without appropriate approval, they may contravene various offence provisions that are prescribed in the RVS legislation,” they told Drive.
“A person who imports a vehicle without an appropriate import approval runs the risk of the vehicle being held at the border by the Australian Border Force.”
Additionally, importers must prove the vehicle complies with the Australian Design Rules (ADR) that mandate the inclusion of specific safety features in all vehicles in Australia.
Under the legislation, failure to abide by the import laws can incur a maximum infringement of 120 penalty units, which, if you live in Victoria, can cost as much as $23,640.
It’s worth noting that most car makers are also fiercely protective of their designs, and under copyright and trademark laws, any company found to potentially copy its cars can find themselves in a legal dispute.
In 2020, Land Rover took fellow car maker Ineos to the UK’s High Court over a trademark dispute about the original Defender’s design after Ineos used the off-road SUV as inspiration for the Grenadier – though Land Rover later lost on appeal.
As previously reported by Drive, Ineos admitted the Grenadier’s aesthetics were derived from the original Defender, and the findings said while some specialists might be aware of the similarities, it “may be unimportant, or maybe even not register, with average consumers”.
Land Rover expressed its disappointment in the results, with the UK car maker previously stating, “The Land Rover Defender is an iconic part of Land Rover’s past, present and future. Its unique shape is instantly recognisable and signifies the Land Rover brand around the world”.
However, Ineos said the findings showed that the Defender’s original boxy design, “does not serve as a badge of origin for [Land Rover’s] goods”.
The post ‘Only one I can afford’: The knock-off luxury cars now being sold on Alibaba appeared first on Drive.