This is the Lifan 320, which its makers deny has borrowed anything from the styling of the Mini.
The Lifan has been on sale in China for more than a year, and is designed and built at Lifan's base at Chong Quing.
It is 3745mm in length, 1620mm wide and 1430mm high; in contrast the Mini Cooper is 3635mm long, 1688mm wide and 1408mm in height.
Asked about the car's similarity to the Mini, a spokesman said: "Yes, we know of the similarities, but this is an independent design of our own work. I think that perhaps the management of Lifan and Mini shares some ideals that have drawn them to this very classical and fashionable shape."
It is powered by a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine linked to a five-speed gearbox, but a 1.0-litre three cylinder unit will be available later this year, increasing the car's city appeal.
It has MacPherson strut suspension front and rear, and standard kit includes anti-lock brakes and two airbags.
Jim Holder
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Re: No, it's not a Mini
Totally agree, it's nothing like a Mini. But then, the BINI looks nothing like a Mini either.
By the way, I seem to remember reading that Datsun took a Mini Cooper apart when they were designing the Cherry 100A.
Re: No, it's not a Mini
Thank you for the "harsh reality of the world economy" lecture, no really!
Yes Dan McNeil version 2, it did occur to me that I might be living in a capitalist (for the most part anyway) world, and I'm also well aware of the Japanese and later Koreans copying Western designs in the past and reverse-engineering them too (though nothing wrong with reverse engineering - a very good way to learn). But even under a capitalist system there are some rules, such as intellectual property rights etc.
So, if we agree that it's dog eat dog world, then if a company has any sense and wants to survive, it'd better be ready to chew the ass of the other dogs that are hell-bent on nicking its designs. Heck, even the Japanese and the Koreans of the olden days weren't as blatant as the current shameless Chinese lot in copying designs to the last screw, bar the badge on the bonnet. Sad thing is though, since the Western manufacturers are so desperate to keep hold of their piece of the pie that is the Chinese market, beyond the odd feeble moan they are unlikely to raise a finger in case they cheese off the nouvo riche capital loving Commies and be barred from their huge market. My guess is, this is an approach the Western manufacturers, blinded by the dollar signs and short-term gains, will come to rue in the long-run.
Re: No, it's not a Mini
I bet even the anarchists have a website and a party. . . .