Currently reading: Changan X70A revealed as Land Rover Discovery lookalike
There's a new Chinese copycat car in town, and this time it's based on the Discovery

The Land Rover Discovery 4 has become the latest model to have its design imitated by a Chinese company.

The Changan X70A is a large SUV from the Chongqing-based car maker in the south-west of the country that has clearly taken its inspiration from the now off-sale Land Rover model, most notably in its side profile.

China's copycat cars are reducing Land Rover’s use of concepts

The X70A is set to be revealed at the Guangzhou motor show on Friday, where it will join a revised version of the most famous of the Chinese ‘copycat’ cars, the Range Rover Evoque-alike Landwind X7.

Changan x70a96 0

While the Discovery 4 is, of course, a dedicated off-roader, Changan’s answer to it is not. The X70A is front-engined and front-wheel drive only, with a 1.5-litre petrol engine with just 96bhp and 103lb ft driving through a five-speed manual gearbox.

History of China's copycat cars: in pictures

Size-wise, it’s smaller than the Discovery 4, measuring 4620mm in length with a 2750mm-long wheelbase, to the 4838mm length and 2885mm wheelbase of the Land Rover model.

Such copycat cars are becoming less prevalent in Chinese car design as the market matures and evolves at a rapid rate, yet they do still crop up, as the X70A proves.

It’s set to go on sale in China early next year priced from only 80,000 yuan (£9150).

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The Chinese copycat cars of the 2017 Shanghai motor show

China's copycat cars are reducing Land Rover’s use of concepts

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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Kimbob 17 November 2017

Still better looking than a

Still better looking than a Discovery 5.
Mikey C 17 November 2017

Not much of a lookalike

Not much of a lookalike really. With FWD and just 96bhp, I can't imagine they actually drove it very far in the desert to take those publicity photos!

Bazzer 17 November 2017

All they know

All they can produce is really poor copies, pollution, and bad parenting.