This Volkswagen Beetle is Actually a Chinese Clone

It is quite a common practice for Chinese carmakers to take their design inspiration a bit too far to the point where the car seems to be a blatant copy of an already existing vehicle by some other carmaker. Remember Great Wall Motors' Electric Vehicle (EV) arm, ORA, from Auto Expo 2020? Well, GWM's ORA has now come under fire for doing something similar with their upcoming EV. Images of ORA's upcoming EV have surfaced on the internet and it shows an uncanny resemblance with the Volkswagen Beetle, which is arguably one of the most iconic designs in the automotive world.

ORA's interpretation of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle is, however, a four-door electric vehicle. Slated for an official showcase later this month at the Shanghai Motor Show, this unnamed EV seems to have taken inspiration from the original Beetle from the 1960s. The overall silhouette of the car along with several design details are immediately identifiable as the Beetle, although all of that has been put together with some modern flavor. The rounded edges, flared wheel arches and the iconic sloping roofline are also reminiscent of the original Beetle.

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Heck, even the window line and the front and rear bumpers mimic the original design so closely. This, however, is a four-door model and the extra length thankfully helps it break away from the iconic silhouette of the Beetle. The rear section of this vehicle also misses out on the split rear windshield which was a signature element of the Beetle of the 1960s. That said, modern touches on this ORA EV include LED headlights and tail lamps, stylish looking alloy wheels and a neat and minimalistic rear end. Like most other Chinese cars and rip offs, this ORA EV also comes generously garnished with chrome.

The retro design theme has been carried over to the inside as well. The interior of this ORA EV gets an old-school Beetle-inspired larger round steering wheel with chrome details all over the cabin. This, however, is a thoroughly modern interior with a large floating touchscreen infotainment system on the dashboard and the instrument cluster is expected to be digital as well. The air-con vents, door handles and several knobs and dials also come generously garnished in chrome. The interior seems a little more original than the exterior and we particularly like the design of the center console.

Technical specifications and other details about this unnamed Beetle lookalike are still unknown. That said, it is being speculated that this EV could be based on the same platform as ORA's other retro-themed electric cars - the Good Cat. We will have more technical details once the car has made it's official debut. That said, what do you think about this Chinese rip off of the Volkswagen Beetle as a modern EV? Let us know in the comments section below.

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