Geely "small Rolls-Royce" is really not sth to be proud of

Geely "GE", left, and Rolls-Royce Phantom displayed at Shanghai auto show 2009

Attendees of the Shanghai Auto Show may be impressed with a controversial release, the "Geely Excellence" under Geely's newly launched Yinglun brand.

It is controversial because the Geely Excellence sedan bears a striking resemblance to a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Geely spokesman admits the two cars appear the same at the first glance, but insisted the GE is an original.

Actually there are differences between the two. The GE is mated with 3.5L V6 engine, which is considerably shorter than the Rolls'. The original Rolls-Royce Phantom carries a price-tag of £250,000, but the GE is scheduled to be sold at one tenth of that.

Geely showed off its proud for the "GE" by giving it a nickname, called "small Rolls-Royce" in Chinese. The private Chinese automaker plans to put the GE to market three years later. On the other side, Rolls-Royce said it may take legal action against Geely and is in consultation with its legal advisers.

In my part I can hardly understand why Geely manage to do that. Trying to build an international brand does not simply mean copying others’ work. Chinese brand automakers should focus on building their own development capabilities and gradually forming their own design ideas rather than plagiarizing the looks of recognized cars, otherwise they will only destroy their own brand image and spoil the reputation of China's auto industry.