This white wonder is the brand new Zotye SR8 SUV from China, looking completely ready for its debut on the Beijing Auto Show in April and its launch on the Chinese car market in H2. The Zotye SR8, formerly known as the Zotye T700, is a near-perfect clone of the Porsche Macan.

The Macan got cloned front and rear and inside too. Porsche has said it might sue Zotye. Zotye is not afraid. Saying you ‘might’ do something does not impress in China, and certainly not at Zotye. The company got away with the the SR7 (Audi Q3), Damai X5 (Tiguan), the Zote T700 (Macan), and the Zotye T600 (Audi Q5). So they expect to get away with the Macan too, and they are likely right.

This red one has a Zotye badge on the grille as well as on the bonnet. The white car only got one on the bonnet. Grille badge possibly an option.

New news again on the engine: earlier on we heard about a 1.5 turbo, a 1.8 turbo, a 2.0 turbo, and even a 3.0 turbo V6. It is going to be… a 2.0 turbo with 190hp and 250nm, mated to a five-speed manual or a six-speed DCT.

The engine is the Mitsubishi-sourced ‘4G63S4T’, manufactured in China and sold to many smaller Chinese car makers, where is powers a divers range of cars including sedans, pickup trucks, and SUV’s.

One of the latter is none other than the infamous Landwind X7, the clone of the Range Rover Evoque. The Landwind X7 and the Zotye SR8 share exact the same engine, exact clones as they both are, although the two companies got nothing to do with each other.

Time for a size check:

Zotye SR8: 4744/1929/1647, and wheelbase is 2850.
Porsche Macan: 4681/1923/1624, and wheelbase is 2807.

We call that a clone!

Price for the SR8 will likely start somewhere around 130.000 yuan or 20.000 USD. Price for the Porsche Macan starts at 558.000 yuan or 89.920 USD.

The Porsche Macan. Zoyte made a good clone and included even the mirrors, the roof rails, and tha far sides of the bumper. The grille and lower end of the bumper differ.

The Zotye T700. Shape of the body is really 100% Macan. Rear lights and pipes differ. License plate area on the rear door at the Zotye, and on the bumper at the Porsche.

Macan, round pipes.

Zotye copied the interior too. The steering wheel, the instrument binnacle, the air vents, the center console, the air vents in the center console, the center tunnel, the position of the gear lever, the layout of the buttons on each side of said lever, the position of the parking brake, and even the seats are the same! Zotye too added an instrument on top of the dash, but it is just a clock, whereas it is a compass-and-clock or a lap timer in the Macan. Compare:

Macan.

Another one of the Zotye, this time with the manual ‘box. Check steering wheel, panel under the touch screen, center tunnel buttons, and seats.

Macan with wood trim.

The clone wars have begun.