A Lifan Panda and a Mini Cooper. The electric Lifan Panda (also called the 330 EV) starts at $15,400 but the original Mini impersonator, the gas-powered Lifan 320, is priced at $7,150. The Mini Cooper starts at $20,700 in China. Credit: Janis Mackey Frayer | Jae C. Hong / AP

A Lifan Panda and a Mini Cooper. The electric Lifan Panda (also called the 330 EV) starts at $15,400 but the original Mini impersonator, the gas-powered Lifan 320, is priced at $7,150. The Mini Cooper starts at $20,700 in China.
Credit: Janis Mackey Frayer | Jae C. Hong / AP

BEIJING — Consumers ambling through China’s largest auto show might be forgiven for occasional flashes of déjà vu.

Most of the display stages in the exhibition halls look the same. The young women staffing them are dressed in matching outfits. And many of the designs from Chinese carmakers bear an uncanny resemblance to vehicles made by foreign companies.

Some of the Chinese firms’ vehicles appear to pay homage to others made by the likes of BMW, Ford, and Audi.

One […]

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