The 2016 Beijing motor show opens its doors on 25 April. Among the many vehicles being launched there is the Zotye SR8 – a blatant copy of the Porsche Macan.

This is the latest in a long line of Chinese cars to pilfer designs from around the world. In the west, we tend to look on with incredulity and wonder how they can get away with it – but whatever the reason, what seems to us like shameless plagiarism appears to be standard practice in China.

Here are some of the best, or worst, examples from recent years…

1.

The copy: Lifan 320

The original: Mini

Launched in 2008, the 320 looked remarkably similar to the Mini. At least, it did until 2013, when they facelifted it – after which it looked remarkably similar to the Fiat 500 instead.

2.

The copy: Landwind X7

The original: Range Rover Evoque

Land Rover was not happy when it saw this blindingly obvious Evoque clone – it tried to take legal action in China to prevent the X7 from being sold. On a scale of 1 to 10, how surprised are you that the authorities there gave Landwind the go-ahead?

3.

The copy: Shuanghuan SCEO

The original: BMW X5

This SUV managed to rip off not one but two different vehicles. From the back and sides, it’s an X5, but from the front it looks like an early-model Lexus RX300. Legal action by BMW led to the SCEO being banned in Germany, which really must have messed up Shuanghuan’s business plan.

4.

The copy: CH Auto Lithia

The original: Audi R8

This all-electric coupe does at least have its own styling at each end. But when it came to filling in the bit in the middle, CH Auto’s creative juices ran out.

5.

The copy: Geely Beauty Leopard

The original: Hyundai Coupe

A leopard is a beautiful creature, for sure. But that doesn’t mean you want to find one waiting in your garage.

6.

The copy: Youxia Ranger X

The original: Tesla Model S

This coupe’s LCD lights could be called a loving homage to KITT from Knight Rider (that’s what Youxia translates as). But its Model S styling, both inside and out? That’s just plain nicked.

7.

The copy: Shuanghuan Auto Noble

The original: Smart Fortwo

Somehow, this clanging rip-off of the Smart ForTwo is a four-seater. As if it didn’t already make you shudder enough.

8.

The copy: Dojo Pioneer

The original: Aston Martin Cygnet

The Cygnet ringer. If you’re going to steal a design from anyone, right enough, Aston has made some achingly beautiful cars to copy. Oh…

9.

The copy: Yogomo S325

The original: Range Rover Evoque

Build a supermini that looks as if it’s been squeezed like an accordion, then graft on a front end that looks like a Range Rover Evoque with a shrunken head. It’s visionary, I tell you.

10.

The copy: Yogomo 330

The original: Kia Picanto

Another from the Dojo Pioneer school of knocking off the world’s least aspirational cars. Like the Landwind X7, it’s almost identical to its victim – though in this case, the victim is the perfectly good but hardly earth-shattering Picanto.

11.

The copy: Geely Merrie 300

The original: Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Three-box blandness meets laughably obvious plagiarism. Yes, it’s a different culture, different laws and all that. But was it really necessary to rip off an old Mercedes all the way down to its bonnet ornament?

12.

The copy: BYD logo

The original: BMW logo

Prime evidence to use against those who defend the practice of ripping off other people’s designs. Yes, there’s a fine line between seeking inspiration in a car and simply copying it. But when your company’s logo looks like something a 10-year-old might come up with if you asked him to redesign the BMW logo, that’s not taking inspiration in it. It’s very much taking something else…