New Alphard-faced “van” about to be unveiled.
Completely cloned! New Alphard-faced “”van”” about to be unveiled! 3.5m long mini Alphard to be launched in China soon!
A small model that looks exactly like Toyota’s Alphard is scheduled to appear?
A decade ago, China was even called a “”pacri powerhouse,”” but nowadays, there are few opportunities to see “”pacri cars”” in the Chinese auto market.
Too much pacri! The new “”van”” with an Alphard face is bad…! Look at the actual vehicle design!
Nevertheless, “”cars that look a little weird”” still infest the market outside of the powerful major manufacturers.
This time, we have learned that a small EV that looks exactly like the Toyota “”Alphard”” is about to make its debut.
Is this a complete clone? The “”BOMA,”” which looks very similar to the Toyota “”Alphard”” face and Nissan “”Days”” design (image source: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China, commonly known as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China).
This information was discovered on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (commonly known as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology).
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MITI) is an agency that handles the business of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), and in China, automobile manufacturers are required to submit information on new models to MITI before manufacturing and selling them.
The manufacturer preparing to unveil the EV, which can be considered a mini-Alphard, is called Zhongxing Automobile (ZX Auto), which originated as an auto repair shop for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, founded in 1949.
The name is similar to, but unrelated to, ZTE, a Chinese IT company sanctioned by the United States.
Based in Baoding, Hebei Province, ZTE was one of the first Chinese manufacturers to go overseas when Chinese manufacturers had their hands full at home, and was the first Chinese manufacturer to build a complete car factory overseas.
During the Libyan Civil War in the 2010s, pickup trucks produced by CMC, along with those of Japanese manufacturers, were used as “”technical vehicles”” (simple combat vehicles with anti-aircraft machine guns, etc. on the back) and were very active on both sides.
For Japanese manufacturers that do not export their vehicles for combat use, they definitely do not want to be used as combat vehicles in conflicts.
In contrast, however, CMC advertised that the 7,000 vehicles it exported to Libya played an active role in the conflict, and even today it is proudly listed in the company’s history on its official website.
Although Zhongxing Automobile is such a company, its current lineup consists of only three types of pickup trucks, and its power in the market tends to be weakening.
In the pickup truck market, Great Wall Motor, which is also based in Baoding, is gaining momentum and has completely lost market share.
The company has decided to launch the small EV in order to change the situation where a manufacturer that only offers pickups is losing influence even in the only market where it can compete. Completely cloned! New Alphard-faced “”van”” about to be unveiled! 3.5m long mini Alphard to be launched in China soon!
Just like… an Alphard? What is this 3.5m long mini Alphard-like model?
This compact EV will be marketed under the brand name “”Mioku,”” which itself is a newly launched brand.
The model name is “”BOMA,”” and with dimensions of 3517 mm (overall length) x 1495 mm (overall width) x 1660 mm (overall height), it will be roughly equivalent to Nissan’s “”Days”” mini-car.
In fact, even the rear quarter and front fenders are almost the same as those of the Days.
And the extreme feature is the front mask.
It looks as if the entire face of the Alphard, which is also popular in China, has been transplanted.
Not only the characteristic grille, but also the fog lamp housings and headlights look exactly the same.
The motor has an output of 30 kW, but no information is available regarding battery specifications.
The information from the Engineering Department shows two specifications with different weights, each weighing 40 kg, so it is highly likely that two different battery capacities will be available.
In addition, two types of tire sizes, 155/65R14 and 165/55R15, are listed, and at least two grades will be available.
Other than that, no other details, including the announcement, release date, and price, are known.
CMC may be planning to take advantage of the recent “”small EV”” boom to make a comeback, but I believe that this is next to impossible.
Consumers are not likely to pay attention to a hastily launched EV by a manufacturer that has only been involved in pickup trucks up until now.
Not only are the designs hastily prepared, but the quality is a carbon copy of Japanese manufacturers, and one is tempted to question whether they really intend to make an EV at all.
Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the shame of “”pakuri-kuri,”” and major manufacturers with abundant financial resources are pulling out designers from overseas manufacturers to create original, cool designs.
In contrast, the makers that have fallen into a bubble, such as CJK, do not have the strength to do so, and have no choice but to repeatedly produce inferior products.
Moreover, the small EV market is a “”red ocean market”” with countless competitors, so there is a high possibility that CMC’s EV, which is a manufacturer that can fly when it blows, will be a flop.
We will be keeping a close eye on the future of CXC, as it is destined to disappear without a fight if it does nothing to tarnish the face of the Chinese auto industry, which is emerging from the trend of piracy.