The Landwind X7, which is only sold in China, has become notorious for being a near-replica of the popular British compact SUV. Chinese laws have until now made it hard for global car makers to legally combat the practice. 

Jaguar Land Rover has described its win in the unfair competition case as a “first in the global car industry”. The case has been underway for more than three years, having begun after the Landwind X7 was unveiled at the 2015 Guangzhou motor show.

In China, the Landwind X7 is priced at the equivalent of around £14,000 (US$18,000) – significantly less than the £40,000-plus (US$52,000) of the locally produced Evoque.

The decision issued by the Beijing Chaoyang District Court said that the Evoque has five unique features that were copied directly in the X7 built by Jiangling Motor Corporation (JMC) and that the similarity of the two vehicles has led to widespread consumer confusion. The court said that all sales, manufacturing and marketing of the X7 must stop immediately, and that Jaguar Land Rover be paid compensation.

The Landwind X7 is far from the only Chinese lookalike. In this feature we take a look at some other examples in recent years: