Seeing cars and trucks on Chinese roads that bear a striking resemblance to vehicle produced by manufacturers from other countries is nothing new, but the team at China Car Times now has photos of a Humvee clone built by Dongfeng Motors. This isn't a basic GM-built Hummer H3 or H2 clone, but a copy of the original military version right down to the olive drab paint. The only thing that seems to be missing is the seven slot grille that caused Chrysler to sue Hummer several years back. It even appears to have the built in tire inflators on the wheels like the original. Click the read link to go over and see more views.
Update: It appears that at some point Dongfeng tried to do a licensing deal with with AM General and the US company did supply some chassis components to Dongfeng. It's not entirely clear what the current state of any deal between the two companies is and whether the pictured vehicle is licensed or not. A brought up conflicting stories.
[Source: China Car Times]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Arnie @ Feb 25th 2007 2:12PM
Well at least they don't want Chrysler to sue them. It is refreshing to see the Chinese observe intellectual property law for a change! hahahahah
Graham @ Feb 25th 2007 3:12PM
If you guys research a little bit, this seems to be a properly licensed vehicle. The chassis and engine are sourced from AM General.
doug @ Feb 25th 2007 3:29PM
i read this somewhere:
the symbol of all things american: big, exssesive, overly massive, pointless, and made in china
The Dearborn Observer @ Feb 25th 2007 3:39PM
Can anyone verify Graham's comments? Given Chinese Manufacturers' track record of properly licensing other people's designs and intellectual property, I have my doubts.
Stoneman @ Feb 25th 2007 3:46PM
Another useless, inefficient gas-guzzling, ugly piece of crap.
Stoneman
Rastus @ Feb 25th 2007 4:12PM
I love it...it represents everything that's right with this world.
It would go over big with the poor white separatists up here in Idaho.
far jr @ Feb 25th 2007 4:16PM
Bad thing about Americans love of making money. Some of us will sell out anything to make a buck. Even our best military technology...no I'm not talking about the Hummer in this article. I'm talking Aegis missile system technology and ICBM technology. People used to hang for treason. What happened to that? Any person or company that would give away technology for money is a fool at the least and could infringe on treasonous. But hey, nobody really cares about national pride anymore do they?
Barney @ Feb 25th 2007 4:30PM
Just what the world needs. A Humvee with a gas guzzling engine. Smog machines are realy needed these days.
Rastus @ Feb 25th 2007 4:36PM
far jr,
Just know that any of those Foreign Military Sales have to go through the appropriate US military channels.
So..if Japan now has Aegis (which they do), it's because the US gum'nt want them to have it.
If Osama Bin Laden at one time was outfitted with US weaponry, it's because the US wanted him to have it.
Tina Silva @ Feb 25th 2007 4:48PM
Who on earth would want to drive that monster!! Eek!
Tina Silva
http://blog.pimentels-photography.com
Rastus @ Feb 25th 2007 4:51PM
I love you Tina ;)
shimman @ Feb 25th 2007 4:54PM
i don't know what's wrong with them; they didn't have to do 1:1 copy. i mean they could have changed the roof, fenders, hood, etc.
or are they trying to wave hands silently to other car makers that they can do oem for them or hoping others outsourcing china for car manufacturing?
far jr @ Feb 25th 2007 5:11PM
Rastus...The US does not want China to have Aegis. There are some stories that many attributes of the Chinese Aegis are direct rip offs of US Aegis technology. this is Aegis.
http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/templates/SIGNAL_Article_Template.asp?articleid=992&zoneid=7
Rastus @ Feb 25th 2007 5:16PM
Well, the only thing I would say is: What took them so long.
Aegis dates back to the late 70's. Are you terribly surprised the figured it out after 20+ years?
Are you saying Raytheon sold China the phased-array radar system for a buck? Come on now...
far jr @ Feb 25th 2007 6:08PM
Rastus...Actually the phased array sounds as if it is one of the areas the Chinese system doesn't seem to match up. I have quite a few family members doing engineering work for military contractors. There are some wild technologies in the works and I don't want anyone else to have the technology handed to them.
Some of it comes from the so called dual technologies which can be used for consumer and military. Hand held GPS systems built for consumers in China. Rocket guidance technology suposedly to help China get its satelites into space safely is similar to that used to get an ICBM to its target. Optics, lazers, digital information systems, microchip technology. I'm not saying we gave it all to them, but they are certainly getting a lot of R&D for free when foreign companies bring the manufaturing to them. It's much easier to improve upon an existing technology than to design it from scratch in most cases.
If Toyota decides to pull out of China, it doen't matter, China already has the hybrid auto technology. Fuel cell cars built in China just give them another dual use technology. China doesn't have one of the fastest growing militaries in the world for nothing. Question is...Just who are they building that military up for?
Rastus @ Feb 25th 2007 7:14PM
Well here's something to think about:
The US does not have monopoly on technology. The Germans were the ones who first developed the jet engine, and numerous other technologies have been developed elsewhere. Some people, I'm not saying you...but some people automatically assume if "they" (meaning non-US) develop something it must mean they "stole" it from elsewhere. Ideas do not stop at borders.
Here's something which I find to be quite cool...the Squall torpedo...a supersonic underwater torpedo which dates back to ...the late 70's. Did the Russians steal this technology? I honestly don't believe so.
http://www.periscope.ucg.com/mdb-smpl/weapons/minetorp/torpedo/w0004768.shtml
They think the Kursk sub which went down in the Baltic was sunk by one of these which pre-detonated in the torpedo tube.
I'm sure a lot of theft IS involved nowadays...definitely. When everyone from Pakistan and India has a nuke, I'm quite sure there is some intrigue going on. So I'm in agreement with you...loose lips sink ships.
DasBoese @ Feb 25th 2007 8:05PM
Even if it's properly licensed, it might end up being copied completely a few years down the road... it's just the way things go. If a company isn't aware of that it's pretty much their own fault if they're flooded with cheap copies of their products.
That said, it's true that the Humvee is a rolling monstrosity with a mighty thirst. No need to complain about it though, seeing as the Humvee is in fact a military vehicle... not a SUV ;P
Rastus @ Feb 25th 2007 8:08PM
I know the link I posted above said 200-something knots, yet elsewhere the figure differs, and yes...some claim it's supersonic.
'Nother cool link:
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3ae5c93822f3.htm
Funny thing is the first link claims the US tried to do the stealing.
bathtub gin @ Feb 25th 2007 9:07PM
200-something knots may as well be supersonic, if it's underwater. Sounds like something worth stealing.
Nobody here was saying that the US has a monopoly on technology, or that Russians were dumb - isn't that a country that considers chess a spectator sport? The Soviets were also smart enough to reverse-engineer and manufacture B-29's from a couple of captured ones in WW2. Was that theft, or did they just answer the door when opportunity knocked? But, they DID steal a lot of technology from us - heard of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?
PS - The Germans and Brits developed the jet engine simultaneously - the US didn't even have any until the Brits permitted GE to license their stuff. Of course, the Soviets got their jets from the Brits also.
C @ Feb 25th 2007 9:11PM
I saw this car in Tibet two years ago at the base of Mt. Everest. It had a flat tire and was broke down on the side of the road....