Range Rover Evoque copycat Landwind X7 updated with new look

The Landwind X7 has been facelifted for the first time since its reveal caused outrage for its similarity to the Range Rover Evoque. 

Unveiled at the Guangzhou motor show, Landwind's most famous model now looks less like the Evoque on which its design was so clearly based. However, it is not known whether the brand has succumbed to global pressure about the design or if the refresh was already planned. 

Guangzhou motor show 2017 report

On top of the new look, the X7 has a new 158bhp turbocharged petrol engine, according to CarNewsChina. It joins the 187bhp 2.0-litre unit, which is currently the only engine available. 

Elements of the Range Rover Evoque remain, but the lower front bumper and styling cues at the rear in the pre-facelift X7 have been tweaked. A chrome bar replaces the black plastic panel above the numberplate, for example.

Despite those changes, the car’s overall shape remains unmistakably inspired by the Evoque, with the same sloping roofline, rising belt line, wheel arches and virtually all styling cues in the car’s profile. 

The X7 is at the centre of a legal battle between Jaguar Land Rover and Landwind; both brands had their patents cancelled in China. The two models were on display simultaneously at the 2015 Guangzhou motor show, with Jaguar Land Rover showcasing a locally made car as part of a local joint venture required to sell cars in China.

Landwind’s X7 was launched in 2.0-litre petrol-engined guise at a cost of £14,000. This new 1.5-litre petrol model cuts the entry price to £11,432 – around a third of the Evoque's starting price. 

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The Chinese copycat cars of the 2017 Shanghai motor show