New SAIC Z7 promises Porsche looks for a fraction of the price

A new car from China is getting a lot of attention right now - both for good and not-so-good reasons. It is called the Z7, it is made by SAIC, and it will be sold under the brand Shangjie. The reason people are talking about it is simple - it looks almost exactly like a Porsche Taycan. You could argue that the only difference between the two cars is the price. The German car costs a lot of money, and unsurprisingly, the new Chinese car is cheap.

Reports from Chinese media say the Z7 will cost less than RMB 200,000, which converts to about $28,000. A real Porsche Taycan costs about RMB 918,000 in China - that's about $132,000. Some versions of the Porsche cost well over $140,000. This means a buyer could buy four or five Z7s for the price of one Porsche. But is looking like a Porsche enough to attract buyers?

The design of the Z7 is not shy about where it gets its ideas. HIMA (Huawei's Harmony Intelligence Mobility Alliance) is the group behind the car. Together with SAIC, they just released the first images to tease the public, showing a side profile that matches the Porsche almost line for line.

The roof slopes down in a coupe style. The rear fenders are wide and sculpted. Even the door handles sit flush with the body, just like on the luxury German sedan. The back window and the light bar on the tail also look very familiar. If you took the badges off, many people might think it is the expensive European model.

There are some differences. The front of the car does not look exactly the same. The headlights on the Z7 have their own style, but are clearly inspired by Porsche. There is also a LiDAR unit on the roof. This is a sensor used for driver assistance systems - it helps the car see the road regardless of time of day and weather conditions. This suggests the Z7 will have advanced self-driving features, which is a big selling point for electric cars in the Chinese market right now.

It turns out that the Z7 is not just coming as a sedan. Photographers spotted another version of the car being tested on the road. It was covered in camouflage to hide the shape, but it was clear enough to see it was a wagon, or an "estate" car. This version looks very much like the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo - it has a longer roof and a hatch at the back. It is still rare to see electric wagons, so this makes the Z7 lineup quite special.

Far from being a creation of a new startup, this car has some serious backing behind it. HIMA is an alliance led by the tech giant Huawei. The company provides its smart technology for cars from many different automakers. These partners include Seres, Chery, BAIC, JAC, and SAIC, who sell cars under different names like Aito and Luxeed. The Z7 is the latest project for the SAIC brand, with the partnership suggesting the car will likely have very good software and phone connectivity inside.

The Z7 faces stiff competition. It is not the only car trying to win over young buyers. The Xiaomi SU7 is another popular EV that also looks a bit like a Porsche. The Xiaomi starts at about RMB 215,900, or $30,000. It'll be interesting to see if SAIC will try to copy Porsche with specifications, or if it will settle just for the good looks. Porsche might not be happy about the lookalike, but for regular drivers, the chance to own a stylish EV for $28,000 is very appealing.

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