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Everybody in the business knows that the BYD S6 SUV is a blatant copy of the last generation Lexus RX350 SUV. The rip-off is so blatant that BYD even registered a European patent for their carbon copy. If you don’t look close enough, pretty much the only parts that differ are the grille and some BYD badges. Mei wen ti! No problem!

For only 600 yuan or $95, you can buy this BYD to Lexus conversion kit in China. It consists of a Lexus grille and a set of badges that replace the telltale BYD signage.

Even the engine cover will be properly converted. According to Carnewschina, BYD dealers usually sell Lexus-badges and Lexus-grille straight with the S6, they even put it on for you.

A BYD S6 goes for between $14,000 and $20,000. A new, imported RX350 costs between $79,000 and $136,000 in China.

TTAC Commentator halftruth writes:

Hey Sajeev,

I see a lot of manufacturers using the binocular style gauge motif (see Hyundai Elantra, 2011 Avalon, Chevy Cruze for example) and I hate it! I also see a lot of carmakers using the upside down triangle motif in a lot of their steering wheel designs.  We can even throw in the obligatory fuel AND coolant gauge.. they all seem to do this same thing with little variation. That said, if we look thru history, this mimicking has always gone on.

But why? Sometimes a bad idea is just that and shouldn’t be copied: I am reminded of huge gaudy consoles that take up legroom- for an automatic.

Sajeev answers:

Many, many moons ago, I studied Industrial Design at the College for Creative Studies. I was deluded enough to think I could be the next Harley Earl/Bill Mitchell/Jack Telnack. Instead I learned a truth of the car business from the perspective of an idealistic college student.

And if you notice an undercurrent of bitterness and sarcasm in my writings, well that’s also a byproduct of my time in design school. But I digress…

Binocular style gauge clusters?  They make you feel like you’re on a motorcycle.  Which is cool, even if you don’t get it.  After all, who doesn’t want a crotch rocket over a family sedan? I guarantee you that every clinic-demographic study done by the automakers justifies this styling trend.

Upside down triangle wheels?  Actually, I am okay with this one: tillers are more than just a way to steer and save your bacon (airbag) in a head-on collision. Thanks to cruise control, audio control, climate control and SYNC-like interfaces, the wheel should be a charming piece of design to keep you interested in the technology…when parked.

My point: the car business is a lead-then-follow industry.  Someone has the balls to do something nuts, and when said loony activity makes money, everyone jumps on the bandwagon.  Cadillacs got tailfins. BMWs got Bangle-Butts, Ford made the Taurus/Sable. Chrysler produced the Minivan. Nissan put clear taillights on the Altima. Technology like SYNC gave new purpose to an old steering wheel. And people like a sedan/CUV that’s influenced by a sporty motorcycle, too.

It all brings home the bacon. As Grandmaster Flash said:

“Cause it’s all about the Money, ain’t a damn thing Funny.

You got to have a con in this land of Milk and Honey.”

Bonus!  A Piston Slap Nugget of Wisdom:

When did you realize this sad truth about car design?

I learned about copycat designs with my favorite car, a 1983 (Fox Body) Lincoln Continental that’s been in the Mehta garage since 1986.  At the time, the Hooper inspired “bustleback” coachwork from Lincoln, Cadillac and Chrysler proved that everyone had the same idea. And I am not sure if any other moment in history made the point quite this clear!

Hooper’s designs were famous for a long hood, short deck and a sweeping beltline that dramatically tapered down to the rear bumper: the 1980 Cadillac Seville was the first to see gold in that pre-war styling notion.  Chrysler was certainly the wildest with the 1981 Imperial coupe, yet I thought the 1982 Fox Continental’s incorporation of the fake tire hump and Rolls Royce style grille (both Lincoln hallmarks for decades) worked the best on the retro-British theme. Plus, the automotive experts at Motor Trend liked the Foxy Conti better than the Seville, so now I know I’m 100% right.

Who knows, maybe disco music and endless lines of coke was part of the problem in the years leading up to those three redesigns. Or not.

Send your queries to [email protected] . Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.

GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen have a mutual problem: Losses in Europe. Now, the two want to share the burden. General Motors and PSA are discussing a broad manufacturing alliance, if today’s media reports from Europe are to be believed.

PSA and GM?

Number 2 in Europe PSA had been looking for  a partner for years. The logical ally used to be Fiat. At the Detroit Motor Show, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne told Reuters that

“he would be willing, in principle, to be part of a consolidation that would create another car company in Europe rivaling Volkswagen AG in size.

“If you take two of the European players and put them together, you’re going to get the right answer,” Marchionne said.”

Using that math, the options are limited. Even if you add the largest European players, none of them would eclipse the European juggernaut VW. Fiat’s and PSA’s EU market shares, added together, would be 19.6 percent, not enough to out-do Volkswagen’s 23.9 percent share.

There is just one combination that comes a bit closer to the target, and that is PSA and GM. Their combined share would be 19.9 percent. Neither GM nor PSA are thinking of merging though.

The talks are about sharing vehicles and parts, and not about a capital tie-up, Reuters says.

In the meantime, analysts in Europe are scratching their heads and ask: Why?

Peugeot and GM’s Opel suffer from overcapacity in Europe, while facing painful restructuring and militant unions. Both agonize under too much exposure to a stagnant EU market. Which makes Credit Suisse analyst Erich Hauser wonder:

“We struggle to see how yet another ‘me-too’ cooperation with GM Europe on componentry will help address any of the fundamental issues.”