Last week at the China auto show in Shanghai Land Rover was coming to terms with selling the Range Rover Evoque alongside its half-priced Chinese clone, the Landwind X7. Not to be outdone, Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co., Ltd (BAIC) unveiled its own version of a western SUV, opting for the classic Mercedes-Benz G-class.

The relationship between Daimler AG and BAIC Motor is a little different than the relationship between Jaguar Land Rover and Jiangling, the parent company of Landwind, which cribbed the Evoque's design. For one thing, Daimler owns a 12 percent stake in BAIC, and last month BAIC announced plans to take a 35 stake in Mercedes-Benz Lease Co, which is Daimler's Chinese subsidiary that leases vehicles to businesses and private owners in mainland China and its territories. Still, executives in Stuttgart were reportedly not happy when BAIC started planning this SUV back in 2011. Carnewschina.com reports that Mercedes-Benz tried to get BAIC to back off the SUV project when they first learned of it, though it appears that BAIC still got its way.

The resemblance to the iconic G-wagen is definitely there, right down to the interior design, but don't expect a big beefy V8 under the hood -- the BJ80C will have 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 4.0-liter six-cylinder gas engines on offer. The BJ80C is actually just a bit longer than the four-door G-wagen available in other markets, with the BAIC version featuring a 110 inch wheelbase compared to the G-wagen's 112.5 inch wheelbase.

The front fascia is still very much G-class, though an effort seems to have been made to differentiate the two. Newspress

If the BJ80C does a good impression of the G-class from the sides, the front and rear fascias are where the BAIC version can claim that it's less of a direct copy than the Landwind X7. The front fascia features a vertical grille with four bars but retains the large round headlights, while the rear fascia goes for fairly conventional vertical taillights that look like they came from a parts bin from some commercial truck. The large spare tire with a chrome ring is clearly something that was inspired by the original Mercedes-Benz SUV.

How close of a copy is this? We figure we'd have to be about 250 yards away to not be able to tell the difference between the two vehicles sitting side by side, but with the help of city smog and the cover of darkness the breaking point may be inside a hundred yards.

The only question that remains is just how affordable will this copy be once it goes on sale. With the premium that Mercedes-Benz cars command in the Chinese market, this may end up being a spectacular deal compared to the real G-wagen.

Look for the military version of BJ80C at the next People's Liberation Army parade.

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