How A Chinese Automaker Can Clone Porsche And Still Get Away With ItZotye Auto has launched the controversial new SR9 SUV on the Chinese car market. Why is it so divisive both in China and abroad? Because its a near-perfect clone of the Porsche Macan. I went to a Zotye dealer in Beijing to check it out and luckily, there was a shop selling secondhand Porsches literally a hundred meters away, making for an easy comparison.The overall design is  as you would expect  very similar, from the bumper to the windshield to fenders to the roof line to the rear hatch. Even the mirrors are the same. A comparison by size shows how close the SR9 and Macan really are:Zotye SR8: 4744/1929/1647, and wheelbase is 2850Macan: 4681/1923/1624, and wheelbase is 2807Porsche Macan, by Tycho de Feijter.The secondhand Macan S in this photo was priced at 320,000 yuan, still three times more than a new SR9.SR9 on the left, Macan on the right. Photos by Tycho de Feijter.Zotye cloned the interior too. The buttons on the center tunnel are exactly the same as in the Macan, and so is the panel around the rearview mirror and the clock on dash-top. The steering wheel is a clear copy too and the seats are very similar. The Zotyes touch screen is actually larger than Porsches, and it also has a fully digital instrument panel whereas the Porsche has only analogue dials. The SR9 is powered by a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.0 turbo with 190hp and 250nm, mated to a five-speed manual or a six-speed DCT. The least powerful engine available in the Macan is a 2.0 turbo too, but with 252hp and 370nm, and mated to an eight-speed DCT.Left: Zotye SR9. Right: Porsche Macan. Photos by Tycho de Feijter.I asked the owner of the dealer how he felt about the cloning controversy. He smiled and said it was good for business: the SR9 was famous, people loved a cheap Porsche, and he was selling a car a day. I asked whether he felt bad for Porsche, to which he replied it was their own fault for pricing their cars too high. He was also absolutely unafraid about any legal difficulties.Then I walked a hundred meters down the road and asked the people at the shop selling secondhand Porsches for their thoughts. They said they didnt care and that people who have the money for a Porsche would never buy a Zotye. Which probably true, but besides the point in my view.This high-price argument is often used in discussions about copied products in China; people blame the inaccessibility of the original item for the copycat version. Some go even further, saying its a good thing when Chinese companies take a swipe at the overpriced Western car makers to teach them a lesson about competitive pricing.The other side of the argument, especially with younger generations, is that copying products isnt good practice for the country. Companies like Zotye are bad for the standing and reputation of the Chinese automotive industry. Those voices, however, are a minority.The market seems to confirm that. Zotye hasnt released sales numbers of the SR9 yet but Ive heard theyre already ramping up production to meet demand. Zotye is also opening more dealerships and is moving into bigger cities where they havent ventured before, like Beijing and Shanghai. Residents of Chinas megacities have long considered Zotye a brand for the countryside, but perhaps no more.Something similar happened with last years most famous clone; the Landwind X7, a clone of the Land Rover Evoque. Nobody cared about the Landwind brand until the X7 came out. Then the cheaper clone model took off in sales, making them famous. They expanded dealerships, and today the X7 is their bread and butter, making up more than 60% of the companys total sales. Zotye hopes the SR9 will perform a comparable miracle.Zotye SR9, by Tycho de FeijterThe dealer said he wasnt afraid of legal difficulties, and hes probably right not to be. Porsche has said it might sue Zotye but they havent moved on it yet. Theyre too late anyway, even if they did win an eventual court battle  the car is out and selling. And its like they werent warned; photos of the SR9 first popped up in June 2015.A cautionary tale for Porsche: Jaguar Land Rover sued Landwind in June, a year after the X7 had been launched. The case is still running and the X7 is still selling.Zotye Auto was founded in 2005 and used to make cars based on legally licensed older European platforms, mostly from Fiat, but in the past five years have gone rogue and on a cloning spree.Theyve cloned a fleet of cars from the Volkswagen Group: the SR7 (Audi Q3), the Damai X5 (Volkswagen Tiguan), the Zotye T600 (Audi Q5), and the Damai X7 (Crossblue Coupe concept). They also make a series of small and rather attractive electric cars that have a somewhat more original design than the rest of the lineup. Zotye is also the owner of Jiangnan Auto, the company that makes Chinas cheapest car. If the copycat discount wasnt enough to give Zotye an edge against Porsche, as I was leaving the dealership the owner ran up to me and offered the white SR9 with a ski box for a mere 100,000 yuan, 8,800 RMB below the listed price. Tempting Tycho de Feijter is a Beijing-based China analyst, specialized in cars and tanks. He is the founder of CarNewsChina.com, the largest portal for news and information about the Chinese auto industry.