In recent years, as the global automotive industry has become more and more excellent at the design level, manufacturers, including some independent brands, have set their sights on some old cars that have been discontinued, that is, the launch of some retro models. However, whether it is a tribute to the classic, or another way, some old cars will be re-produced, or the appearance of maintaining the "appearance" of the old car, in terms of power, chassis, interior to introduce a new design and concept, there is a problem that can not be avoided, that is, at least from the appearance level, there may be more or less "plagiarism" components, although some models of design patents have expired, but for netizens and consumers, you can still see the similarity!
Euler Automobile has suffered such a problem before, after Euler Automobile released a retro pure electric model - punk cat, after the debut of this model, many netizens are very interested in the design of this car, because from the design level alone, the design of punk cat does look very eye-catching. However, some netizens and media said that the design of punk cats is to copy the Beetle! In fact, seeing the punk cat car is indeed very similar to Volkswagen's early Beetle (1968 model), and there is a sense of déjà vu! Fortunately, the Beetle has been discontinued, and the early Beetle design patents have long expired. So from the perspective of rules alone, Euler Motors has no legal risk in launching this model, and it is no problem to think that it is a tribute to the Beetle!
However, if the Beetle is re-produced and introduced to the domestic market, or in the form of an electric car, Euler's punk cat may be embarrassed! The reason is very simple, that is, for consumers and netizens, if the Beetle is discontinued, in the era of new energy vehicles, it is no longer possible to see and buy this classic model, then the Eulabunk cat is a very good model that can pin the Beetle complex. But if Volkswagen introduces electrified Beetles in China, then the big guys don't need to pin the Beetle complex through punk cats, that is to say, the "lord" is coming, and there is no need for the so-called homager!
However, this situation, which may be embarrassing for Euler, may become a reality in the near future! A few days ago, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess said in a question-and-answer video about "some netizens hope to launch an electric Beetle", "Classic models can always evoke good memories." The Beetle is indeed a very classic model. Another model that may not be well known in China is also a classic, and that is our BUZZ. After re-engraving buzz, we are also actively thinking about how to extend this classic heritage to the electric car sector", and Dies added, "We have considered the Beetle, we have also considered the dune buggy, and other classic models, everything is possible" and "if there is a big enough call, it is also possible to reproduce a classic model for China". As soon as this word came out, many netizens said that they were looking forward to it, because the Beetle is really a very classic model, and Volkswagen has also been fully transforming electrification in the past two years, if it can produce an electric Beetle, it is also a very good decision!
It is obvious that Volkswagen's insight into the domestic automobile market should be regarded as the strongest among the many joint venture brands, and it can grasp the needs of the domestic automobile market in a timely manner and launch corresponding products, which is an important reason for Volkswagen's excellent performance in the domestic market for so many years! In the past year or so, Volkswagen has generally launched pure electric models in the domestic market, which is a typical example, and electrification is basically an irreversible trend in the domestic automobile market, and Volkswagen is also looking at this. So at the level of electric vehicles, Volkswagen still put a lot of effort into it! Of course, by extension, if the domestic auto market begins to re-enlist in old cars and retro cars, then it is not impossible for Volkswagen to resume production of the Beetle and launch an electric Beetle in the domestic market!
As we said above, if Volkswagen does not produce a domestic electric Beetle, then the punk cat is a model that pays tribute to the classic Beetle, which may trigger a retro complex of many netizens and consumers; but once the Volkswagen Beetle is really domestically produced in the form of an electric car, then no matter from which aspect, the punk cat will be very embarrassed, from the perspective of paying tribute to the classic, the "main lord" is back, and what a tribute! From the perspective of patents, Volkswagen has already said that it is already evaluating whether punk cats violate the Beetle-related patents! If Volkswagen is determined to drop the electric Beetle in the country, then the conflict between the two will inevitably break out!
Of course, what is more important is that in 2020, Volkswagen has applied for the trademark of e-Beetle, which means that Volkswagen's production and development of electric vehicle Beetles is also "planned for a long time", not Volkswagen CEO's "mouth"!