Hello everyone, good morning!
On April 14, during the China International Consumer Products Expo, some media asked Michael Kirsch, President and CEO of Porsche China, what he thought of the styling of the Xiaomi SU7, and the other party commented: "As for the similarities between the Xiaomi SU7 and Porsche, I think maybe a good design is always in mind." ”
It can only be said that emotional intelligence is very high.
The Xiaomi SU7 is not a Taycan parody show
The conclusion is put in front: it doesn't count......
Why do some people say that Xiaomi plagiarizes?
The most typical is Jia Yueting, who is stranded overseas, and posted on Weibo bluntly saying that Xiaomi is a "copycat culture".
Netizens also listed various models with similar shapes to Xiaomi. For example, the headlights are highly similar to the McLaren, and the taillights are similar to the Lincoln MKZ. The most important thing is that the side shape is similar to that of the Porsche Taycan, which has been dubbed the "Porsche Mi" since its launch.
Xiaomi SU7
Porsche Taycan
Especially at the press conference, Lei Jun did not shy away from the word Taycan at all, and widely benchmarked. There are also Porsche owners who have pasted Xiaomi on their cars.
Support Xiaomi's point of view
Judging from Porsche's statement, at least Porsche officials will not pursue the problem of Xiaomi SU7 styling.
Most netizens don't think that this car is a copycat, but the detail design is remarkable, especially when the SU7 and Taycan are really put together, it can still be seen that the two cars have differences from all angles. The design of the headlights together is a rice word, which is also very creative.
Xiaomi does have a mature team of designers, led by Li Tianyuan, who also worked for BMW, and has played a crucial role in the construction of BMW's electrification design language.
After Jia Yueting commented on Xiaomi, the voice of the Xiaomi SU7 modeling cottage was also a lot quieter...... After all, no one wants to be equated with Boss Jia, who will return to China next week.
So what is the conclusion
According to the general criteria for judging appearance infringement, the possibility of Xiaomi SU7 infringing Porsche's appearance intellectual property rights is very small.
Yes, there are routine standards for judging whether plagiarism is plagiarized: first, the appearance patent is clearly protected by the Patent Law and other laws, and Porsche has indeed applied for the appearance patent of Taycan in China, with patent numbers 201730477091.2 and 201730477087.6 respectively.
So how to judge whether Xiaomi SU7 is plagiarized from Porsche Taycan? First of all, this is mainly based on subjective judgment, judging the similarity according to the two dimensions of local and whole. The way to make a judgment is also very simple: the court will find relevant people and compare the photos of the relevant products to determine whether there is obvious similarity. Generally, we will compare from multiple angles to find out whether there are obvious similarities in the design points.
According to the judicial interpretation of the Supreme People's Court, you can simply understand that those features that can make you recognize at a glance whether they are distinctive or not. It is also a relatively subjective and vague way of judging.
So, according to these criteria, if we look at the styling of the Xiaomi SU7 and the Porsche Taycan, it is indeed difficult to find the obvious same design points. The most obvious may be the side styling, but with a little knowledge of the design, it is not difficult to see that there are many differences between the two cars in terms of overall proportions and lines.
Perhaps for the sake of design stability, the design of the Xiaomi SU7 is inspired by Porsche, but it really cannot be identified as a plagiarized product. For an emerging brand, the design does not pursue unconventionality, but seeks stability and chooses a modeling language with high public acceptance, and on this basis, it is acceptable to play some of its own.
Let's talk about the X world who were brought in to spar
During this time, whenever the topic of Xiaomi modeling is involved, there are many comments that pull Hongmeng Zhixing's question and wisdom into the discussion. After all, when the M5 was just released, there were also many controversies about whether the shape was suspected of plagiarism. Coincidentally, the sufferer is still Porsche. Let's talk about the conclusion first: the side rear of the old Wenjie M5 is indeed highly similar to Porsche, and the similarity is higher than that of Xiaomi SU7.
But pulling out the M9 and the wisdom S7 to torture them is a bit vexatious......
I think the same way the design points are judged here. For example, the similarity between the M9 and the Mercedes-Benz GLS is based on the two-tone body, which is obviously not a convincing design point. Many brands offer two-tone options, and if you change the color, you can also see that the side design of the two cars is significantly different. Whether it's the overall proportions or the direction of the various lines. In particular, the window line design and D-pillar design, which are very important for the side shape.
Mercedes GLS
Ask the M9
Zhijie S7 was criticized by the headlights, in fact, the overall shape can clearly show the familiality of the new generation of models in the same world. In fact, the shape of the wind blade extending from the headlights is not unique to Porsche, and the shape is markedly different.
Ask the M9
Zhijie S7
For example, the two-tone body is a common way for high-end luxury cars to express a sense of luxury, and the wind blade shape is also a common way to express a sense of performance, both of which are popular elements formed at a specific stage.
It's like the square headlamp and round tail lamp that were popular in a certain period. These common elements, as long as they are in a car, are part of the finished styling, and it is difficult for us to say that this is plagiarism.
Like Xiaomi, these brother brands of Hongmeng Zhixing are also new players in the automotive field, and they are destined to be in a stage of gradual maturity. What we can see is that Hongmeng Zhixing's models have taken a few more steps than Xiaomi cars since the M9, and have iterated the second-generation styling style (M5 and M7 can be regarded as the first generation, and there are many similarities).
Enjoy the world S9
The next Xiangjie to be released by BAIC also continues this style and is becoming more and more mature. But another point: it is not advisable for online public opinion to use Huawei products as a shield when commenting on Xiaomi. Not to mention whether the listed designs are plagiarized, but even if others plagiarize, they can't prove that they are correct.
The most unjust thing is the ideal MEGA
Finally, the public opinion that is also plagued by "modeling plagiarism" is also ideal MEGA. Although the MEGA's styling controversy has overshadowed some people's similarities to the modern MPV, the Staria.
Again, apply the criteria mentioned earlier: from any point of view, the two cars do not form a similar relationship.
I think there should be an important criterion for judging whether two designs are similar: what is the logic of the origin of the similar elements?
The star ring headlights of Li MEGA are a design element that has existed since the advent of Li Auto. This design has been around since the time of the Ideal ONE. Since then, the Star Ring headlights have been carried forward on the L series and have become an iconic design. On the other hand, the Staria is a model that was launched in 2021. The crash of such headlights is naturally difficult to say that it is a reference to Hyundai. Occasionally, similar designs appear between different car brands in each era, and sometimes it is the result of the convergence of different evolutionary paths.
Similarly, the seemingly similar bullet shape of the two is also based on the functional needs of the low wind resistance design, which can only be said to be a certain coincidence with Staria. Whether in terms of functionality or inheritance, the ideal MEGA is a complete and understandable design, and putting it together with the word plagiarism can only be said to be a strange injustice through the ages......
Write at the end
We can't deny that at this stage, many brands still have the behavior of borrowing inspiration from mature models. Especially after the fire of many domestic models, imitators have sprung up.
On the bright side, there has been a lot less borrowing from overseas brands, but independent brands have begun to learn from each other, so that for a while, the shapes of China's new energy vehicles are highly similar......
For example, various MINI EV analogues, various Ideal L series analogues. Chinese design still has a long way to go.
Finally, what do you think of the Xiaomi SU7 and Taycan, as well as the response of Porsche executives?