Chinese Maker Defends Cloning Toyota Product As A Viable Strategy

examples from your site:
"http://www.freewebs.com/not_pc_facts/JapaneseCopy.htm"

lotus elan with that shape as mazda miata was produced to 1975 and mazda miata was lauched in 1989:
citation from wikipedia about this:
"The MX-5, as envisioned by its designers, is a small roadster with minimal necessary weight and mechanical complexity — technologically modern, but a direct descendant of the small British roadsters of the 1960s such as the Triumph Spitfire, Austin-Healey Sprite, MG Midget and Lotus Elan."
this is like saying that bmw copied mini . they did successor , not copied.
abut mazda i can also say that they like many other carmakers licensed wankel engine but they only solve the problems and did it reliable and durable . even dr Wankel can`t do this and other european and american companies.
next are austin engines in datsun cars:

http://www.earlydatsun.com/austin.html
citation:
"But to call the Nissan engines built after the Austin agreement a blatant copy would be to sell them considerably short. Yes they were based heavily on the Austin designs, but they also made significant changes to the designs. The Nissan engines were built with a degree of engineering precision the British couldn't come close to matching. The British engines were notoriously oil leakers (the old standard joke was Q/ how do you tell if an Austin needs oil A/ it's stopped leaking ) , but even 40+ years down the track old Nissan engines just don't leak oil. The other thing the did was significantly improve the cylinder head and manifold design, Nissan engines all produce more power than their Austin equals. (for example 1965 Fairlady 1600 = 96hp, 1965 MGB 1800 = 95hp, or 1966 Datsun Bluebird SS 1299 = 77hp, 1966 Austin Healey Sprite 1275 = 48hp etc.) The other thing Nissan had that Austin lacked was reliability, the Austin engines weren't bad mind you, it's just that the Nissan versions were practically indestructible. The biggest impact Nissan made on overall vehicle reliability was it's use of Japanese made electrical components. Nissan's electrical component suppliers such as Hitachi, EverWing, Mitsubishi Electrical, Niles and Myamoto supplied 100% reliable and totally dependable parts, Austin has Lucas."

datsun fairlady have some "european look" like you said but what about mazda cosmo , honda s500 , toyota sports 800 , 2000gt -they haven`t "european look"

and about lexus ls and mercedes s:
telling that ls460 is similar to bmw or mercedes is nonsense . it isn`t in terms of design and technology is very different . first ls400 have one of the most sophisticated engines even to this day , it is one of ward`s 10 best engines of 20th century where aren`t any mercedes engine so in this term mercedes could "teach". ls400 has overall shape similar to merc s but you couldn`t mistake it with merc s . lexuses ls430 was imitating to merc s in term of design but example from your site: 1992 merc s - 2002 ls430 have rather overall shape similar but not cop

and about korean automakers: before genesis they didn`t copied , they were licensing.

TurboSpyder
Can you deny this:
Ferdynand Porsche vw beetle was a copy of Tatras particularly Tatra T97 designed by czechslovakian - Hans Ledwinka . wikipedia- "Tatra launched a lawsuit, but this was stopped when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. At the same time, Tatra was forced to stop producing the T97. The matter was re-opened after WW2 and in 1961 Volkswagen paid Tatra 3,000,000 Deutsche Marks in compensation. These damages meant that Volkswagen had little money for the development of new models and the Beetle's production life was necessarily extended." . first porsches (prototypes before war and production after war) was designed as a "sporty versions" of beetle by Ferdinand Porsche and his son . all porsches:first 356 and successors 911 , 912 to today`s was base on that same shape , flat air-cooled(later water-cooled) engine in the back with was invented by Hans Ledwinka and copied by Ferdinand Porsche , first beetle and then almost all porsches to present .

Toyota is the Trendsetter of the World.

Toyota doesn't trendset. Like Spellchecker001 said they don't take risks. For example they've sat in the shadows looking at what MB, BMW, and Audi have done and made Lexus in high volume selling brand. It doesn't mean it's better though. However, Lexus saved years of development just by "borrowing" from what's already out and building from there.

So saying the Chinese are dumb for "cloning" I wouldn't say it's dumb at all. It's smart from a business standpoint for the simple fact of making money. Although i am disappointed China has made a reputation for themselves as the motherland of copies, without this mega-country none of us who live in North America or Europe would be wearing what we're wearing or using what we're using.

if toyota doesn't start trends, then why is just about EVERY big mfgr now scrambling to jump on the Hybrid bandwagon.
INITIATED by toyota!

WRONG!

Honda was the first to come out with Hybrid. Toyota just took it and made it a mass production.

well then why do toyota have the rights and the patents to the technology

agent63--

it is YOU that's wrong. honda was first ONLY in marketing hybrids in u.s.

toyota tested marketed the 1st gen Prius in Japan for a few years before selling them here. they DID develop viable hybrids first.

and their system is still superior to hondas. and other makers' "partial" hybrids.

China is the land of copied products.

Boycott the Olympics by not going there and do not watch them on your television set.

The Mockery Mocked! I love it

ahh LS460 copied S class. That's the dumbest thing i have read.
if anything it's S class which copied 7 series bangle butt and interior and even similar electronics like i drive like knob and dumping their traditional Gear lever placing and made BMW like shifter. Also New spyshots/photoshots show new E class copied GS double-squared-oval headlights...etc

and also Japanese are the inventors of crossover idea/segment.

JUGNU

And Lexus copied the Maybach with it's rear-reclining seats.

The four light idea was in earlier models of Merc's. Before Lexus was even an actual brand.

- Everyone has ABS nowadays, SAT-NAV, and three pointed seat belts. Does that mean everyone's copying MB? Simple answer is NO. But give credit where credit is due. They've had some innovative ideas over the years that trendset the auto industry. What has Lexus done? Take Honda's hybrid idea and actually do something with it. That's not really innovation. That's an enhanced duplication. A great job though.

Agent63:
"Everyone has ABS nowadays, SAT-NAV, and three pointed seat belts. Does that mean everyone's copying MB?Simple answer is NO."
yes ,I agree . how sat-nav and three pointed belts can be "copied" from MB when MB must it "copy" first , becouse this aren`t MB innovation . ABS is MB innovation .

toyota DID NOT copy honda's hybrid system. former is parallel, latter series hybrid.

get your facts straight.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius#1997-2000_Prius_.28model_NHW10.29