Chinese car brand may not put Mini copy into production

Patent drawings

Beijing Estek Technology filed patent drawings with the State Intellectual Property Office of the Mini copy with battery-electric powertrain in May 2022. BMW soon had the patent drawings in its sights and filed a protest against them in July 2022.

BMW wins

The State Intellectual Property Office now sides with BMW, saying the cars’ design is too similar to the classic Mini. Beijing Estek Technology will be given three months to respond to the Chinese patent office’s decision.

What about David Brown?

But then how is it that David Brown Automotive is allowed to produce the classic form? That’s just a little different. That company revives, so to speak, the classic Mini for modern times. Moreover, David Brown has an agreement with BMW to do so.

Unfortunately peanut butter

Beijing Estek Technology really had the intention of setting up a production line to manufacture an electric car without a Mini badge, and that is simply not allowed. The question is also whether the Chinese party would manage to make the new “Mini” meet all the safety requirements, because in the 1960s and 1970s, crumple zones were not really an issue.