JAGUAR Land Rover is suing Shenzhen-listed automaker Jiangling Motor for allegedly copying the British firm’s Range Rover Evoque, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said, a rare move by a foreign automaker to fight copycats in the world’s biggest autos market.

    A spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India’s Tata Motors, said that a court in Beijing’s Chaoyang District “served Jiangling with newly filed actions surrounding copyright and unfair competition.” He declined to elaborate.

    The suit relates to Jiangling’s Landwind X7 sport utility vehicle (SUV) copying the design of the Evoque, Jaguar Land Rover’s first China-made model that went on sale last year, said the person with knowledge of the legal proceedings.

    A spokesman for Landwind declined to comment.

    If Jaguar Land Rover wins its case, it could prompt other automakers to also take legal action, said Chen Jihong, a Beijing-based lawyer at Zhong Lun Law Firm.

    Landwind unveiled a new version of its X7 SUV in November 2014, drawing criticism for its striking likeness to the Evoque, an imported version of which was already on sale in China.

    The X7 costs around a third of the price of an Evoque.

    (SD-Agencies)