Luxing iStar – RM14k Mercedes-Benz clone for China

Luxing iStar – RM14k Mercedes-Benz clone for China

It’s an SUV, electric-driven, and looks like a Mercedes-Benz, but no, it isn’t the Mercedes-Benz EQ C. Meet the Luxing iStar, a compact, battery-powered SUV manufactured by the Dezhou Luxing Vehicle Company in Dezhou, Shandong province in China (pics and details courtesy of CarNewsChina).

It appears to be a mash-up of Mercedes-Benz design cues gone wrong: the three-pointed star is oriented downwards, with what appears to be GLC head lamps and a crudely-grafted lower bumper of the Mercedes-Benz Concept Coupe SUV (which has since evolved into the GLE Coupe).

Around the back, the iStar wears a pair of tail lights which resemble those on the Stuttgart manufacturer’s SUV range, with an additional clear red band joining the two sides. Its profile is rather less alike said SUVs and more like a kei-car, with small wheels to match. Under the skin, a 72 V battery powers the Luxing iStar to a top speed of 45 km/h, with total range claimed to be 150 km.

Inside, more Mercedes-Benz design cues are evident, with the broad swathe of dashboard trim clearly aping the A-Class, complete with copied air-conditioning vents. The COMAND infotainment screen hasn’t made it to the Merc copy, with what appears to be a touchscreen unit located in the lower half of the dashboard instead.

A big, red button below the infotainment screen betrays its pre-production state, as end-users certainly wouldn’t need (or want to be confused by) a master electricity kill switch. At 22,000 yuan (RM14,135) the Luxing iStar is cheap, although its modest top speed is perhaps a little too modest, even for urban use. What do you think, readers?

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

Comments

  • orang biasa on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:25 pm

    Look like crap and battery reliable?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 2
    • Michael Goh on Mar 22, 2017 at 6:53 pm

      Can we in Malaysia also have a car that cost RM14k? Why China can do it and Proton and Perodua cannot give Malaysia RM14k car?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 15
      • kadajawi (Member) on Mar 23, 2017 at 3:54 am

        If it is THIS crappy, then yes, sure. Why not? There are NO safety features in this car. Have a crash, say goodbye. Yes, it is very slow, but other vehicles aren’t. You’re at their mercy, as they would plow right through you. Say goodbye to comfort too, say hello to high levels of noise (thankfully at least you won’t have to suffer through a noisy bike engine inside the car…). Basically, this thing would make a Kancil look and feel like an S class in every area.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
        • TonyT on Mar 23, 2017 at 11:25 pm

          ermmm…if you concern about the safety of really cheap cars…then what about bikes? Wouldn’t they the worst in safety?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
        • Marcus on Mar 24, 2017 at 2:27 pm

          How would you know? Have you seen the car, or tested driven it?

          Of couse, when you pay RM14,000 for a car, what would you expect? 0-100kmh in 7 sec, top speed of 200 kmh?

          Some of us only need a f****** car to get us from point A to point B.

          Get real, brother!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
      • Of cuz we can! Its just a golf buggy with body panels that mimic Mesidis. But do u really wanna put ur life and ur famili life at risk with a body paneled golf buggy?

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 1
        • TonyT on Mar 23, 2017 at 11:27 pm

          What about motorbikes? Riders putting their lives and their families at risk on daily basis.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
    • Manual Swift Sporter on Mar 22, 2017 at 8:44 pm

      This may be a polarising opinion, but I think this is a brilliant idea of a car, no sarcasm meant. These class of cars are allowed to b moulded into any shape so long as it’s small output battery powered. So many small private companies are enterprising enough to venture into the market with very very interesting ideas of copying or originality alike. Look it up, some bloke even did a Ferrari version! So they’re kinda eco friendly, cheap enough to appeal, medium industry beneficial, fun to look or laugh at, plus I dun think it’s hurting the actual companies they r copying from, since the market and products are completely different. You could even say they’re free advertisements.

      Frankly I dun understand why we dun do something like that here, what with our healthy ah Beng tune and mod scenes and our fibreglass body kit fetishes. I mean it’s not like it can cause competition against some local crappy low powered poor quality car that we are……Ohhhhhhhhhh………..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 3
      • kadajawi (Member) on Mar 23, 2017 at 3:58 am

        The problem is that these vehicles are so terrible that you really need a very, very, VERY good reason to drive one of these. 14k? That will get you a much better second hand car. These kind of cars do exist in Europe too (though petrol powered), but the only reason why anyone would buy and drive one is a) you only have to be 16 IIRC to drive one of these, and b) you don’t need a driving license to drive one of these. That means old folks who never bothered with getting a driving license are driving these, school kids with too much money, and people who lost their driving license, most likely because they were too drunk. Add the fact that these vehicles can’t exceed 45 km/h, causing every other car to burst out in rage and try to overtake them dangerously, and it’s an absolute disaster.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 1
      • Even the cheapest local car, Axia is better than this golf cart.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
    • Ah Kow on Mar 23, 2017 at 8:33 am

      Can these CHina copycats stop all these nonsense crap car? OMG please SUE THEM FOR KARL BENZ SAKE!!!!!

      THis is too much I kennot tahan….

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
    • Bash Basher on Mar 23, 2017 at 11:02 am

      I do NOT understand how this “Losing iStar” company can blindly copy Merc like this.
      First it shows a freaking lazy designer who tak tau malu. This is not designing, this is copying, even worse than rebadging.

      Second how can the management or the CEO approve this piece of crap. Either they have not seen a Merc GLC/GLE before or they are boldly dumb to approve such junk.

      Third, look under the hood, lousy lazy engineering. enough said

      Fourth, RM14k? I wonder what is it made of? Especially the chassis and the scary China battery. Please do a NCAP test and surprise me.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • Some says its better to copy and success than try ownself. Thats what they say to their children as well, I guess…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 17 Thumb down 2
  • isengard12 on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:37 pm

    OMG, the battery compartment is laughable

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0
  • Mercedes designers just saw this an wept tears of sadness and emotional rage, seeing their design language bastardized to this extent. I don’t think Mercedes Benz would even sue, they would probably invite the Luxing designers to Stuttgart to be trained properly. If you want to copy, copy it right lah.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 0
  • 14k, very good for maid to buy vege at market everyday.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 0
    • 4G63T DSM on Mar 22, 2017 at 10:03 pm

      For 14k. I dont care how it looks like. Charge it at work. Can’t drive it fast on kampung roads anyway. Where do i buy one?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
  • jolly_idiot (Member) on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:49 pm

    Don’t mess with china. The chinese are good in cloning.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 0
  • Azahari on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    Please please. I can’t stop laughing. This creature looks like a down sindrome Merc.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 6
  • jinggo on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:51 pm

    astaga… what the hell is this?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 20 Thumb down 2
  • Saiful Hamdan on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    One of the common vehicles in the background of an animated tv series.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Sewel on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:55 pm

    Head of merc any action?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • Lel it needs to be more uncle-y to make it fool proof

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Basheer on Mar 22, 2017 at 6:21 pm

    There is a big difference between a clone and a rip-off, this is obviously the latter

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • mason_ on Mar 22, 2017 at 6:53 pm

    if can pick up kids to and from school,why not…
    saving is a must in this bn gov…

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • ducatiscrambler on Mar 22, 2017 at 7:05 pm

    Dezhou, I believe your Mercedes has autism

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Potential Customer on Mar 22, 2017 at 7:35 pm

    Can bring powerbank for the battery packs if its a longer journey to the destination haha

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
  • No Name on Mar 22, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    They already have the money, technology and man power to build this car but don’t have enough brain to think/create for an original design…what a shame and waste of resources..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • lolkat on Mar 22, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    How to charge…?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Pussified-SUV on Mar 22, 2017 at 7:53 pm

    Pls bring this awesome EC to Malaysia!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Mikey on Mar 22, 2017 at 8:23 pm

    If anyone is looking for the most UGLY Mar-c-d, look No further.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Cute.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
  • that hussband n wife dont bother.. wait till Jack Mah clone ‘her’ hair

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • I’m sure if this is launched in Malaysia even for RM18k, you’ll still find a number of people goon for it at that entry level price point.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 2
    • kadajawi (Member) on Mar 23, 2017 at 4:03 am

      Not if they do a test drive. The Axia and Saga are so much better than this…

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
  • Megane on Mar 22, 2017 at 9:05 pm

    This is a good car to fool the hotel valet parking attendant . Hahahahha. Once he opens up the bonet he will drop dead laughing.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Bernard on Mar 22, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    That is China ……without a doubt!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
  • Mercilai on Mar 22, 2017 at 9:52 pm

    Mercedes kena penyakit anorexia….. Kui kui kui kui…. Hebat betul….. Suruh copy pun takleh copy betul betul….. Suntut je designer ni….

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • Bring to malaysia pls

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 3
  • EnergyAnalyst on Mar 23, 2017 at 6:36 am

    Brilliant logo. All buyer have to do is turn it upside down, and just like magic, it becomes…..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
  • kereta_lembu on Mar 23, 2017 at 10:38 am

    Although it is a sad looking cut & paste car, and its probably poorly built but at RM14k, you can’t complain too much. Bare in mind that, they can still make money even though it is already dirt cheap for a new car. But hey, their people have an option to buy a RM14k new car. Can we get a new car for RM14k?

    To potential buyers, I’m sure they are not going to buy it because it looks like a merc coz if anything, it takes away a person’s dignity if they ever consider it as a mercedes. People who buy these cars will be people who cannot afford better but they need a car for their family. They probably know its crap and doesn’t have safety features like ABS/ESP/6 Airbags etc…but with limited money, what can they do? Are you suggesting that riding a bike, carrying 3-4 people is a better option and less dangerous? Because that is what I commonly see in Malaysia. Although its wrong and dangerous, but I pity those families that have to ride a bike carrying his wife, and 2 kids along.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 2
    • Mikey on Mar 23, 2017 at 2:38 pm

      The day our Gov abolish all taxes, that will be the day we will all rejoice & we can all drive cheaper cars. Vore wisely voters.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
    • Mikey on Mar 23, 2017 at 2:38 pm

      The day our Gov abolish all taxes, that will be the day we will all rejoice & we can all drive cheaper cars. Vote wisely voters.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • michael on Mar 23, 2017 at 6:11 pm

    My God! How can you copy a Merc to this extend and disgrace it with a maximum speed of 45 km/h ? This a good attempt and a horrible one at the same time

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • wyanne alexandar radiant on Apr 14, 2017 at 12:11 am

      Ssangyong had done it wt w140 s class copycat to their saloon,remember?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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