Geely insists it's not copying Rolls-Royce

• Source: The Global Times
• [17:55 April 26 2009]
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By Shi Jierui

A spokeswoman for China's Geely Automobile admitted Friday there were some similarities between the Rolls-Royce Phantom and Geely GE, but insisted the GE which stands for "Geely Excellence" was an original car.

As one of China's major independent car makers, Geely launched GE at last week's Shanghai Auto Show, and the sedan attracted a lot of attention because many people thought at first glance the GE looked very similar to the Rolls-Royce Phantom.

According to AFP, the glossy black GE, still a prototype, has some of the Phantom's signature features, including the grille, the sloping line of the trunk, and even the logo looks like the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstacy hood mascot. "But the details are certainly different," spokeswoman Zhang Xiaoshu told AFP.

On its website, Geely also says the GE is "re-inventing the classic", without specifically saying which classic car it is reinventing.

Rolls-Royce said Friday that it was keeping its options open about taking legal action.