‘Toy’ota? Hilariously cheap Chinese EV clone of mighty Land Cruiser LC300

A video from China has been recently circulating on social media in which there’s a vehicle bearing an uncanny resemblance to Toyota‘s legendary Land Cruiser LC300, which is of course, a premium vehicle with prices starting at Rs 2.10 crore, ex-showroom, in India. Upon one glance at both the cars, you can clearly make out what the Chinese EV maker is trying to replicate and it’s clear as the manufacturer hasn’t even tried to hide it.
The Land Cruiser-inspired design is evident in the grille, headlights, fog light housings, and bumper at the front. The boxy silhouette, chunky grille, and even the distinctive taillights echo the Land Cruiser’s iconic design. Well, this, um, new product from China was first spotted in China earlier this year. It was christened as the Kuluze EV. However, this model, which again happens to be a very identical hatchback, now wears the ‘LONGQ:EV’ badging on the tailgate.

The noticeable difference from the LC300 lies in, of course the overall size, the wheel size, resembling those more fitting for a Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. One thing’s for sure, the Toyota Cruiser Copycat has social media talking. It’s a reminder that in the world of cars, the line between homage, inspiration, and outright copying can be as thin as a sheet metal panel.

We don’t know much about this vehicle. We don’t even know if this car is going into production, if it’s a one-of-a-kind creation, or if it’s just a regular car dressed up to look like a Land Cruiser by some aftermarket company. But one thing is for sure, this model has some crazy resemblance to the LC300 and looks like a cheaper alternative to the SUV with all the design elements neatly incorporated in its shrinked avatar.