Nikkei Automotive Technology, a Japanese automotive technology magazine, recently ran an article titled, “BYD’s ‘F1′ Looks Like Toyota Aygo,” noting that from the trapezoidal body to the dash the Chinese hatchback looks almost exactly like Toyota’s Aygo.
Some people however, seem very cool with all of that: “I think this car [BYD F1] looks way better than the Japanese one [Toyota Aygo], and we designed it ourselves,” said Xia Zhibing, the general manager of BYD Auto, during an interview with Guangzhou Daily, “Cars look alike in a lot of ways. Some parts of certain Toyota models, for instance, look like Mercedes-Benz’s and Ford’s.” He continued by saying, “[People] can bring it out if there’s any argument [in design]. Our design concept is to absorb the best of others’ ideas and make it in a different way.” He opined that this is what Japan and South Korea automakers have done and what made them grow into successful companies.
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