Brilliant…BMW’s China Partner Brilliance Working on X1-Lookalike A3 SUV

There is no question that when it comes to automotive clones from China, history repeats itself. Following in the footsteps of Mercedes-Benz’s China partner BAIC, which came out with a five-door hatchback closely resembling the Stuttgart firm’s B-Class, Brilliance Automotive, BMW’s associate in China, is working on a compact SUV model that looks very much alike X1 crossover.

According to Chinese news site Auto Sohu that broke these scoop photos, the new Brilliance model with the Audi name and BMW looks will be officially revealed at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show in mid-April. It is reported that the Brilliance A3 SUV will be offered with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine sourced from Mitsubishi’s local division.

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China Rumors: BMW to Team up with Brilliance and Develop Local Market EV Based on 5-Series

BMW is making plans with its Chinese partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. to develop a new fully electric model designed specifically for the local market, according to Autonews Europe citing a report from the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper.

The report added that the EV will be built on the platform of the current BMW 5-Series, a long-wheel base version of which is assembled at the German firm's plant in Shenyang, China, and that a pre-production concept study will make its world premiere at an auto show in China sometime this year. No other details were given about the electric model.