The video above is a local news report about Fly Bo, a Chinese all-electric car, available for sale in Michigan. The speedometer on the car goes to 40 MPH and in the video Dave Latarte, owner of Great Lakes Auto Sales, which sells the Fly Bo, says the car has a range of 70 to 150 miles. Do you think Fly Bo looks a little like the Smart? So does DaimlerChrysler and they did threaten to sue.

We have kept you updated of the controversy since October 2006 and now this news report and the Great Lakes Auto Sales website seem to prove you can pick one up in red, green or yellow for $10,000. Although, I would not recommend it because I am a little concerned about the quality of the cars. The news report says they are not recommended for use in the Winter.

... who decided to sell Fly Bo in balmy Michigan of all places?

Related:

• Mercedes may sue to stop Euro sales of Chinese Smart clone
  
• Chinese Smart cloner backs down
  
• Electric Smart coming from China without DCX?
  

[Source: ClipSyndicate via Ecoegg]

Ready for some more on the 1.1-liter Shuanghuan Bubble, the car also known as the Shuanghuan Noble (but everyone outside of China knows it as the Smart car clone)? Automotive News Europe's Luca Ciferri went to see the Bubble at the Bologna auto show and says (subs req'd) that even though Martin Motors violated a court injunction by showing the car there, they did the right thing. Now he's seen the differences between the two with his own eyes and believes that no one will easily mistake one for the other, he writes, adding:

I feel it is wrong to consider this car an exact copy of the Smart ForTwo. One significant difference between the Bubble and the ForTwo is that the Bubble's cabin is longer and less bulky. One way to make sure the Bubble looks different from the ForTwo is if it is only sold in a single body color in Europe.

He also adds that, while the Bubble is certainly not as high-quality a vehicle as the Smart, "Maybe Daimler's effort to keep the Bubble off the road will actually help by giving Shuanghuan time to fix the problems before launching it here." Wouldn't that be just the oddest twist to this entire saga?

Related:

• Auto clone wars heating up in Europe
• There will be no stopping the Chinese-built Smart clone

[Source: Automotive News Europe]

We've been following the story of the Smart clone (a Chinese-import into Europe) for a while now (it will be built, no, it won't), but a series of articles today by Automotive News' Luca Ciferri puts the Chinese clone attack into a broader perspective. First, let's update the Smart clone story. It's back, and once again will (subs req'd) be offered for sale. Martin Motors says it will sell the Shuanghuan Noble in Europe (not Germany, because of Daimler's legislation there) by May. Thanks to a separate lawsuit, it's being renamed the Bubble. The 1.1-liter Shuanghuan Bubble will be at the Bologna auto show in December.

So, what else is news? Ciferri (with Tom Armitage) writes about how Fiat and BMW are also in court. Fiat doesn't like the Peri, built by Great Wall Motor, which "is almost an exact replica of the Panda." BMW is protesting the Shuanghuan CEO, which they say could be mistaken for a BMW X5 Also, Toyota is seeing UFOs - yes, that's their name - that look suspiciously like a RAV4. What, can't anyone see the value in making a decent clone of the RAV4 EV?

[Source: Automotive News]