by We have long been accustomed to numerous Chinese clones. In China, they make copies of Porsche, Range Rover, and even Pagani. But what was the very first car clone from China? 
We answer, it’s the Geely Number 01 from 1996, and as seen in the photo, it was copying the Mercedes E-Class W210. However, the photo shows that the sedan is somewhat disproportionate.
This is not surprising, as the Mercedes copy was built on the base of the Audi 100 “cigar,” which was then produced in China under the name Hongqi CA7220. The car didn’t go into series production, but Geely founder Li Shufu used it as his personal car for some time. 
In general, Mercedes-Benz cars are Li Shufu’s favorites. So it’s not surprising that the first Geely cars acquired Mercedes traits. In particular, the Haoqing hatchback received a front end in the spirit of the Mercedes C-Class W202, and the Geely CK also resembles Stuttgart sedans.
As for Number 01, it remained a one-of-a-kind. The fate of the car is now unknown, but about 10 years ago, the Chinese Mercedes copy was in a deplorable state. 
