Look, we know that some of these Chinese truck and car companies stretch the boundaries of design rights. But let’s shelve that thought for a moment and look at the absurd, but unnatural draw to this latest ripoff, the Kuluze Weibo. We’ve never heard of Kuluze, and can’t find anything on the interweb that gives us a clue, but there is this physical manifestation of its intentions. 

So what is the Kuluze Weibo SUV?

Our pals at Carscoops did some digging and came up with more than Kuluze offers, which really could use some promotion chops. Searching through the AliExpress website, it found that Kuluze makes automotive lighting of all sorts. If you’ve ever been to the SEMA Show or other automotive supplier confabs, know about these lighting companies.

So what is probably going on is a lighting company going all-in on its pursuit of automotive products. If you make parts for vehicles, why not make vehicles too? And with that mandate, make it something that is popular, just shrink it down a few feet. Violá! The Weibo.

Is the Kuluze Weibo SUV really that close to the Land Cruiser?

Comparing the Weibo to the Land Cruiser, there’s no mistaking the mini SUV’s intent. From a design standpoint, it is a dead ringer for the Land Cruiser. Because the proportions are what they are, the beltline is a lot higher, and the wheelbase is proportionally shorter. And those teeny tiny wheels and tires give it almost a toy look. It even has the kickup at the rear side windows matching the Land Cruiser. The same goes for the rear end, just chunkier and taller. 

The other thing this might be is an aftermarket conversion like many of those vans we see in Japan. They take an existing vehicle, and manufacture front ends that mimic popular vehicles giving the vehicle a modern-retro look. The original VW Microbus vans are a popular conversion. So are the 1960s and 1970s Chevrolet trucks. Go figure. 

When drilling down on the images of the Weibo, you can barely see a traverse motor case behind the rear axle. So this indicates this is a rear-wheel drive vehicle with limited horsepower. To speculate, we’re thinking maybe 10 to 15 hp. This begs the question is this a product with the intent to produce or is it just a fancy display fixture for your lighting stuff? 

Is this just a golf cart?

But maybe it is something else. Maybe it’s just a fancy four-door golf cart. A golf cart to go along with your full-size Toyota Land Cruiser. Matchy-matchy. 

Whatever this thing is, we’d like to know more from Kuluze. This SUV first popped up on a Chinese social media site called Weibo, which is where these images are from. It’s an inclusive site covering fashion, real estate, Hollywood, travel, and business. So it’s a hip cultural website, which the Land Cruiser rip-off, fits right into. If you know anything more about the Kuluze SUV, let us know.