Zombie car brands are launching in Europe, selling Chinese cars

A historic Italian prestige brand has been resurrected after almost a century, with the Itala nameplate to be applied to the GAC Emzoom small SUV from China.

Not only that, but DR Automobiles – which imports and makes minor changes to Chinese vehicles – is also dusting off another heritage nameplate, Osca, as part of its Historic Italian Brands plan.

Itala was a Turin-based firm founded in 1904 but which went out of business in 1934, with its remnants bought up by Fiat. Osca was founded in 1947 by the Maserati brothers, before being shuttered in 1967.

DR Automobiles’ acquisition of these brands is a change in tack for the Italian importer, which had previously created new brand names, one of which led to legal troubles.

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Itala’s first model will be the Itala 35, based on the GAC Emzoom (aka Trumpchi GS3 in China).

Italdesign was involved in its development, with the most notable exterior changes including a reshaped grille, revised front bumper, and new badging.

“Italdesign’s design team worked from an existing technical base, focusing its intervention on the front and rear, redefining non-structural elements and integrating existing components such as the lighting units,” it said in a press release.

Quattroruote reports former Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli will be responsible for changes to the interior, electronics, infotainment, and chassis, though the powertrain – a 127kW/270Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic – will be unchanged.

Further images published by the outlet reveal the Emzoom cabin has been reupholstered with red Italian leather and red Alcantara trim on the seats, dashboard and doors.

The Itala 35 will be followed by the Itala 56 mid-size SUV and the Itala 61 large SUV. It’s unclear what vehicles will be offered under the Osca brand, and from where they’ll be sourced.

Per Quattroruote, a total of six Itala models will be introduced, sourced from GAC with design input from Italdesign; the 56 and 61 will feature petrol power, but electrified powertrains will be offered in other Italas.

Osca will offer two unspecified models.

If you thought Chery had an abundance of brands, DR Automobiles is even more prolific.

It launched its namesake DR brand back in 2006, applied to rebadged Cherys, before rolling out EVO in 2020. EVO has offered vehicles from Chery, JAC and Forthing, the latter a brand of Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor which is launching here this year.

In 2022, it launched Sportequipe, selling rebadged vehicles from Chery’s Jetour and Kaiyi brands.

Where it encountered trouble was with its ICKX brand, announced in 2022. The spelling is identical to the famous Belgian racecar driver, Jacky Ickx, which led to legal action from the motorsport legend that year.

In 2024, an Italian court upheld an order that essentially banned DR Automobiles’ use of the ICKX name.

DR Automobiles claimed the name was supposed to be pronounced ICK-X, unlike the racer’s surname, arguing ‘X’ was known in the automotive sector to signify off-road ability. Nevertheless, it announced it would change its name.

"As proof of its good faith and initial intentions, DR Automobiles has decided, in full respect of Jaques Ickx and regardless of the ruling of the ordinary judge, to modify the trademark registration to ICH-X,” it said in a February 2024 statement.

The ICH-X brand sells a range of off-road SUVs and utes sourced from BAIC’s Beijing brand, Jetour, and JAC.

It was followed by Tiger in 2024, which sells vehicles from BAIC, Forthing and JAC.

Birba was launched in 2025 to sell the Chery QQ Ice Cream, with commercial vehicle brand Katay launched the same year, selling vehicles from Chery’s Karry brand and BAIC’s Foton.

Stilnovo is the most recent, announced last year as a brand selling Changan vehicles.

It’s unclear if DR Automobiles will encounter further legal troubles with its new strategy, given Italy’s Competition and Market Authority fined it €6 million (A$9.74m) in 2024 for indicating its vehicles originated from Italy when they were in fact sourced from China, as well as for not ensuring adequate supply of parts.

The Itala name is just one letter off from Italy/Italia, and Alfa Romeo has already renamed one of its models for simply wearing the name of an Italian city (the Junior, which was initially unveiled as the Milano) after criticism from the government.

The DR Group said it ended 2025 with 34,286 total registrations. While it sells the bulk of its vehicles in Italy, it also operates in other European markets like Spain, and is planning to further expand on the continent.

MORE: Explore the GAC Emzoom showroom