China's Great Wall Motors Co., Ltd is suing Italian car maker Fiat for allegedly stealing its business secrets.
The case appears to be the second round in a battle that began when Fiat accused Great Wall of copying one of its cars in 2007.
In the latest barrage, Great Wall Motor, a Chinese sport utility vehicle maker based in Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province, said Fiat sent spies to its engineering center and took pictures of its first subcompact car, the Peri, while it was under development before its release in 2007.
Great Wall spokesman Shang Yugui said yesterday that the car maker filed the lawsuit with the Shijiazhuang Intermediate People's Court, and the court is preparing to send the complaint to Fiat's headquarters in Italy.
Two years ago, an Italian court ruled that Great Wall's Peri resembles Fiat's Panda and banned the Peri from being sold in Europe. A similar claim filed by Fiat in the Shijiazhuang court was dismissed last year.
In the new complaint, Liu Hongkai, an attorney for Great Wall, said the evidence shows Fiat illegally visited Great Wall's engineering center in 2007 and collected information on the Peri.