Dead Italian Car Brands Are Back — Wearing Chinese Clothes

If you've been following the wave of Chinese brands landing in Australia, this story adds another layer of complexity to an already crowded market. In Europe, an Italian importer called DR Automobiles is dusting off century-old Italian nameplates and slapping them on Chinese-built vehicles — and the whole operation is worth understanding, because this playbook isn't unique to Europe.

A Chinese GAC With an Italian Suit

The first cab off the rank is the Itala 35, which is essentially a GAC Emzoom — sold in China as the Trumpchi GS3 — with a reshaped grille, revised bumpers, new badges, and a cabin reupholstered in red Italian leather and Alcantara trim. Design house Italdesign was brought in for the exterior tweaks, and former Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli is reportedly handling changes to the interior, electronics, infotainment, and chassis.

Under the bonnet, nothing changes from the donor vehicle: a 127kW/270Nm turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. That's a competitive enough spec on paper — similar to what you'd find in several Chinese SUVs already available here in WA — but the point is that the mechanical package is wholly Chinese.

The Itala name itself has genuine history. The Turin-based marque was founded in 1904, went bust in 1934, and its remnants were absorbed by Fiat. Reviving it to sell rebadged Emzooms is, to put it plainly, a branding exercise rather than a automotive resurrection.

DR Automobiles: Masters of the Rebadge

DR Automobiles has been at this since 2006, when it launched its namesake DR brand selling rebadged Cherys. Since then, the company has launched a string of brands — EVO, Sportequipe, ICH-X, Tiger, Birba, Katay, and Stilnovo — each selling Chinese vehicles from manufacturers including GAC, BAIC, Chery, JAC, Jetour, and Changan.

The company hasn't been without controversy. It was fined €6 million (around A$9.74 million) by Italy's Competition and Market Authority in 2024 for implying its vehicles were Italian-made when they were sourced from China, and for failing to ensure adequate parts supply. It also faced legal action from Belgian motorsport legend Jacky Ickx over its since-renamed ICKX brand, with an Italian court ultimately upholding an order banning use of that name.

Now it's adding Itala and a second revived nameplate, Osca — originally founded by the Maserati brothers in 1947 and closed in 1967 — to its growing stable. Six Itala models are planned in total, with the 35 to be followed by the mid-size 56 and large 61. Osca will offer two unspecified models.

Why WA Buyers Should Pay Attention

DR Automobiles operates primarily in Italy and Spain and has no announced plans to enter the Australian market. But the broader trend here is directly relevant to anyone shopping for a car in Perth right now.

The underlying vehicles in DR's lineup — GAC, Chery, JAC, Jetour, Changan — are brands either already selling in Australia or actively working towards it. The GAC Emzoom that underpins the Itala 35 is sold locally as the GAC GS3. If you're weighing up a Chinese SUV for Perth's suburbs or a run up to the regions, you're already looking at the same mechanical DNA, just without the Italian leather and the heritage badge premium.

The lesson from Europe's zombie brand revival: understand what's underneath before you buy the story on the surface. Check the donor vehicle, the parts network, and the local service support — those are the things that matter when you're 400 kilometres east of Perth and need a fix.