According to Motorola, the Aura was in development for three years before last year's release, but the company would not comment on whether the marketing or design of the product changed due to the onset of the recession.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Laird and Partners, the design firm behind the new logo, did not immediately return calls for comment.

FORBES: Old Gap Logo Back, Company Scraps New Logo in Favor of "Classic" Look

He declined to comment on how the 787 incidents might influence the A350's battery design.

WSJ: Dreamliner-Like Batteries Raised Concerns

"Although it is a different concept from the Smart Fortwo, with four seats, different size, and of different quality, it is still a blatant attempt to copy the design, no matter how it was executed, " said the spokesman, who refused to comment on Shuanghuan's denial.

FORBES: BMW, Daimler May Sue Over China 'Copies'