A Munich car importer must stop selling a Chinese sport utility vehicle because its appearance is too similar to that of the BMW X5, a Bavarian court ruled Thursday.

Regional court spokesperson Frank Tholl said the sole German importer of the Shuanghuan CEO, China Automobile, could be fined €250 000 for each of the SUVs it sells and must destroy its existing stock of the vehicles.

"Whether that means the vehicles actually need to be dismantled, or whether they could be sent back to China or sold in other countries is unclear," Tholl said. "The final decision has not been written."

It was not yet clear when the ruling would take effect.

Karl Schloessl, a spokesperson for China Automobile, said the importer would appeal the decision in Germany and, if necessary, to the European Court of Justice.

"European law should prevail over German law in a case like this," Schloessl said.