A customer who was planning to purchase a vehicle manufactured by us contacted KLASSEN. During his search, he found the website of QUANTUM, a company based in Yaroslavl — quantum-rus.ru — displaying high-quality original photographs of KLASSEN vehicles. The familiar interior designs, distinctive trim details and brand markings gave him reason to expect that the vehicles were indeed products of our company.
However, further communication with the seller raised doubts. According to the customer, an attempt was made to offer him a cheaper, non-genuine vehicle under the KLASSEN brand. The discrepancy between the photographs presented and the actual offer prompted the buyer to contact the official manufacturer directly to clarify the vehicle’s origin and QUANTUM’s relationship with our company.
This enquiry prompted us to review the materials on the QUANTUM website. Paul Klassen then personally contacted a sales manager at the company. During the conversation, the QUANTUM representative confirmed the use of KLASSEN photographs but did not explain on what basis they had been published.
The situation raises serious concerns: photographs of our work are being used in another company’s commercial presentation, while a customer seeking an original KLASSEN vehicle was, according to his account, offered a vehicle of a different origin.
Paul Klassen’s Conversation with a QUANTUM Sales Manager
To obtain an explanation directly from QUANTUM, Paul Klassen contacted the company’s sales manager, Oksana Davydova. The conversation concerned the use of our photographs to present QUANTUM’s vehicles and offers.
When asked why the company had used KLASSEN photographs, the manager replied: “What’s wrong with that?” During this conversation, we received no explanation of the basis on which our materials had been taken and published without permission.
For us, the answer to that question is very specific. Behind every photograph is a vehicle we created and the work of the people who designed and built it. By using such an image in its own commercial offer, an unrelated company influences the buyer’s decision: the buyer may judge its capabilities by the results of our work.
This is precisely why we are raising the issue publicly. Customers must understand whose vehicle they are being shown, who manufactured it and what exactly they are being offered for purchase. Responsible handling of this information is essential to trust between the manufacturer, seller and buyer.
What We Found on the QUANTUM Website
While reviewing quantum-rus.ru, we found photographs of vehicles created by KLASSEN, along with other materials related to our company. According to our information, these images and descriptions were copied and used without our consent. Some of the materials had been altered, including by replacing our brand logos.
Photographs of individually built vehicles have a specific origin. They show the results of work by designers, engineers, interior specialists and other professionals involved in delivering the project. The seating arrangement, partition design, armrest construction, combinations of materials and decorative elements are all parts of a particular vehicle created for a specific order.
When such images appear on another seller’s website and become part of its presentation, visitors may interpret them as examples of that seller’s own work or as vehicles it can supply. Without a clear explanation of the photographs’ origin, buyers may struggle to establish who actually carried out the conversion and whether the vehicle being offered matches the image shown.
Photographs of KLASSEN vehicles published on quantum-rus.ru. Some images retain the original KLASSEN brand markings.
Replacing Logos Changes the Perception of a Vehicle’s Origin
We paid particular attention to photographs in which our brand markings had been replaced with QUANTUM logos. This alteration affects how potential buyers perceive the vehicle being presented: an interior created by one company begins to look like the product of another.
For a customer choosing a bespoke VIP vehicle, there is more to consider than the interior’s visual resemblance to a desired reference. It matters who developed its structure, which materials and components were used, who installed the equipment and who is responsible for the result. An altered logo answers none of these questions, but it can conceal the image’s true source.
In our view, the use of KLASSEN photographs with replaced markings creates a risk of our work being attributed to an unrelated company. Buyers may associate the workmanship shown with the seller and place an order on that basis.
The original image and its altered version allow a comparison of interior details, image composition and brand markings.
Photographs Whose Source Is Unknown to Us
The materials we found also include photographs of vehicles bearing KLASSEN logos that our company had not previously presented publicly. At present, we do not know where QUANTUM obtained these images or how they came to appear on its website.
We are not speculating about who may have supplied these materials or the circumstances in which they were obtained. Nevertheless, we consider it necessary to record this point separately, as it differs from the use of photographs available in the manufacturer’s public publications.
Such photographs may appear particularly convincing to visitors. Unfamiliar angles and images absent from the public catalogue can create the impression that the seller has direct access to the vehicle or the production facility. On their own, however, they establish neither the vehicle’s location nor the circumstances in which the photographs were taken.
Images found on the QUANTUM website. The source from which they were obtained has not yet been established.
Copied Descriptions and Company Photographs
According to our information, the use of KLASSEN materials was not limited to vehicle photo galleries. Company photographs, descriptions and other materials presenting our activities were also copied and altered.
Together, these elements build trust in a seller. Company images convey an impression of its working environment, while the texts explain its experience, approach to vehicle production and ability to fulfil bespoke orders. If these materials have been borrowed, visitors risk judging the company by someone else’s achievements.
For KLASSEN, this is a matter of accurately representing our work. We invest resources in creating vehicles and preparing materials that allow customers to learn about them. The use of these results by an unrelated company without our approval deprives buyers of important information about the true origin of what they are seeing.
KLASSEN materials and the corresponding publications on the QUANTUM website.
Photographs of KLASSEN Vehicles on Automotive Marketplaces in Russia
Photographs of our vehicles are also being used in listings on popular automotive marketplaces in Russia. Potential buyers may therefore encounter them not only on the QUANTUM website, but also during a routine search for a Mercedes-Benz V-Class or Sprinter with a premium conversion.
In such a listing, the image becomes one of the main selling points. Buyers assess the interior finishes, layout, equipment and workmanship, expecting to receive the exact vehicle shown. If a photograph of one of our projects is used to advertise a different vehicle, there is a risk of a substantial discrepancy between those expectations and the actual vehicle being sold.
The presence of a listing on a well-known automotive marketplace may lend credibility to an offer. However, publication alone does not verify the accuracy of the stated manufacturer or the origin of the photographs. Particular attention should be paid to cases where identical images appear alongside different names, specifications or explanations of who manufactured the vehicle.
Below are screenshots of listings that use images of KLASSEN vehicles. They show how photographs of our work are presented to potential buyers on third-party marketplaces.
Examples of photographs of KLASSEN vehicles being used in listings on third-party automotive marketplaces.
Baitek Machinery: its connection to QUANTUM and the use of KLASSEN materials
The connection between QUANTUM and Baitek Machinery is visible on baitekmachinery.ru. The company supplies specialist machinery and commercial vehicles, and its homepage presents QUANTUM premium vehicles as one of its projects. This documents its direct involvement in promoting this business area.
The use of our materials therefore extends beyond quantum-rus.ru. Photographs of KLASSEN vehicles also appear in the QUANTUM presentation on Baitek Machinery’s homepage. We recognise our own projects in these images. However, we have not authorised their use to advertise this business area.
Our questions therefore also concern Baitek Machinery. A company that presents QUANTUM on its own corporate website should explain who arranged the use of our photographs, who approved their publication and who is responsible for the accuracy of the offers presented. In our view, these circumstances require an explanation from management because they concern the promotion of an entire commercial project.
According to information available to us from social media, Oksana Davydova, who spoke with Paul Klassen, works at Baitek Machinery. This provides an additional connection between the conversation with the QUANTUM sales representative and the company whose website also uses our vehicle photographs.
Taken together, the use of our vehicles in advertising, the replacement of brand identifiers and the presentation of our work under another brand give us the impression of an attempt to commercially appropriate KLASSEN’s reputation in the Russian market. Figuratively, this could be described as an attempt to “nationalise” the brand: value created by us is used to develop a local offering without our involvement or consent. This expresses our assessment of a commercial practice, rather than an allegation of state nationalisation.
The QUANTUM logo: further questions about the brand’s originality
The use of KLASSEN photographs also prompts us to examine other elements of QUANTUM’s presentation. One example is its logo, which, in our view, bears visual similarities to the brand marks of other companies.
We therefore provide a comparison below. It allows readers to assess the similarities in graphic design and overall visual impression for themselves. We do not suggest that every resemblance automatically proves copying. However, in the context of the use of our materials described above, we consider this a matter deserving public attention.
Together, these circumstances give us the impression of an approach in which the work of others becomes the basis for a company’s own promotion. This is our assessment of the examples presented. QUANTUM itself can explain the origin of its logo, how it was developed and the reasons for the visual similarities.
KLASSEN’s Official Position Regarding QUANTUM
KLASSEN Automobile GmbH does not cooperate with QUANTUM. QUANTUM, the company based in Yaroslavl, is not our dealer, partner or authorised representative.
We have not granted it permission to use the materials in question to present its own goods or services. QUANTUM’s offers and promises should not be regarded as having been approved by KLASSEN.
At the same time, a distinction must be made between the independent resale of a particular vehicle and official representation of the manufacturer. Even if an independent seller offers an original vehicle on the used market, its status, documentation and authority require separate verification. The presence of photographs on a website does not replace this.
A Vehicle’s Authenticity Cannot Be Verified Through Photographs Alone
The experience of the customer who contacted us shows how important it is to compare advertising materials with the actual offer. He was looking for a KLASSEN vehicle and relied on the corresponding photographs, but questions arose during negotiations about what exactly he was going to be sold.
A bespoke conversion of a Mercedes-Benz V-Class or Sprinter involves far more than the visual design of the interior. Behind the finished cabin are structural solutions, control systems, electrical equipment, transformation mechanisms and the integration of all components. A similar leather colour or arrangement of interior furnishings does not establish that two vehicles are equivalent.
Before signing a contract, you should therefore obtain the VIN, current photographs and videos of the exact vehicle being offered, and documents confirming its origin and conversion. The contract should clearly state which vehicle the customer is purchasing, the specification in which it will be delivered and the company responsible for fulfilling the obligations. Warranty terms must also be clarified for the specific offer.
The price should be assessed alongside this information. A cheaper vehicle made by another manufacturer does not become an original KLASSEN simply because our photographs are used or our brand is mentioned during the sale.
Contact the Manufacturer Before Paying a Deposit
If you are offered a vehicle as a KLASSEN and the origin of the images, the manufacturer’s details or the seller’s explanations raise questions, contact our team through the official website klassen.de.
Send us the link to the offer, the seller’s details, photographs and the VIN, if available. This information will help us check the connection between the particular vehicle and our projects, and explain which details we can confirm.
Do this before paying a deposit. Contacting KLASSEN directly allows you to clarify the vehicle’s origin before an advertising presentation turns into a financial commitment.
