We did say that if sex had 4 wheels and a metal body, it would look like a Brilliance Coupe, but we do have to say that the latest Chery A3 hatchback is one of the sexiest cars made to date by a Chinese manufacturer.
Sleek lines, Jaguar XF-esque styling at the back, and the potential to have something pretty potent under the hood. We love it, it aint no QQ5, but its got something about it, something we like. Chery could be giving the Italians and the French some serious run for their money in China, and abroad over 2008/9!
Looks like a cross of a Proton Gen 2 and Kia rio
meh I don’t think so.
I think i like the car anyway
Absolutely, positively one of the BEST looking chinese cars……..EVER. World class shape, and the interior pics I’ve seen are as good as the outside of the car. What a car…I can’t wait to see it for real!!
I’m not comfortable with the teardrop tailites. They are small proportionally and give a fragile look to the overall rear.
lots of european Ford cues…
.
Grille is ford-like, so are the tail lights (see the new C-max, S-max, Mondeo, and Galaxy), C-pillar/rear side window are Focus-like, and overall body shape is Daewoo Lanos.
.
Doesn’t look bad, but it can never claim it’s chinese original design at all…
Granted there are quite a few cues from Ford’s styling here, but I would be hard-pressed to call it excessive, at least, no more than the amount of styling Honda “borrowed” from BMW 5-series on the latest N.American Accord.
The oval on the front grille looks just the right size to plonk on a Fomoco badge
Very nice design indeed. Was this a Chery in-house design or was it contracted to some (Italian?) firm?
Chrysler better pick it up and export it to the rest of the world so all of us temporarily overseas have a chance to drive one!
I think several of the CCT readers could take any none EU/US design and claim it to be a copy or have taken design elements from another existing car!
Good looking car from Chery. Lots of styling cues from many vehicles but tastefully done. Interesting to see the use of 5 lug wheel hubs on a car this size though. Maybe an indication it could have something grunty under the hood…. just a thought
you mean, the SIX spoke wheels..?
heheh =)
I wonder if asking Chery for a 2 litre turbo is out of the question???
2.5 V6? 3.0 V6?
Looking from the rear, is this too based on the MG 3-SW ?!?
This car looks contempory and is generic in design. Maybe that’s all Cherry need to make at this stage of their development but in truth the Proton Gen 2 is contemporary and generic and it’s sales still remain low in the UK.
Cherry and other Chinese car brands should look at what Fiat achieved with the Grande Punto or Jag with the XF. Both are contemporary, but neither one is generic, they both push the envelope slightly. That’s why this Cherry will be another good car in a world of good cars. Nowadays we expect something with just a bit more of the X factor.
You have to remember at this stage Chinese cars are largely designed for the home market. Often exports are just bonuses. The home market is largely conservative and cost conscious. In the export market everyone expects Chinese cars to be cheap not necessarily cutting edge.
Is Chery aiming at a lower age range with this car, perhaps the age range that actually enjoy paying a premium for small things that are packed with technology? Young Chinese consumers will pay over the odds for a cellphone, or an MP3 player, will they do the same for a car?
MINI sales must be pretty good in China. They are pretty common in Qingdao!
Hmmm……when it comes to cellphones, I see the consumer spending big bucks for a NAME (foreign) brand. LG, Anycall, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola…all VERY popular. MP3 players….a irony here. The most popular MP3/4 players in the world (Apple’s Ipods) are BARELY seen here in China. It is cost? Maybe…but the cheapest Ipods aren’t THAT much more expensive than a chinese brand - so I’m not sure what it is. Now on to cars……the A3 is (presumably) going to be priced in the 70-110,000rmb range - that puts in the same market with the Polo, Fit/City, Buick HRV, Nissan Livinia….a TOUGH market. From what I’ve seen in pics, it looks like the A3 will have the extra “goodies” (DVD/GPS, automatic climate control, etc..) that the other cars I mentioned do NOT offer (even as options). Maybe Chery IS hoping that the young chinese consumer would prefer the extra bells and whistles for the same or LESS price than a imported car that DOESN’T offer them.
Its tail is look like a Peugeot 206
from the back.. definitely an MG 3-SW clone!
Yes, you are right, it is a clone, especially if you consider that both the MG3 SW and the A3 are
1) Made from metal
2) Have paint on that metal
3) Have lights in each corner
4) Have a door handle on the back
5) Are hatchbacks.
I cant see any of the MG3 SW in the back of that A3, you must be bonkers, or short sighted.
daewoo lanos, guys…
c’mon!!
.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Daewoo_Lanos_rear_20070323.jpg/800px-Daewoo_Lanos_rear_20070323.jpg
.
compare with: (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/a3-testing3.jpg)
.
.
as I said above, the rear of this A3 is basically shaped like daewoo lanos, with Ford-like tail lights and Ford Focus rear-side window cut.
.
(obs.: daewoo lanos = old generation chevrolet Lacetti)
Ash, you gotta remove this one-url-per-post-only limitation!!!
Sorry Jackson,
Your comment is there now, I have to keep the rules on URLs pretty strict otherwise the comments get filled up with Spam comments!
I understand…
at least this time I didn’t fill your blog up with 20 reposts..
=)