Chery have finally launched their Chery A5 hybrid sedan, but is it a real hybrid? Chery are playing catch up to the world headline catching BYD F3 Dual Mode hybrid sedan from souther car makers, BYD. Chery have enlisted the help of British engineering firm, Ricardo, to aid them in their designing of hybrid models, but is the A5 BSG a true hybrid?

We’ve become conditioned to the automotive hybrid as being a joint gasoline, electric engine, but the Chery A5 BSG appears to be a Belt Driven Starter Generator, hence the name BSG. This is essentially a stop and start system which more expensive cars, such as the new Landrover Freelander utilize. The Stop Start system is not an entirely new system, certain 80’s cars such as the VW Polo of the day, and also a Golf. Citroen fitted a much nicer version to their C2 and C3 in 2006.

Essentially, the BSG is a mild hybrid. This means that the starter motor is slightly larger than usual, and allows the cars engine to be turned off when coasting, braking, or stopped. More on mild hybrids can be found here.

The most exciting aspect of the Chery A5 BSG is its price: a mere 74,800rmb can get you a hybrid car on the road, thats $10,940USD.  That price is a lot lower than the BYD F3 DM which came in 149,800rmb, and with the A5 BSG, you dont have the problem of having to charge your car up everynight. On the downside, you could probably charge your F3DM up for pennies (or Fen) overnight, but you have to fill your A5BSG with a few hundred RMB every other week.

The odd thing is, Chery have only planned to make 5000 A5 BSG units in 2009, which may well be a conservative underestimate in terms of demand for this car. Chinese consumers, like any consumers, like to save money, and if they can buy a car that looks great, and saves them money on fuel over a similarly priced non hybrid model, then they are likely to choose the A5 BSG.

The A5 is not going to be the last Chery to get the BSG treatment, Chery is also planning to pass on the BSG technology to the Chery A3, and the Chery A1 lines. Media reports indicate that Chery are aiming to take their BSG technology to North American markets in 2013, which will give them more than enough time to mature the technology, as well as their safety, to suit highly scepticle American audiences.