Geneva show: Qoros teases second model

FLEDGLING prestige car-maker Qoros will announce the second installment of its new-model roll-out at the 2014 Geneva motor show in March when it wheels out a follow up to its Qoros 3 sedan.

The Chinese-Israeli start-up company has released teaser sketches of the new vehicle which it says shares the same modular platform as the ‘3’ sedan that was launched in Chinese showrooms last month.

It says the new car will retain the “elegant design and high specification” of the sedan, and will go on sale in China in 2014.

A ‘3’ badge on the back of the new car suggests it is a variant of the current car, possibly a crossover as previewed by the Qoros Cross Hybrid 3 at the 2013 Geneva show.

Qoros said the new model would “appeal to the young, modern, ‘always connected’ metropolitan customer, with state-of-the-art features including the innovative QorosQloud infotainment system accessed via an eight-inch touch screen”.

The company has also indicated it will produce a wagon version of the Qoros 3 as it reaches out to global markets over the next few years.

The sedan became the first Chinese-designed car to score a near-perfect five-star result in the European New Car Assessment Program crash safety tests this year, upstaging many European car-makers by earning 95 points in occupant protection – the highest such score in 2013.

The young company has lured experienced engineers and designers from companies such as Mini, Saab and BMW to develop its model range, with plans to launch a new car every six to 12 months.

The twin chrome exhaust pipes shown in the rear-end sketch indicate this model will be powered by Qoros’s turbo-charged 115kW/210Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, like the 3 sports sedan. Under Qoros’s styling ground rules, naturally aspirated models have a tailpipe hidden under the back of the car.

In the sedan, the turbo engine is mated with a Getrag six-speed dual-clutch transmission, propelling the compact car from zero to 100km/h in 9.7 seconds.

The naturally aspirated engine – also 1.6 litres – develops 94kW and 155Nm, with a 0-100km/h time of 11.6 seconds in six-speed manual gearbox form. Fuel economy ranges from 6.0 litres per 100km to 6.4L/100km, depending on the engine and transmission.

Qoros is a partnership between Chinese budget car-maker Chery and an Israeli investment company, with a factory in Changshu, in China’s automotive heartland northeast of Shanghai.

The factory has been ramping up production of the sedan for the Chinese market over the past few months, with exports to follow.

The company has not ruled out a presence in the Australian market, where Chery is distributed by independent importer Ateco Automotive.

However, right-hand drive cars are still some way off, possibly pushing back a potential Australian debut to about 2017.