Alado Corp Sdn Bhd will be launching 3 new Chery models over the next few months beginning with the Chery QQ, due to be launched this month. The Chery QQ, a little town run-about with an 800cc engine has been the subject of controversy, with claims of it being a blatant copy of Daewoo’s Matiz. The Daewoo Matiz is sold here by Hicomobil as the Chevrolet Spark.
The rip-off is so bad that a General Motors (which owns Daewoo and Chevrolet) spokesperson said, “If you didnt have the name tags on the car, you couldnt tell them apart. Its such a knockoff that you can pull a door off of the Chevy Spark and it fits on the QQ – and it fits so well that the seals on the door hold.“
Hicomobil ran an ad campaign when the Spark was first introduced trying to inform Malaysian consumers of the carbon copy situation between the Spark and the QQ. It went along the lines of “This is the real Chevrolet Spark” or something like that, I can’t really recall exactly how it went. The campaign ran alongside a promotion with KFC where you could win a Chevrolet Spark in a competition.
Left: Chevrolet Spark. Right: Chery QQ.
The Chevrolet Spark retails for RM46,588 here in Malaysia. The CBU vehicles comes with a 800cc engine as well, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Alado Corp Sdn Bhd plans to price it’s 800cc Chery QQ at about the RM40,000 level, undercutting the original Spark by about RM6,000. It’s not known whether the QQ will be CKD or CBU. Alado intends to achieve combined sales of 1,000 units this year for the Chery QQ and Chery A160. The Chery A160 was introduced in December last year and there are currently 200 of them on the road to date.
The Chery QQ’s 800cc DOHC fuel injection 12 valve 3-cylinder powerplant makes 52 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 77Nm of torque at 3,500 to 4,000rpm. It’s estimated fuel consumption is 4.2 litres per 100km, but as usual your mileage may vary. There is also a 1051cc 4-cylinder engine option which makes 53 horsepower at 5,200rpm and 83Nm of torque but it will not be offered by Alado here at the moment.
It will be interesting to see how Chevrolet distributor Hicomobil will react to the imminent arrival of the QQ here on our local shores. Perhaps another “real Spark” campaign? In the USA, a company called Visionary Vehicles backed by Malcolm Bricklin, Maurice Strong and George Soros is trying to bring in the Chery marque into the US. General Motors have threathened litigation if Visionary Vehicles used the name Chery because it sounded too similiar to Chevy. While at first they adopted a blase attitude to the legal threats, in the end they decided to pick a new name which has not been decided on yet.
As for the two other Chery models, Alado intends to introduce CKD versions of the Chery B14 MPV and the Chery T11 SUV in November 2006 and January 2007 respectively. The CKD Chery B14 MPV will start production at Oriental Assembler Sdn Bhd’s plant in Johor Baru in October 2006, while the CKD Chery T11 SUV assembly is expected to begin in December. Alado intends to sell both the SUV and MPV models at prices below RM100,000. More economical choices for us.
More details on the MPV and SUV vehicles in separate posts:
Chery Tiggo (Chery T11) coming to Malaysia
Chery V5 Crossover (Chery B14) MPV
Related Posts:
Chery QQ Crash Test
Visionary Vehicles to bring Chery to USA
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
The designer of this car must be a kolot one….ugly man…
well… another china's car? naza sutera, and now this QQ,
1L = 23.81km , that was nice FC almost same as toyota vitz 1.0L ver.
crap….! full crap!
hmm QQ front design look more cute than chevrolet spark a.k.a daewoo matiz… hehehe…
Have not seen a single Chevrolet Spark on the road.
Kancil vs QQ….
Kancil sure wins….
thank u china for dumping rubbish here,thank u so much!!
fookeatmin1989: of course lah, kancil can put turbo inside, while this holy crap QQ (at first i though is QQ messenger) cant put any additional power inside :p
TOAD!!!!
The days when Malaysian will spend $40k+ for low quality junk toys like this is already over quite some time ago. Even mentally retarded people will not like this scrap…..Alado can have it themself as company cars.
KANCIL + KELISA LOL
I first saw the Daewoo Matiz in Korea (while on skiing trip) back in 2002. I find it kinda cute as compared to Kancil or Kelisa. Something unique (which u don't see everyday).
Then again, as with any Korean car… maintainance is expensive. So, IMO… I won't buy it even if it costs RM 10k.
hhhmmm…rubbish…
QQ is actually copy or "face-lift" of Spark. The problem is Chery did not pay royalty $$$ to Chevrolet. The coming of QQ in Malaysia is definately a WARNING to both malaysian auto makers – Proton & Perodua. QQ sell RM40k simply because it pay high import duty (CBU). QQ 0.8L & 1.0L cost marely RM15k & RM20k in China. If we discount the duty, can Kancil still stay compatitive to beat QQ in Malaysia???
dis car confirm no hope d .
jz look at da chevy sales .
QQ 0.8L & 1.0L sale RM15k & RM20k in China. QQ will cost est RM40k in Mal due to import duty (CBU). If one day QQ made in Mal….. Can our Kancil beat it? This is a warning signal to Mal auto makers (esp Proton), cut down you cost, do not purchase components from abang-adik companies with roket price, rakyat had paid high enough $$$ to support so call national car, it is time for Proton to prove to rakyat…… Mal Boleh!
Chevrolet Spark is look ok….
but….QQ make peoples laugh…
huargggg…arggg….
like pikachu..
not on the road since most would endup buying P2 anyway which is quite cheaper
total embarassment…this one not taly with what the G have claimed on Vision 2020,former wall tallest building, super high fuel price compare to "rakyats" income..if this kind of product bundle into our market then we are all going backward.
we have our own F1 track but still offering this kind of crap metal.funny things happen when "stupido" trying to outsmart the nation.
Haiya, Datuk Cam Soh want it to sell here, let him la.. sell la.. can sell meh??.. can hardly see 1 spark on the road.. still never learn… msian r not stoopid… with produa in the senario.. & replacement models for kancil & kelisa on progress, this toad crap memang no future…. see la anyone stoopid enuf will buy…
with all the hard effort, i saw 1 or 2 in KL hehehe. tot juara is worst enough, but i'm totally wrong !!
isn't there any legal issu to be brought up by hicomobil if alado import them here? i tot that's one of the reason why cherry QQ (and quite a lot of another china copycat) cannot be exported outside. even in china they are safe because the G is quite protecting (hmm….protecting again!!!)
Hahaha… QQ really makes ppl laugh.. but how big izit actually? izit the size of Kancil or smaller? well, I really didn't see any Spark on the road… the Chevrolet showroom display a around few months then its gone again… nobody wanna buy such a small car with tat price… hmm… RM40000 I rather buy Savvy or Myvi le…
well, many people seem to think that the sutera is worth buying, although its from a little known china company, hai fei lobo, and the fact that it has 2 airbags..
Only some Suteras on my town's roads…
forget these China's copycats…they're just couldnet get it…try to design things on your own!!… they copied CRV, Kia Sportage, Honda's, Toyota's and couldnt get the quality rite till now… Banteras Cetak Rompak!!
Paul, this car has been in the showroom facing my office for weeks now… they're only launching now? ;p
Come on, grandmother story for GM and Chery dispute. 40k worth of low quality Made in China car….
With a dodgy name like QQ I will never recommend it to anyone who is even just looking for a decent set of wheels. Looks like another piece of trash to add to the already murky local auto scene.
This QQ will be launched on 13 July 2006 in Crown Princess Hotel ……. by Deputy Fin Min 2 ……… confirmed.
people, don't waste your money on this piece of scrap metal! i saw it at KLIMS, i'm sure many did. and the quality is simply…… TAK GUNA PUNYA!!! even the dashboard of my 8 year old kancil feels more solid than the dash of this china junk! at 40k, it's like paying 50 bucks for a made-in-china plastic teapot! it's only worth a look if it's priced at 20k. at least till 2010, let's just say TAK NAK to chinese cars.
Chery QQ is good as Spark, however people choose Spark coz the know Chevrolet much more the Chery. ^_^ But you can see the crush test photos of Chery QQ. good enough! ^_^
I won’t risk my life by driving a China made car