Paul Tan's Automotive News» Chery at Paul Tan’s Automotive News

Chery unveils new Chery S18 electric car

Paul Tan — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 18:13:52 +0000

Chinese auto manufacturer Chery claims the new Chery S18 (it’s not wrong for you to see a resemblance to the Suzuki Splash) to be Chery’s first self-developed electric car, capable of hitting a top sped of 120km/h and a maximum range of 150km on a full charge. The Chery S18 uses iron-phosphate-based lithium-ion batteries which can be charged in between 4 to 6 hours, and 80% charged in half an hour.

This makes Chery the 2nd Chinese manufacturer to unveil an electric car after BYD unveiled its plug-in hybrid BYD F3DM last year. Chery also demonstrated its hybrid systems as part of the Beijing Olympics fleet. Hybrid versions of the Chery A5 with electric motors and hybrid systems developed by supplier Ricardo were used as part of transportation arrangements. Its rival BYD on the other hand, has the confidence, support and investment of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway.

Look after the jump for a rear shot of the S18.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery sets up assembly base in Thailand

Paul Tan — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:03:04 +0000

Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co Ltd signed an agreement with Thai company Thai Chery Yarnyon last Friday to assemble SKD (semi-knocked down) packs of Chery vehicles in Thailand. An initial planned capacity is 5000 vehicles annually and will include vehicles such as the Chery QQ compact car and the Chery Tiggo SUV. The output is aimed at both domestic and South East Asian regional markets.

It looks like Chery is taking a multiple-base approach for its ASEAN production centers. It also partnered up with Malaysian company Chery Alado Holdings Sdn Bhd to set up an assembly line at the Oriental Assembler Sdn Bhd’s assembly plant in Johor.

The Malaysian assembly line will also have a capacity of 5,000 units a year and will also produce the Chery Tiggo SUV together with the Chery V5 MPV (known as the Chery Eastar in Malaysia).

Chery is currently the number 1 exporter of passenger vehicles in China, with vehicles from the company making up nearly 50% of China’s vehicle exports in the first 9 months of 2008. It has exported 115,500 vehicles this year so far, and exported 119,800 units during the whole of 2007.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery Alado launches locally assembled 2.4 liter Chery Eastar 7-seater MPV

Paul Tan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:08:39 +0000

Chery’s B240 MPV has been relaunched in Malaysia as a locally assembled car and it is now called the Chery Eastar. The locally assembled Chery Eastar MPVs will roll out of Oriental Assembler Sdn Bhd’s plant in Johor, but a new CKD plant will be up and running in Pekan, Pahang by the end of 2009.

The Pekan plant will include an investment of over RM50 million in equipment and will begin assembly of up to 100,000 Chery vehicles a year, including 10 models such as hybrids, SUVs, MPVs and executive cars.

According to Chery Alado Sdn Bhd’s chairman Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong, more details on the plant will be announced in the next two months together with its joint venture partners which may include a GLC. “Malaysia is the largest passenger car market in ASEAN and also the important link for Chery to other ASEAN countries’ market. We currently have 7 other overseas factories in countries like Russia, Iran, Egypt and Argentina and are planning to accelerate more overseas factories in the coming 2 years,” said Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co Ltd’s president Yin Tongyao.

Chery currently exports 120,000 vehicles yearly and plans to hit 400,000 vehicles by 2010. As it is, the Malaysian plant will export 30% of its Chery Eastar production to countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Australia. Local sales of the MPV is expected to be between 120 to 200 units monthly.

Under the hood of the 7-seater Chery Eastar MPV is a 2.4 liter SOHC Mitsubishi long-stroke engine producing a rather sedate 127 horsepower at 5,500rpm and 198Nm of torque at 3,000rpm. This is quite a conservatively-tuned basic engine (SOHC, 9:1 compression) which does not produce much power for its displacement but should be relatively easy on maintenance. It is mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting. The MPV measures 4662mm long, 1820mm wide and 1590mm tall with a long 2800mm wheelbase.

The new Chery Eastar is priced at RM79,888 for the standard version and RM86,888 for the high-spec version. The standard version includes LED rear lamps, side turn indicators on the wing mirrors, all-round disc brakes, a radio cassette player with 6 speakers, manual windows and 16 inch steel wheels while the premium version adds a CD player with MP3 support, steering wheel audio controls, ABS brakes, traction control, power windows for all four doors, dual SRS airbags for the front, and 16 inch alloy wheels. Further options include 18 inch alloy wheels and an NGV kit.

The high-spec version adds It comes with 1 year free service (for the first 1,000 units sold) and a 3+2 year warranty.

Video: Chery B240 7-seater MPV

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery A5 Hybrid for Beijing Olympics by Ricardo

Paul Tan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:40:45 +0000

Click to enlarge

Chinese automaker Chery and automotive components supplier Ricardo developed these hybrid versions of the Chery A5 as part of transportation arrangements for the Beijing Olympics. The 50-unit fleet comprise of two different types of A5s. One is a start-stop “hybrid” which is basically a regular 1.6 liter petrol engine with a 5-speed manual equipped with start-stop system called the Belt Starter-Generator (BSG).

The other is what we would normally consider a hybrid vehicle. A 1.3 liter petrol engine is combined with a crank-mounted 12kW 151 volt motor. The system was fully developed by Ricardo, using an integrated hybrid control unit comprising of motor drive electronics, DC to DC converter and a high-voltage battery pack positioned behind the rear seats with minimal intrusion into the luggage area.

Ricardo claims the 1.3 liter hybrid system provides similiar peak power and torque to a 1.6 liter benchmark engine, with a 15% improvement in fuel consumption over the benchmark. In addition, the start-stop system can restart the engine within 200ms.

More images after the jump.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Does the Proton MPV have anything to do with an upcoming Chery MPV?

Paul Tan — Wed, 28 May 2008 22:39:32 +0000

See rest of upcoming Chery MPV spyshots

Ever since initial sketches of the Proton MPV was revealed by Buletin Utama TV3, there have been readers who have noticed similarities with a disguised next generation Chery MPV that has been spotted and captured on camera in Europe. It’s only natural to start speculating. Let’s take it beyond speculation for abit shall we?

If you compare the sketch to the actual vehicle that was snapped there seems to a few similarities, with even the design of the front bumper being rather similiar.

Let us go back in time and take a look at the trail left on the internet from the short stint Proton had with Chery in the past three years.

Proton signs joint feasibility study MoU with Chery Automobile Co Ltd and Alado Corp Sdn Bhd for the evaluation of “possibilities and opportunities for, inter alia providing assembly services and distribution of vehicles of Proton and Chery brands in China, Malaysia and also in ASEAN” – Bursa Malaysia 23/05/2006
Proton extends MoU with Chery and Alado for another two months – Bursa Malaysia 01/09/2006
NST quotes Alado Corp Sdn Bhd saying Proton was in talks with Chery to produce an MPV first, and later an SUV – 28/09/2006 “Proton looks to China to make bigger cars” by Zuraimi Abdullah, NST Page 43
Proton extends MoU with Chery and Alado until 28th February 2007 – Bursa Malaysia 04/12/2006
Proton, Chery and Alado end feasibility studies, and begin evaluating findings – Bursa Malaysia 26/02/2007

If you look at the timeline of news releases, there’s only one mention of development of an MPV with Chery and it came from Alado Corp, Chery’s local assemblers and franchise holders, not from Chery or Proton. Proton’s initial announcement of an MoU stated that what was being evaluated was an assembly and marketing deal, not an engineering/co-development deal.

Another explanation could be that those sketches in Datuk Syed Zainal’s presentation were old, back from the days where Proton did have something going on with Chery, but whether it is still happening now or not is another question altogether.

So does the Proton MPV have anything to do with the new unreleased Chery MPV? There is NO reliable indication anywhere of any relation at this point of time, just some similarities in aesthetics. More updates to be posted as info becomes available.

LATEST UPDATE: I think we can put an end to the speculation going around that this new Proton MPV is the Chery MPV spotted in Europe simply because the Chery MPV is not even a Chery MPV in the first place, so 4Car and various other European publications who published the shots have got it wrong. As you can see, the vehicle has already been launched and it is actually the Landwind Fashion. So there we have it, just a little bit of research and digging up around the internet and we have an answer! The new Proton MPV has nothing to do with Chery. Thanks to Nahar ARS for the photo.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery sets up ASEAN assembly base in Malaysia

Paul Tan — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:16:54 +0000

Chery Alado Holdings Sdn Bhd will assemble 5,000 Chery vehicles at Oriental Assembler Sdn Bhd’s assembly plant in Johor in the next 12 months beginning July 2008, with 60% intended for ASEAN export and the remainder for the local market. Chery Alado Holdings Sdn Bhd is a 50:50 joint venture between Alado Corp Sdn Bhd and China’s Chery Automobile Co Ltd.

Chery intends to make Malaysia its right hand drive production hub for the ASEAN market, and this first stage investment includes a total amount of US$12 million (RM38.5 million). According to Alado president Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong, the second phase is for export to Commonwealth countries and European right hand drive countries.

Oriental Assemblers Sdn Bhd also assembles CKD Hyundai vehicles in Malaysia. Chery vehicles to be assembled are 2 variants of the Chery B14 MPV (B200 2.0 liter and B240 2.4 liter), as well as the 2.0 liter Chery Tiggo T11 SUV (shown above). The Chery B240 and Chery Tiggo launched in Malaysia last year priced at RM132,972.20 and RM80,292 respectively are CBU units, so the new CKD units will most probably be cheaper.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery A6 Coupe in second half of 2008

Paul Tan — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:06:43 +0000

Chery’s new Chery A6 Coupe will go on sale in the second half of 2008. The front wheel drive coupe was based on the Chery A6CC Concept shown at Shanghai 2006.

It is built on Chery’s new B2 platform, and has a wheelbase of 2700mm. The original concept had a 3.0 liter V6, but for the production version three engine options are available – a 3.0-liter V6, a 2.4-liter V6, and a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine.

Read the linked post below for more photos of the A6CC Concept.

Related Posts:
Chery A6CC Concept

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery B240 7-seater MPV in Malaysia

Paul Tan — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 09:08:29 +0000

UPDATE: Chery Alado launches locally assembled Chery Eastar 7-seater MPV

Alado Automobile has introduced the Chery B240 in Malaysia, another CBU fully imported model for us to consider soon after launching the Chery Tiggo earlier.

The Chery B240 is a 7-seater SUV powered by a 2.4 liter 16 valve SOHC Mitsubishi engine that makes 130 horsepower and 198Nm of torque, likely a similiar unit to the one found in the LMG Trekker, Shuttle, and Tourer. It is mated to a 4-speed gearbox with manual shifting features.

Features include a 6-CD changer audio system, a sunroof, electronic headlamp levelling, a pollen filter for the air conditioning system, dual front airbags, anti-lock disc brakes on all four wheels, electronic brake distribution as well as an option for a stability control program that comes at extra cost.

It costs RM132,972.20 including insurance. No word on how much the version with stability control costs. This 7-seater B240 and the Chery Tiggo SUV were the two models that have been previously reported to be assembled locally in Malaysia soon, perhaps at Proton’s plant using it’s excess production capacity. No word on that as far as I know, and the B240 remains a CBU import for the moment.

More photos of the Chery B240 here, and check out a video after the jump.

Related Posts:
Proton to produce MPV and SUV with Chery
Chery B240 Crossover

Video: Chery B240 7-seater MPV

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery and Chrysler discusses two small car projects

Paul Tan — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 19:12:14 +0000

Chery S12 to enter South American market

After a short pause because of the recent change in ownership over at Chrysler, the talks between Chery and Chrysler on their small car collaboration has resumed.

Two cars are being discussed – one is a Chery model that will be badged as a Chrysler in the US market. CKD kits of the Chery S12 will be shipped to Mexico and South America, and the kit will be assembled there for sale in those markets. The Southern American states share similar fate to South East Asia, we always get the boring stuff.

For other markets where something more premium is needed, Chrysler and Chery intends to produce a production version of the Dodge Hornet concept car in China, both engineered and manufactured at Chery’s research center and plant in Wuhu, Anhui.

Production could begin in 2010.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery wants to reexamine Chrysler small car deal

Paul Tan — Tue, 22 May 2007 10:54:27 +0000

Chery wants to re-examine it’s deal with Chrysler to develop Chrysler-branded small cars for numerous markets, said Zhang Li, Chery Automobile Co Ltd’s general manager. The project has been halted for the moment and awaits renegotiation of the agreement.

This is because Chrysler has recently changed hands, now belonging to private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP thanks to last week’s US$7.45 billion deal. Chrysler spokesperson Mary Gauthier said Chrysler’s global growth plans remains the same, and the new owners Cerberus has not changed any of those goals.

I suppose Chery just wants to play it safe and make sure Cerberus is fully aware of all details of the plan.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery A6CC Concept

Paul Tan — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:58:32 +0000

The Chery A6CC Concept is a sports coupe designed by Bertone, and is supposed to feature an ACTECO 3.0 liter V6 engine under the hood. The other engine variant would be a turbocharged 2.0 liter, and both will have variable valve timing. Seems to be following Audi’s strategy with performance engine offerings there – a normally aspirated big displacement V6 and a smaller turbo inline-4.

I do hope they actually plan to put brake calipers on those huge brake rotors in the production version, otherwise I would think it would be very hard to get the car to stop. Kind of silly to build a concept model and have the fake brake rotors but miss out on the fake brake calipers.

More photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery Tiggo6

Paul Tan — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 03:22:53 +0000

Just like the Chery QQ’s evolution is theChery QQ6, Chery has redone their Chery Tiggo and updated it as the Chery Tiggo6. It looks more modern than the Chery Tiggo that has just reached our shores this month, and doesn’t look so much like a cross between a CR-V and a RAV4 anymore.

The Chery Tiggo6 has permanent all-wheel drive instead of a 2WD system or a 2WD-4WD-low ratio switchable system, and features Chery’s range of AVL-designed ACTECO engines including a Euro 5-compliant 1.9 liter turbodiesel. This means specs-wise, the Chery Tiggo6 is ready to take on Europe, pretty good for a company that not too long ago was just doing clones of Daewoo vehicles.

More photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery Windcloud vs Ferrari F430

Paul Tan — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 00:35:56 +0000

For a 1.6 liter Chinese-made sedan to keep up with a Ferrari F430 on the track could only mean there is some huge difference between driving ability of the two drivers biased to the driver of the Chery, but let’s just have a look at this video anyway.

Video: Chery Windcloud vs Ferrari F430

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery T11 Tiggo for RM80,292

Paul Tan — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 18:01:11 +0000

The Chery T11 Tiggo is now available in Malaysia for a sum of RM80,292. While it looks much like a combination of the second generation Toyota RAV4 rear and the 2nd gen Honda CR-V and Naza Sorento’s front, the chassis is not carried from either vehicles.

Chery’s local distributor Alado says the T11 Tiggo sold here is powered by a Mitsubishi-based engine, but I did some research online and was confused by what I found. The Chery T11 Tiggo is available in other markets with two 2.0 liter engine options – one is a 1,997cc Mitsubishi 4G63 engine making 123 horsepower and 170Nm of torque. The other is powered by a Chery-designed ACTECO engine codenamed SQR484F which was developed by Austrian firm AVL. [Source] This engine family has also been commissioned by other automakers like Fiat, which will use the 1.6 liter and 1.8 liter ACTECO engines in it’s China-produced cars.

The Chery ACTECO SQR484F is a 1,971cc DOHC engine with a 10.2:1 compression ratio and produces 129 horsepower at 5,750rpm and 180Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, which matches the specs Alado quoted for our local Tiggo. [Source] In the Chery T11 Tiggo’s application, the engine is only available with a 5-speed manual at the moment.

Some basic specs – 5 seats, 2WD drivetrain, 3-spoke steering wheel, dual SRS airbags, CD player, heated front seats, antilock brakes, electronic brake distribution, and power steering. The rear hatch is of the side-hinged design, which Honda recently abandoned with the new 3rd generation Honda CR-V.

At RM80k, the Chery T11 Tiggo is a reasonably attractive SUV that manages to keep the price down with equipment levels that are only the necessities – not many people require 4WD. I’m not quite sure at this point whether the Tiggo is a CBU import or locally assembled. There was previously talk about having the Tiggo assembled at either Oriental Assemblers in Johor or at one of Proton’s plants – but I am not sure if this has happened or not.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Proton and Chery CKD operations to begin mid-2007

Paul Tan — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 20:20:43 +0000

Tan Sri Cam Soh, group executive chairman of Chery’s local partner Alado Corporation Sdn Bhd says Proton and Chery are expected to start their CKD program by mid-2007. The CKD program will involve Proton assembling Chery vehicles in Malaysia using Proton’s Shah Alam assembly facilities. The models in question are the Chery B14 MPV and the Chery Tiggo T11 SUV. It is said that Chery wants to make Malaysia it’s right hand drive market assembly and export center. A similar agreement is working well between Naza and Hafei, with Naza handling the right hand market for the Hafei Lobo with it’s reengineered Naza Sutera.

Proton’s agreement with Chery and Alado was previously extended in December 2006 to 28th February 2007. There is another agreement, one between Proton and Mitsubishi, that is set to expire on 2nd February 2007. We should know the outcome of that particular agreement soon. Look at the related posts for more information on the two Chery models to be assembled in Malaysia.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chrysler and Chery sign small car letter of intent

Paul Tan — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 17:39:28 +0000

After news of talks between Chrysler and Chery surfaced in May last year, Chrysler group CEO Tom LaSorda has finally signed a letter of intent with Chery Automobile Co to develop a small car for the group, but this is pending approval by DaimlerChrysler supervisory board, which will meet this month to discuss the matter. Other partners which were considered were Mitsubishi Motors Corp, and Hyundai Motor Co Ltd, but it is Chery who managed to clinch the deal in the end.

The collaboration is expected to be approved by the DCX board, and manufacturing will soon begin, according to Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines. It is not known for now Which badge under the Chrysler group will appear on the grille of this new small B-segment car, but the logical choice would be Dodge, the group’s value brand. Chrysler previously exhibited a concept small car, the Dodge Hornet, an aggressive-looking muscular small car, but the new compact from the Chery-Chrysler collaboration will not be the Dodge Hornet.

The car is expected to be built in China, as Chrysler says it cannot profitably produce a small car in the US. Chrysler has been in talks with Chery for nearly a year before this agreement was reached. More details will be released in a month’s time or earlier. The new small car will compete against the Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit and Nissan Versa in the United States. It will also be sold in Canada, Mexico, Europe and possibly China. While this is a start for Chery’s involvement in the US market, but it is still keen to export it’s own cars under it’s own brand to the US as the small car will not be Chery-branded.

2006 was not a good year at all for Chrysler dealers in the US. The company kept cranking out minivans, medium to big cars and SUVs throughout the whole summer despite warnings and suggestions by dealers against the move. Chrysler just went on and on with overoptimism fueled by the success of the Chrysler 300. Despite employee pricing sales incentives and other promotions, dealers choked on inventory and floorplan bills skyrocketed with dipping sales. The Chrysler group posted a US$1.48 billion loss in the third quarter 2006. Will this new small car give Chrysler and it’s dealers a much needed boost? And even if so, what is Chrysler going to do with it’s sales bank of unsold cars? Instead of slowing down production when demand dropped, production was kept at full capacity, and now unsold Chrysler cars are just lying around in storage areas. Sound familiar?

Check after the jump for an interview with Tom LaSorda.

Related Posts:
2006 Dodge Hornet Concept
Dodge Attitude

Interview wih Tom LaSorda

Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Officer Tom LaSorda spoke with TheFirehouse about the deal reached with Chery Automobile Co. of China to distribute Chery-made small cars in North America and other markets.

“If you look at the U.S. market, or even in NAFTA, all the B-segment vehicles are being imported from the Asia region. The major reason is their cost structure and their ability to engineer and design in those segments. And we really cannot compete, nor can any one else, making it in this region,” he said.

Question â€“ Why partner with Chery, or any Chinese car company for that matter, instead of building the car here in North America or at a DaimlerChrysler plant in China?
Tom â€“ “Well, first of all, we’re talking about a B-segment, which is a very small compact car, and if you look at the U.S. market or even in NAFTA, all the B-segment vehicles are being imported from the Asia region. The major reason is their cost structure and their ability to engineer and design in those segments. And we really cannot compete nor can anyone making it in this region.”

Q â€“ This being an election year, will this be used as a political statement about more jobs going to China?

Tom â€“ “Well, first of all, I can’t control what people say politically. What I can control is the fact that we are already exporting cars into China â€“ the Chrysler Group. We’re also producing locally the 300, the minivan into China, and most people don’t know that we’re exporting a large percentage of the componetries of these cars â€“ the engines, the transmissions and major high-cost parts that are made by Americans and Canadians primarily â€“ are being shipped over to these markets for us in China. I tell you, there are a lot of jobs being preserved by our growth in China and our exports there. And this (the Chery deal) will have no impact because we’re not even involved in the B-segment today.”

Q â€“ Can China build a quality car that will satisfy North American consumers?
Tom â€“ “Well, absolutely, and our role here is to ensure that our engineering and design and quality teams are working with Chery along the way to meet the stringent standards, not only in North America but around the world. And that teamwork will continue throughout this project.”

Q â€“ Will this car mean the death of the Hornet, the muscular small car concept that we saw at the Geneva auto show this year?

Tom â€“ “The Hornet is a great statement of our design. It is also a statement that it’s something that we’re going to continue to take a look at, and depending on the business case going, we’ll look at that independently from this particular project.”

Q â€“ How will this help the Chrysler Group’s attempts here in the United States to shift some of the mix away from pickup trucks, minivans and SUVs with gas prices high right now?

Tom â€“ “Well, the consumers are, quite frankly, just looking for choice, and the fact that the Chrysler Group doesn’t even play in this segment, it’s very important that we do. This is important for our growth here, but not only here in the NAFTA region – and I’m talking Canada, Mexico and the United States – but the European markets and other growth areas, where the growth is going. We need to follow with a cross-section of great cars and trucks across our whole portfolio. That’s why we need this in this region as well. Our attempt here will help us in this region because the gas mileage of this car will be exceptionally good and we’re looking forward to this coming in to help us as this segment is growing in this region and we just need to play a part.”

Interview Source: Chrysler’s TheFirehouse Blog

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery recalls 1,875 Chery T11 Tiggo SUVs

Paul Tan — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:48:18 +0000

Chery Automobile Co. Ltd has shown signs of being a responsible car manufacturer that intends to stick around, rather than taking the “make fast profits and ignore issues like brand building and after sales support” approach that many others have adopted with their shitty deathtraps.

A recall notice has been issued for the Chery T11 Tiggo SUV, a unique visual blend of the 2nd generation Toyota RAV4 and the 2nd generation Honda CR-V which uses Mitsubishi 2.0 and 2.4 liter engines. The recall affects 1,875 of the Chery Tiggo SUVs with automatic transmissions, of which 80 are for the export market. The faulty component involves a fan controller which needs to be repaired. The faulty fan controller might cause engine failure, likely due to overheating.

Related Posts:
Chery Tiggo (Chery T11) coming to Malaysia

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

No more Chery Visionary Vehicles for the US?

Paul Tan — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 01:31:37 +0000

Malcolm Bricklin, who wanted to bring in Chery vehicles into the USA via his company Visionary Vehicles has abandoned his plan, some say because of the news of Daimler Chrysler talking to Chery to produce a small car for them – i.e.: the Dodge Hornet. But the actual story was Chery and Bricklin could not come to an agreement of how to use a US$200 million seed by billionaire George Soros. Malcolm Bricklin has been known to be the one who is daring enough to bring foreign auto brands into the US, some of his better stories have been Subaru, and his worst is likely Yugo.

However, Chery officials have said it still has plans to enter the US market, and Chery suppliers have confirmed that Chery is talking with several potential investors about developing and selling a Chery-branded car in the United States (which isn’t exactly what Mr. Bricklin intended – he wants the cars to be badged Visionary Vehicles), though an agreement is not likely to be reached anytime soon.

Shown above is Chery’s recent Chery A3 concept car, with one more photo of it after the jump.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Fiat to use Chery’s AVL-designed ACTECO engines

Paul Tan — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 01:55:45 +0000

Fiat and Chery have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will result in Fiat using Chery’s ACTECO family of engines in it’s China-produced cars, with a possibility of the ACTECO engines finding it’s way in Italian models like the Bravo.

The deal involves Chery’s 1.6 liter and 1.8 liter ACTECO engines, though the ACTECO family has a wide range of displacements and configurations, from a tiny 0.8 liter to a huge 4.0 liter V8.

The ACTECO family of engines was developed by AVL, an Austrian-based automotive consulting firm. Despite the negative stigma surrounding China products, the ACTECO family of engines is actually quite modern, incorporating aluminium alloy cylinder blocks/heads and direct fuel injection, complying with Euro IV emission standards.

Pictured on the left is the ACTECO 1.8 liter DOHC turbocharged engine. With a bore of 81mm and a stroke of 87.2mm, the long stroke turbocharged engine makes 180 horsepower at 5,750rpm and a very healthy 250Nm of torque at 4,300rpm.

Source

Related Posts:
Chery and Fiat in talks

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery and Fiat in talks

Paul Tan — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 05:14:48 +0000

Chery Automobile’s latest ally to be in the automotive industry might just be Fiat. Fiat has an existing alliance with a Chinese auto manufacturer – Nanjing Automobile Group, but that partnership has been far from profitable so far. One option being discussed would be Chery making cars using Fiat technologies and selling them.

That sounds wonderful, give Chery access to your technology Fiat, and perhaps the next Chery QQ will look like a Fiat Punto.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery JV develops hydrogen fuel cell car

Paul Tan — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 23:14:35 +0000

Chery Automobile Co., Ltd, J&K Technologies Inc and Tsinghua University has developed a hydrogen fuel cell car which can reach a top speed of 80 km/h and like a traditional hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, emits no exhaust fumes other than water vapor.

The joint venture has announced that the car was developed entirely on their own, and China now has fully independent intellectual property rights to a fuel cell vehicle. But then again, considering Chery’s definition of intellectual property… hmm.

Think we’ll be seeing a fuel cell Chery QQ soon?

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery to build Dodge subcompacts for DCX

Paul Tan — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:53:12 +0000

Some news regarding collaboration between DaimlerChrysler and Chery. Previously it was reported that Chrysler will name it’s subcompact car partner by the end of 2006, with talks currently on-going with a few partners. Subcompacts which are known for frugal fuel consumption – important in these high fuel price days – account for 1% of the overall US market currently, but it is expected to double in amount next year.

DaimlerChrysler is said to be in final talks to build cars in China and export them to the US under the Dodge brand to take advantage of the cheaper costs there. This move will follow Honda Motor Co’s recent recision to export vehicles built in China. However, DaimlerChrysler is keeping mum on the issue, and it is said that this collaboration is very controversial within DaimlerChrysler, with opponents questioning whether cars produced in China by Chery can meet quality standards.

Other partners being considered are Mitsubishi Motors Corp, and Hyundai Motor Co Ltd. “We know we can’t do it alone. The capital expense alone would be very high, said Chrysler Group CEO Tom LaSorda.

Source, 2

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Proton to produce MPV and SUV with Chery

Paul Tan — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 23:51:29 +0000

NOTICE: This news was posted back in 2006, but things could have changed now.

More news on the Proton-Chery partnership – Business Times reported today that Proton Holdings Bhd may produce an MPV and an SUV model together with Chery Automobiles Co Ltd, according to Chery distributor Alado’s executive chairman Tan Sri Cam Soh.

Previously Alado said it wanted to locally assemble the Chery Tiggo T11 SUV and the Chery V5 Crossover MPV here in Malaysia. So what Alado’s executives might have meant is Proton will assemble the Tiggo and V5 here in Malaysia for Chery, or Proton will come out with SUV and MPV models based on the Chery platforms. I think it’s more likely the former rather than the latter.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery QQ AMT; assembly by Proton next year?

Paul Tan — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 10:48:31 +0000

Alado Bumi Sdn Bhd launched the new fully imported CBU Chery QQ AMT today, powered by an automated manual gearbox similiar to the unit in the Proton Savvy AMT.

The 52hp 75.5Nm 0.8 liter Chery QQ AMT is priced at RM42,888, while the 0.8 liter Chery QQ with a 5 speed manual transmission sells for RM39,888. Only 100 units of the Chery QQ manual remains, out of the 200 stock that was brought in.

In other Chery news, Chery expects to start local assembly of Chery cars in Malaysia in Proton’s plant by next year if talks go well. As for Cam Soh’s other company, IGC which intends to assemble Geely cars in Malaysia, the government has only given approval to assemble 1.6 liter Geely cars here, but not models lower than 1.6 liter. Are we looking at a non-tariff barrier working in action to protect Proton?

Click here for a price comparison of the Chery QQ with other models in it’s class.

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Assorted Proton announcements

Paul Tan — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 15:39:05 +0000

Proton has made a few announcements today, let me go through them one by one. They’re mostly to do with memorandum of understanding and intent signed with other companies.

Proton reports that the Memorandum of Intent between Proton and Petronas has ended, and both parties are now assessing alternative engine sourcing opportunities. I am not sure if I am right, but from what I can understand by “assessing alternatives”, it looks like Proton will not be using the Petronas E01-based technology for it’s larger displacement engines.

The Memorandum of Understanding with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation to be extended for another 3 months, ending in November 2006. This is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of both parties. This MoU was signed to explore the feasibility of cooperation between Mitsubishi and Proton in the development of new vehicles and components supply. The new model in question is the most likely the Perdana Replacement Model, said to be based on the Mitsubishi 380. Previously, Proton announced that it has completed technical feasibility studies and was proceeding to commercial feasibility studies.

Memorandum of Understanding between Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd, Chery Automobile Co Ltd and Alado Corporation Sdn Bhd to be extended for another 2 months subject to approval of Board of Directors of all three companies. This is likely to do with the talks Proton has been having with Chery on a joint venture in assembly and distribution for Proton cars in China as well as Chery cars in Malaysia.

The joint feasibility study between Lotus Engineering Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Youngman Automobile Group Co Ltd (Jinhua Youngman) will end on 28th September 2006. The study is current in the financial, legal and marketing aspect phase.

Proton Holdings Berhad has subscribed to an additional 7,167,827 Redeemable Convertible Preference Shares of RM0.10 each in Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd at an issue price of RM1.00 per share – a total of RM7,168,827 cash. This will bring Proton Holdings Berhad shareholding in Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd to a total of 19,176,627 shares.

This is in response to a capital call by LAT to fund capital expenditure of Miyazu (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, a tool and die company which is a 51% subsidiary of Lotus Advance Technologies Sdn Bhd. Incorporated in June 2003, Miyazu (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd offers services like the design of dies and jigs, maintenance services of dies, die manufacturing and engineering consultancy for automotive firms. It is a joint venture between Proton, Miyazu Seisakusho Co Ltd and Nissho Iwai Corp – the latter two being Japanese firms.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery and GM settlement over QQ

Paul Tan — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 19:40:55 +0000

UK magazine AutoExpress carried photos of the Chery QQ crash test results yesterday. Clearly European consumers are a little worried about the influx of Chinese cars into their market soon in the future, for example the new Nanjing-assembled MG Rover cars, the JiangLing Landwind, and the Geely Beauty Leopard. Bad crash test result photos (as well as some good ones?) of the Chery QQ have been around the internet for a long time, so it is not exactly breaking news for us. There are also accusations that the Chery QQ is a rip-off of the Chevy Spark, and there was a lawsuit but it was settled out of court and since dropped.

What raised my curiosity is this little excerpt from the article…

A Chevrolet spokesman told us: “The QQ results are horrific. China clearly isn’t ready to sell cars in Europe.” After complaining about copyright infringement, Chevy’s parent firm GM made an out-of-court settlement with Chery which agreed not to sell the QQ outside China.

Since the Chery QQ is available here in Malaysia, is AutoExpress misquoting the Chevy spokesman?

Source: AutoExpress

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery announces Chery QQ6 (S21)

Paul Tan — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 08:01:48 +0000

Chery has released information on their latest compact car, the Chery QQ6 known internally as the S21. The Chery QQ6 is a small notchback said to be inspired by the design of the Volkswagen New Beetle. The notchback form is popular in China, as evident by Citroen developing the Citroen C-Triomphe, a special notchback version of Citroen C4 the specially for the Chinese market. The 4-door supermini is based on a new platform, not carried over from the previous Chery QQ and the notchback form is the first in a series that will also include a hatchback and a stationwagon.

This platform is said to be developed by Chery entirely on it’s own. It offers two engine options, a 1.1 liter and a 1.3 liter. It will be priced between US$5,250 and US$6,500 in the Chinese market. With the introduction of the QQ6, it’s sibling the Chery QQ will be renamed the Chery QQ3 as Chery intends to continue selling the Chery QQ3. More photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery QQ for RM39,888

Paul Tan — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:58:55 +0000

Alado has launched the CBU Chery QQ here in Malaysia, with an on the road price of RM39,888 for the QQ model and RM41,888 for the QQR model. The Chery QQR model is basically a QQ with a sporty bodykit. The Chery QQ comes with an 812cc 12 valve 3 cylinder EFI DOHC engine, making 52hp at 6,000rpm and a max torque of 75.5 Nm between 3,500 and 4,000rpm. It comes with a 5-speed manual transmission only. Good news is the car comes with a power steering system.

Alado intends to sell only 200 units of both the Chery QQ and Chery QQR by the end of 2006. As I previously reported, Chery also intends to assemble an MPV and an SUV here in Malaysia, the Chery B14 V5 Crossover and the Chery T11 Tiggo. While previous reports suggested they might be assembled at Oriental Assembler Sdn Bhds plant in Johor Baru, Alado group executive chairman Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong said at the QQ launch that Alado is currently in talks with a few other assemblers and Proton tops it’s list of preferred assemblers. This would be in line with Proton’s alliance talks with Chery, which would result in Proton assembling it’s vehicles at Chery’s plant in China and Chery assembling it’s vehicles in Proton’s plant here.

Price comparison between similiar models available after the jump:

Price Comparison:

Chery QQ (M)	RM39,888.00
Chery QQR (M)	RM41,888.00
Chevrolet Spark (M)	RM46,588.00
Naza Sutera GS (M)	RM35,998.00
Naza Sutera GSi (M)	RM36,998.00
Proton Savvy 1.2 (AMT) Metallic	RM42,916.32
Proton Savvy 1.2 (AMT) Solid	RM42,050.07
Proton Savvy 1.2 (M) Metallic	RM40,267.13
Proton Savvy 1.2 (M) Solid	RM39,427.88
Perodua Kancil 660EX (M) Basic Solid	RM22,523.50
Perodua Kancil 660EX (M) Solid	RM24,443.50
Perodua Kancil 660EX (M) Metallic	RM24,802.60
Perodua Kancil 850EX (M) Solid	RM28,277.60
Perodua Kancil 850EX (M) Metallic	RM28,636.60
Perodua Kancil 850EZI (A) Solid	RM33,724,60
Perodua Kancil 850EZI (A) Metallic	RM34,204.60
Perodua Kelisa 850EX (M) Solid	RM31,011.70
Perodua Kelisa 850EX (M) Metallic	RM31,564.60
Perodua Kelisa GX (M) Solid	RM34,919.40
Perodua Kelisa GX (M) Metallic	RM35,468.60
Perodua Kelisa EZ (A) Solid	RM38,295.70
Perodua Kelisa EZ (A) Metallic	RM39,017.70

Source

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

New Chery QQ Crash Test Photos

Paul Tan — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 01:59:10 +0000

QXTX, which looks like some kind of Chery QQ fan club website has posted a different set of Chery QQ crash test result photos on their site last year. In these new crash test photos, the damage does not look bad at all, but even through Babelfish Chinese to English translation, I could not really determine to which crash testing standards was used as guidelines for the crash test. Perhaps a reader who can read Chinese could help with the translation? Anyone?

You can see that the last photo was shot intentionally to show that all four doors of the Chery QQ could be opened after the crash. Proper crash test or not, I’ll let you be the judge! For older photos showing much worse results, click here. More crash test photos after the jump.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.

Chery QQ coming to town this month

Paul Tan — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 19:35:19 +0000

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, â€œIf 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.â€œ

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 liters 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.

Source

More details on the MPV and SUV vehicles in separate posts:

Chery Tiggo (Chery T11) coming to Malaysia
Chery V5 Crossover (Chery B14) MPV

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 00:44:25 +0800.