2013 Geneva - Qoros makes its global debut with 3 Sedan

Holding their own against the heavyweight launches of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show were three cars that would have easily passed off as those belonging to an European automotive brand. Closer inspection revealed a hitherto unknown logo and the fact that the cars actually belonged to a new brand called 'Qoros'. The biggest surprise though is still to come. Qoros is an equal partnership venture between Chery Automobile, one of China's biggest automobile manufacturers and Israel Corporation, the country's largest holding company. Yes, we are referring to the same Chery that became popular for all the wrong reasons with its QQ, a model that was remarkably similar to the earlier Daewoo Matiz.

The models on display were the 3 Sedan, 3 Estate Concept and 3 Cross Hybrid Concept. As the names suggest, all three models belong to the same '3' platform with a couple of more models planned to bring in volumes. Though all three models look production-ready, the 3 Sedan is the one that's slated for commercial launch later this year in China and Europe.

For many reasons, Chinese cars don't bring along good sketches on our minds. Qoros might end up changing that, as the 3 Sedan and it's concept siblings are blessed with a thoroughly modern European design that wouldn't look out of place in a Volkswagen or Fiat. We might be exaggerating here, but the point is, the Qoros models are that good, relatively speaking.

The mesh grille filled in with black 'clouds', the thick chrome strip at the top of the grille, the chunky C-Pillar and the horizontal streaks of Light Emitting Diodes makes the Qoros 3 Sedan look like nothing else from China. In what can be termed as an emerging style statement, both the front and rear lights have the word 'Qoros' inscribed on them. The interiors are no less impressive, looking at the official shots revealed by the company. Though the layout isn't new, the execution, fit and finish seem to be good, with the Qoros 3 Sedan sporting a flat-bottom steering wheel, a high-resolution touch screen infotainment system and generous space along with other regular set of features including xenon headlamps and cruise control.

Developed in collaboration with AVL of Austria, two 1.6-liter engines are expected to power the 3 Sedan. While the naturally aspirated version churns out 126 bhp, the turbocharged version is good for 156 bhp. Mated to this is a standard 6-speed manual transmission and an optional 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. With the safety, ride and handling characteristics tuned to European standards, the Qoros 3 Sedan doesn't look like a compromise any which way you look at it. To be produced in an all-new facility in Changshu in China, we feel that the 3 Sedan has what it takes to have a genuine shot at success, even in markets outside of China.

Though the brand has used the 2013 Geneva Motor Show as a launchpad for its 3 platform, the company is planning to develop new platforms as it intends to keep growing. Such clarity and long-term planning has to be attributed to the management team at Qoros, which has executives from many different countries and continents, who seem to have successfully imparted a global mindset within the company.

With a plan to launch add models to its lineup every 6 to 8 months, Qoros gave a clear hint of the next two models to join the 3 Sedan. While the 3 Estate Concept is an extended estate variant of the 3 with increased passenger space and functionality, the 3 Cross Hybrid Concept is an attractive compact crossover. Featuring an advanced hybrid drive with a 50kW electric motor in addition to a 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine with 130 bhp and an automatic software to control transition between petrol engine four wheel drive, electric motor rear wheel drive and all wheel drive, Qoros is using the 3 Cross Hybrid Concept as a technological showpiece.

Coming after the demise of quite a few brands like Pontiac, Mercury, Hummer, Saturn and Saab over the last few years, the birth of Qoros is a reason to cheer. Let's join the party with the hope that the 3 Cross Hybrid will eventually reach our shores.