Chery QQ of the new generation became the first model of the iCar sub-brand
The Chery QQ sedan, announced in the summer, has been completely declassified and is ready to start sales in the Chinese market. In the third generation, the cuckoo completely changed its concept: if earlier it was an economical class A + five-door (originally copied from the Daewoo Matiz model), now it is an even more miniature electric three-door.
Chery was visibly impressed by the market success of the Wuling Mini EV microcar, which entered the market in the summer of 2020 and immediately became the most popular electric car in the Chinese market with 329,000 units sold in the first full year of sales! Thus, the new Chery QQ repeats the little Wuling literally in everything, from the shape of the case and ports to performance. There was a clone of Matiz – he became a copy of Vulin.
But in terms of marketing, Chery decided to go beyond the competition and created a separate ecosystem for the cuckoo under the iCar brand: its logo flaunts on the steering wheel, although the company emblems are still familiar from the iCar body!), a car subscription system and a separate online application for all owners (not just subscribers) that allows you to connect to the car via cloud services. And on the first day of work, 63 thousand applications were submitted to Chery QQ only through this application!
Thus, the new three-door car has a length of 2980 mm, a width of 1496 mm and a height of 1637 mm, and a wheelbase of 1960 mm. Differences from the analogue of the Wuling brand: no more than the length of a finger of each size. Virtually flat body panels, minimal embellishments, a high boot sill, 12-inch miniature wheels – everything is like a project. Unless the Chery QQ optics look more interesting, and diodes are installed instead of lamps. There are six pastel colors to choose from.
Salon is extremely utilitarian. The Chery instrument display is colored (instead of monochrome for Wulin), and also shows the settings of the radio and mp3 player: there is no separate remote control, only the buttons on the steering wheel are responsible for controlling the “music”. The steering column is not adjustable, the role of the storage compartment is played by two pockets on the front panel.
Air conditioning and a single driver's airbag are paid options that are equipped with parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Formally, the cabin is four-seater, but in this case, only a laptop will fit in the trunk. To carry luggage, you can fold the individual backrests of the last row (Wuling has a one-piece backrest).
Chery QQ has a rear-wheel drive, and to simplify the design, a continuous bridge with a spring suspension is installed at the rear. The electric motor produces 27 hp and 85 Nm. You can choose between economical lithium-iron-phosphate batteries with a capacity of 9.6 or 13.9 kWh, at which the passport range reaches 120 and 170 km, respectively, on the outdated NEDC cycle. That is, in real life it will be about 70 and 100 km.
The curb weight of the base version is 669 kg, while the sedan with a “large” battery and all options pulls up to 743 kg. The maximum speed for all modifications is the same – 100 km / h. The Cuckoo is equipped with ABS, but there is no stabilization system.
interestingly, Chery didn't even try to outsmart Wuling's offering on price. If it costs between $4500 and $6800 then they are asking for a minimum of $4700 for QQ and the top version is priced at $6900. Sales will begin by the end of November.
