Chery QQ

The Chery QQ (codename S11) is a city car produced by the Chinese manufacturer Chery Automobile since 2003. In 2006, the car was renamed the Chery QQ3 in China when Chery launched their new supermini, the Chery QQ6. It is sometimes difficult to discern if a mention of the Chery QQ refers to the entire QQ-branded product line, which comprises four models, or solely the QQ3, the original QQ mini car.

Its cheap price (in 2008 it may have been the cheapest production car in the world ) has made the car popular in China. In the 2000s, the QQ was often Chery's most sold model, and the company itself calls the car "a legend in the Chinese history of the automobile... a mini model with the highest cumulative sales in China". It may no longer be popular; the QQ was dropped from a list of top ten bestsellers complied by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers c. 2010. Even if its popularity is flagging, it remains cheap. The lowest cost QQ is about US$4,000 as of 2012.

It was at the center of an intellectual property dispute between Chery and GM in the late 2000s.

A slightly redesigned model was revealed at the 2011 Guangzhou Auto Show, and a new generation was introduced at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.

Engine
The QQ is available with two gasoline-powered engines (both EURO III compliant):


 * 0.8 L SQR372 DOHC 12V I3 — 38 kW at 6,000 rpm, 70 Nm at 3,500 rpm
 * 1.1 L DA465Q-1A2/D SOHC 16V I4 — 38.5 kW at 5,300 rpm, 83 Nm at 3,000 rpm
 * 1.1 L SQR472F DOHC 16V I4 — 50 kW at 6,000 rpm, 90 Nm at 3,500 rpm

Copying controversy
General Motors claimed the car was a copy of the Daewoo Matiz (which is marketed outside South Korea as the Chevrolet Spark) and sued Chery in a Chinese court. The Detroit News reported that "the dispute reflects the confusion, risks and ambitions in China's new auto industry, where global carmakers are battling pugnacious upstarts for a piece of what may become the world's largest auto market."

GM China Group indicated the two vehicles "shared remarkably identical body structure, exterior design, interior design and key components" MotorAuthority.com and GM executives demonstrated the extent of the design duplication, noting for example that the doors of the QQ and those of the Spark are interchangeable.

Safety
Though the Chery QQ and the Daewoo Matiz are superficially similar cars, their safety ratings differ dramatically. A Euro NCAP front offset crash test showed that the driver's injuries in the QQ are worse than those sustained in the Matiz. Upon impact, the QQ driver will most likely suffer severe (possibly fatal) head trauma, and trauma to the neck and chest areas. The first generation Daewoo Matiz achieved a three/two star driver/passenger EuroNCAP rating.

QQ3 EV
An all-electric version, the Chery QQ3 EV, began deliveries to retail customers in the Wuhu, Anhui province in March 2010. The electric city car has a range of 100 km. The QQ3 EV is lowest priced pure electric car in China, at (~US$6,480) after government incentives. Sales during 2012 totaled 5,305 units, making the QQ3 EV the best selling all-electric car in China in 2012, with a market share of 44% of total electric cars sales that year. Cumulative sales since January 2012 reached 9,512 units through October 2013, and during 2013 the car continued as the top selling selling highway-capable electric car in China.

A new model based on the Chery QQ3 Sport with a 16 hp electric motor was expected to be launched by the end of 2012. In the United States, Miles Electric Vehicles was planning to release the rebadged version of the QQ3 EV called the Miles ZX50S AD in 2012.