Qoros:First Chinese car company to get 5 stars in EuroNCAP safety test

[ITCC_Andrew]

The rims on the hybrid are, actually, so far as I can tell, directly out of GT5.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

The hybrid is actually quite good looking. The other two are a bit off, mainly due to the massive taillamps. However,t he headlamps are too big on all three. However, if the car is good enough, I'd certainly consider buying one. It looks Skoda-esque, in a good way. A bit unusual, but also somehow a bit German.

 

[AerodyManiac]

They look pretty fine, I must admit. The interior in the GQ3 isn't bad either.
Definitely some of the best-looking Chinese cars I've seen so far. 👍

Though they look a bit like Volkswagens, and the taillights are too large.

They will have to work hard on safety and reliability to wash away the notoriety Chinese cars have gained over the past.

 

[brianwong]

As a Chinese person, I do not trust Chinese products much. People in China do not tend to be trustworthy and on Chinese products, I take a guilty before proven innocent approach.

 

[Keef]

As a Chinese person, I do not trust Chinese products much. People in China do not tend to be trustworthy and on Chinese products, I take a guilty before proven innocent approach.

I don't know how many every-day foreign products China imports for its consumers, but when a Chinese company is trying to compete elsewhere in a market as demanding and competitive as cars, the profit motive will prove powerful. There is one reason for the ever-increasing quality of Chinese cars in particular, and that is because they have to. Business people learn very quickly that if they intend to compete in the long run instead of make a quick buck they must satisfy their customers and challenge their competitors and the only way to do that is to invest in what the market demands, like quality, safety, design, etc. Crappy products sell but they don't sell for long.

 

[niky]

As a Chinese person, I do not trust Chinese products much. People in China do not tend to be trustworthy and on Chinese products, I take a guilty before proven innocent approach.

I've seen how Chinese factories do business. And some of them are pretty bad.

I've driven a whole lot of Chinese cars. A whole shebang of Chinese cars.

There were those on which the paint was peeling despite the car being brand new. Where the chrome was oxidizing and rust flakes were starting to form on exposed steel parts and screws.

Rattling bodies, falling panels, poor door alignment, I've seen it all. Transmissions with gears of glass and clutches of cast iron, horrible to use.

There was one on which I actually had to break out a screwdriver and adjust the idle because it wouldn't idle right, despite being right off the factory floor. That one started to overheat at 80 km/h. There was a turbodiesel that wouldn't hit full boost when you floored it, because the cable to the speed governor wasn't set properly from the factory. Then there are the electronic speedometers and tachometers that twitch from time to time.

The worst offense, however, is the braking systems. Your typical Chinese-supplied hydraulic brake assist system bleeds off pressure like a soggy Chinese take-out container and I've had cars where the brakes lose all assist right after you start the car up. Then there are those brakes where the brake bias has been set by a blind man in the factory basement, and the rears lock up every time you feather the pedal.

-

BUT: I've driven some good Chinese cars. And some really good ones. When a Chinese company takes car-making seriously, they can come up with a car that is almost as good as a non-Chinese car. The Japanese went through this, the Koreans, too. There's going to be a teething period where things are bad, but within ten years, Chinese-designed and engineered cars will become mainstream.

A whole lot of small companies won't survive, though. But given how bad their products are... good riddance.

 

[1241Penguin]

Here's to hoping natural selection also applies to cars.

 

[Pagey279]

I came into this thread expecting to see a laughably crap worthless lump of metal. But actually it looks like a really nice car, I prefer the styling of this over many European/Japanese equivalents. Modern cars have taken a turn for the worse but this is nice.

 

[analog]

TThough they look a bit like Volkswagens, and the taillights are too large.

I'm not surprised they went for a Volkswagen look (if it had to resemble any brand that is) as those have been extremely popular in China for a couple of decades now.

 

[Dan_]

They look functional but bland on pictures, I suspect these are the type of cars that look much better in the metal than in the webz. Simple detailing demands careful stamping, which I weirdly find attractive in a car.

See the Passat for instance, it's absolutely bland in pictures, but surprisingly interesting in the correct metallic hues and in person.

 

[RocZX]

Audi forced Qoros to drop the GQ3 moniker

Then Qoros announced plans to introduce the GQ3 at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi took notice and filed lawsuit to prevent the automaker from using the Q initial.

A district court in Hamburg, Germany sided with Audi and forbade Qoros from using the GQ3 name. As a result, Qoros renamed the model the 3 Sedan which likely won't win them any fans in Munich.

Despite being "torpedoed" over the GQ3 moniker, Qoros Chief Designer Gert Hildebrand put a positive spin on the court's decision. As he told Die Welt, "The competition is obviously nervous" but we are very confident that the car's unveiling in Geneva will be a great success.

WorldCarFans


It's funny cause when Audi tried to use the "Q" on their SUV/crossovers, Nissan/Infiniti sued them for using it.

 

[TorqueHappenS08]

KIA Quoris?

 

[niky]

Wait, so Audi own the letter "Q" now? Even if you use it with others?

GQ, better watch out.

I think the people at Quoros are just being a bit too cautious. Nothing would ever come out of such a ridiculous lawsuit... but perhaps they want to sidestep the whole "Chinese Copycat" stigma, hence rolling over on such a mild issue.

 

[Endless-Wilso]

How is Infiniti getting away with renaming everythinh Q then

 

[xNEVER-ONEx]

How is Infiniti getting away with renaming everythinh Q then

Infiniti is clearly a lot more influential than Qoros, not to mention they have been using the Q thing for a while.

 

[niky]

Infiniti and Audi have a "Gentlemen's Agreement" to share the letter. Plus the naming conventions will be vastly different, with Infiniti going for a Volvo-ish two-number system (40,50,60 etcetera) and Audi going for a single number system (Q3, Q5, Q7).

Audi's reaction to Quoros is that Quoros is also doing a single number system, so they feel it will be confusing to the consumers.

Though how anybody would confuse a Quoros GQ3 sedan with an Audi Q3 crossover is anybody's guess. Quoros could likely take it to the courts and win, but they probably don't want the hassle.

 

[RocZX]

Qoros should call it the "GQ-3", it sounds a lot better then 3. But I'm not sure a dash mark would change anything.

KIA Quoris?

They filed a lawsuit against Kia back in November to stop them from using the using the Quoris name in Europe and won. CarScoop

Though how anybody would confuse a Quoros GQ3 sedan with an Audi Q3 crossover is anybody's guess. Quoros could likely take it to the courts and win, but they probably don't want the hassle.

Qoros said that they are going to fight the courts decisions cause they had trademarked the name GQ3 in Europe and told Audi about it. Automotive News Europe


It's a little odd, Audi filed a lawsuit against them. One of their main cars they will compete against is the Skoda which is owned by VW group which also owns Audi.

 

[RocZX]

"Our main target is the Chinese market," explains the company's head of sales, marketing and product strategy, Italian Stefano Villanti.

"But Chinese consumers like buying European products."

.......

"They're all European products," says Mr Villanti. "The company has European management and European engineers."

.......

And its cars will be made in Changshu in China, in a new factory that will initially have enough capacity to produce 150,000 cars each year, with the possibility to expand to 250,000 and then extend the building to raise capacity to 450,000.

In other words, there are no plans to produce the cars in Europe.

Nor will the company offer right-hand drive vehicles for the UK market, at least not yet, and it is not planning to make cars with diesel engines.

"China doesn't like diesel," says Mr Volker, while Mr Villanti acknowledges that "without diesel, the market in Europe is very small".

European sales should account for about 10% of production, he predicts.

Low European sales volumes are not deemed a problem, however, as Qoros sets out to establish itself well above the budget brands currently selling well in austerity-hit Europe. The Qoros 3 will cost between 16,000 euros ($20,881; £13,826) and 20,000 euros.

"We're not on the same page as the cheapest marques," says Mr Volker.

.......

"Creating a new brand with no obvious 'Chineseness' gets around the perception problem that Chinese brands are low-cost brands," says Mr Bursa.

But whether that is enough to convince Chinese car buyers that Qoros is in fact European remains to be seen.

BBC news

 

[Beeblebrox237]

I'm really warming up this car. I'm not sure that I'd buy it over a European product, but it looks good, if unassuming, and seems to be a quality product. I see no reason why it can't be a very nice car.

 

[Fazerfan]

This is problem in Finland.

 

[Beeblebrox237]

Eh? You're kidding. That design is stupid in the wet or in snow. Or anytime, really.

 

[RocZX]

The Qoros 3 Sedan has been awarded 5 stars in EuroNCAP’s most recent safety tests, thus becoming the first car developed in China to get the maximum rating.

Carscoops

 

[RocZX]

Qoros 3 GT - the company sports crossover sedan for China

 

[Obelisk]

Hold on, if this car is called the 3, won't Mazda have a fit about it?

 

[GTracer38]

Hold on, if this car is called the 3, won't Mazda have a fit about it?

They should've already, it's been around for a few years now.

 

[05XR8]

Hold on, if this car is called the 3, won't Mazda have a fit about it?

It's not a Mazda 3(It's Mazda3). If it were a Q3, that'll probably throw up a flag.

 

[Obelisk]

It's not a Mazda 3(It's Mazda3). If it were a Q3, that'll probably throw up a flag.

That explains. I do just call the Mazda3 a '3' so that's where I got mixed up.