If you’re a devoted follower of Carscoop and at the same time have the memory of an…elephant, you may remember a report from last November when we first told you about the birth of a new brand named Qoros.
The newly formed automaker’s parents are China’s Chery Automobile Co. and Israeli investment firm Israel Corp. The joint-venture firm is headed by Chery official Guo Qian with former VW executive Volker Steinwascher having filled the role of vice chairman.
At the time, Steinwascher was quoted saying that the brand was employing experienced designers and engineers who had worked at companies like BMW and VW. And true enough, in December of 2011, Qoros hired Gert Hildebrand, former General Manager of Mini Design, to lead its styling division.
Fast forward to today and our crafty scoopers caught one of the first prototypes from Qoros testing on European soil. The car, which is currently known under the codename C11, is a compact sedan about the same size as the Ford Focus or VW Jetta sedans.
It is said that Qoros will offer the C11 with a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol engine sourced from Chery linked to a six-speed manual gearbox or a dual clutch transmission with the same number of gears.
The C11, which will form the base for a five-door hatchback and possibly a crossover, is expected to make its motor show debut next year.
Steinwascher has said that Qoros plans to build about 150,000 to 160,000 vehicles a year in China by 2015 or 2016, with half of those to be exported to Europe.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoop
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