China's New Qoros Brand to Debut its First Car at the Geneva Motor Show

We have been following the story on the new Qoros passenger car brand since China’s Chery Automobile Co. and Israeli investment firm Israel Corp. officially announced the birth of the company last November (though, the two companies had established the joint venture in December 2007) and even scooped up one of its prototype models testing in Europe this past July.

Today we learn that Qoros Auto Co. Ltd will make its public debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show with the unveiling of the first in a series of new vehicles aimed at young buyers in both China and Europe.

The Chinese automaker’s first car will be the compact four-door sedan that we spied earlier this year with Qoros stating that it will feature a design language “inspired by modern European tastes” and “interior space comparable to a larger car”.

After its debut in Geneva in March of 2013, the C-segment sedan will be displayed in its home market of China at the Shanghai Motor Show in April. According to Qoros, sales in China as well as some countries in Europe, are scheduled to commence towards the end of next year.

Qoros added that has planned an extensive rollout program with new models being presented every six months, including hybrid and electric vehicles, thanks to a new modular architecture.

“All Qoros products will be designed to meet high international safety, quality and environmental standards and will be engineered to receive maximum ratings in Euro NCAP safety tests,” the automaker said in a statement.

The company, which is headquartered in Changshu, China, says it is supported by major global suppliers, such as Magna Steyr, TRW, Continental, Bosch, Valeo, Microsoft and Iconmobile.

“We have integrated the best of both worlds in a unique business model, one which sets a benchmark for the international auto industry, especially in China,” commented Qoros Vice-Chairman and former Volkswagen executive, Volker Steinwascher. “We have 100 percent control and ownership of our brand, our design and the use of technologies, without having to make compromises.”

“We are a new company without any legacy or previous history, which gives us a great advantage because we are starting from scratch with a clean sheet of paper,” he said. “By recruiting experts in all the essential fields of our operation, we can create a globally competitive product and service network that is designed to fit the lifestyles of modern metropolitan customers.”

The automaker is currently completing work on a new manufacturing facility in China that will have an initial annual production capacity of 150,000 units, rising to a potential maximum output of 450,000 cars.

PHOTO GALLERY