Qoros 3 City SUV unveiled in Guangzhou

The new international car brand, Qoros, revealed its third production car, the Qoros 3 City SUV 1.6T, at the 2014 Guangzhou International Auto Show. Scratching your head and trying to recall if you have ever heard of Qoros? It's a Chinese automaker recently set up by joint venture between Chery and shipping/energy giant Israel Corporation. The new compact urban SUV is scheduled to go on sale before the end of December 2014 in China.

The SUV has a 1.6-litre four-cylinder 16-valve VVT (variable valve timing) turbocharged petrol underneath the hood. It produces 156 bhp and 210 Nm torque over a rev range between 1,750 and 5,000 rpm. It is available in both six-speed manual transmission and six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. While the manual accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 10.1 seconds, the automatic achieves it 10.8 seconds. The top speed of the SUV is 208 km/h.

This crossover is based on the same platform underpinning as the Qoros 3 sedan and hatch models, but it sits 67mm higher. The wheelbase, too, is extended by 5mm compared to the hatch and is 2694mm, while in length it is 4452mm.
It is underpinned by MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. A combination of ventilated discs at the front and solid discs at the rear take care of braking and the steering system is an electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion set-up. The City SUV, depending on the specified variant, is fitted with 17- or 18-inch wheels.

At the front, additional cladding and a front skid-plate give the face a more rugged look. The round fog lights are set into boldly-contoured recesses that wrap around the bumper. The side profile features prominent wheel arches and has grey-black protective body cladding along the side sills and doors. The deep rear bumper features twin exhaust pipes which are set into a silver rear skid-plate to provide added protection when traversing poor road conditions.