- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru Fr Ar He
Qoros. Promising duo between Israel and China
Qoros was created as a Sino-Israeli brand by Chery and Kenon, a division of Israel Corporation, with the noble objective of conquering the European market. The brand was officially born on July 2007. The name of the brand speaks for itself: qoros means ‘choir’, in which the first letter is taken from the word ‘quality’. The creators designed their first car, the Qoros 3, in accordance with European standards, putting all their energy and know-how into it. The exterior of the car was created by the former Chief Designer of MINI, Gert Hildebrand. The official premiere of the Qoros sedan took place at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. What happened next, and where is the promising duo of Israel and China now? Keep on reading to find answers.
The Qoros 3 is a compact sedan, the first car from the Israeli-Chinese company, Qoros. Its production started in November 2013. Next, it completed the EuroNCAP tests with a 5-star result. In June 2014, a 5-door hatchback version appeared, and in November, the Qoros 3 City hatchback was added to the model range.
In 2016, the brand introduced the Qoros 5 SUV and the sporty 3 GT. Unfortunately, the expectations did not materialize, despite the fact that the SUV won a design award in Germany. At the beginning of 2018, the company had to sell a majority stake and Qoros became 51% owned by the Baoneng Group (China). A year later, the new owner’s share increased to 63%, Chery had 25% of the shares and Kenon held 12%.
New plans
A new stage in the development of Qoros is associated with Baoneng. The holding company planned to invest heavily in a promising brand and to market 26 new models, mainly electric, within five years. In November 2018, an electric modification of the Qoros 3 appeared. Design Director, James Hope, left Chery, and in the fall of 2020, a new plant in the city of Xi’an was solemnly opened, designed to produce 200 000 cars per year.
In 2015, the company launched its first hybrid concept car, the Qoros 2SUV. In 2017, the world premiere of the Model K-EV electric supercar took place. In November 2018, an electric modification of the Qoros 3 appeared.
It seemed that Qoros had a successful period: sales rose to 62,000 cars per year thanks to the cheap Model Young SUV, based on the Chery Tiggo 7 (read more about the new Pro version, which will soon appear in Israel). Fearing competition, Chery quickly withdrew a license to manufacture this model, which caused sales to drop to 23,000. In 2020, the manufacturer introduced the Qoros 7 SUV, created on the basis of a modified ‘fifth’ model, as well as a hybrid version of the Qoros 3 sedan, but that did not save the day. In the spring of 2021, the production of Qoros cars was stopped, and in the summer they disappeared from sale. But, unexpectedly, in January 2022, Baoneng Motor presented new models prepared for mass production. There are two, both created on a single platform with a single traction battery, and James Hope is responsible for their style. The first car is the Qoros 6 sedan, and the second is the all-electric Bao GX5 SUV (the brainchild of the new Baoneng sub-brand). Is the Qoros brand reborn again? The future will show…
New models
Вао GX5
The GX5 is the first model from the newly formed brand, an electric SUV with a driving range of 700 kilometers and off-road styling cues in its design. The vehicle is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds and the equipment includes adaptive cruise control. The passenger compartment will receive two already traditional screens.
Qoros 6
The new Qoros 6 will be offered in two versions: gasoline and electric ones. The sedan looks stylish and futuristic. As for its dimensions, the car belongs to the mid-size class: it is 4,800 mm long, 1,874 mm wide and 1,460 mm (gasoline) or 1,492 mm (electric EV) high. The wheelbase reaches 2,820 mm. The C21 gasoline version is equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo engine developing 177 hp and 260 Nm, which is combined with a 6-speed DCT. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h occurs in 8.5 seconds, while fuel consumption reaches 6.4 liters per 100 km. The EV version received a similar design, but with a blind grille and a single 203 hp electric motor, which should accelerate the car to 100 km/h in 7.6 seconds. The driving range is 450 km with a 52 kWh battery or 600 km with a 72 kWh battery. The Qoros 6 is expected to be released on the Chinese market in the fourth quarter of 2022.
