Chinese Chery now SA's cheapest car
By: Henrie Geyser
China has arrived in South Africa with its Chery range of well-equipped hatchbacks, medium-sized sedans and small SUV's at prices that are sending shudders through the already ailing new car market which now also has to compete with a mini hatch that sells for only R59,900.
And not only is the pixie car, called the QQ3, now the cheapest new car you can buy in this country but Chery's medium-sized sedan and a compact SUV are also going to ruffle feathers because they are also better priced and better equipped than almost all others in their market segments.
The initial Chery models available locally are four variations of the QQ3 hatchback (a 0.8-litre TE at R59,900 and a 0.8-litre TX at R65,900, plus two 1.1-litre cars, the TE at R73,900 and the TXE at R79,900), two J5 sedan models, both with 2.0-litre engines (R139,900 for the TE and R149,900 for the TX) and two versions of its 2.0-litreTiggo SUV (a TX at R159,000 and a TXE at R169,900).
Before Chery arrived on the local scene the 0.8-litre Chevrolet Spark was the cheapest car on the market at R66,560. Now its place of honour has been taken by a car that is not only considerably less expensive, but is also better equipped.
The 2.0-litre Chery J5 sedan beats the likes of the Nissan Tiida and others in this segment on price and also on engine size (most of the vehicles in its price range have 1.6-litre engines).
The same goes for the Chery Tiggo SUV which goes up against the likes of the Dodge Calibre and the Daihatsu Terios (R172,995 and only a 1.5-litre engine).
All Chery vehicles come with a three-year/100,000km factory warranty included in the purchase price. They are fully imported from the manufacturing plant in Wuhu, China.
Chery is likely to draw wide public interest because of it rock-bottom purchase prices, cost of ownership (service, spares and replacement) classy fixtures, manufacturer credentials (Chery is the 7th largest car manufacturer in the world and has joint ventures with Chrysler and Fiat) extensive safety, quality and endurance testing and the fact that it will be distributed and serviced locally by McCarthy Ltd's network of 42 dealerships.
With South African consumers being battered by rising inflation, huge fuel and energy costs, high interest rates and crazy food prices there is a growing tendency to “buy down” and this is where Chery is likely to find its initial market.
McCarthy hopes to start the ball rolling by moving about 300 units off the showroom floor and they are optimistic that sales figures will improve rapidly as the brand becomes known and acceptable.
Clearly Chinese vehicles will suffer the same market entry pains as Japan, Korea and India did when they first brought their vehicles into this country.
Even after all the years there are still skeptics (and snobs!) who flatly refuse to even consider owning a Japanese or Korean car, in spite of the fact that some of them are market leaders.
At one of the biggest new car launches in this country for a long time, I was one of 50 motoring journalists to drive all three versions of the Chery and although not overwhelmed, I was impressed by what the cars offered at the price.
One has to bear in mind that the main attraction of these vehicles (particularly the entry level QQ3 baby hatch) will undoubtedly be the price - and that, along with fuel economy, running costs, safety, reliability and overall value for money, weighs much heavier in the entry level market than speed, road-holding, dynamics, breathtaking good looks and luxury features.
This is clearly illustrated by the entry-level QQ3, which was the first of the three Chery vehicles I drove. It's sort of “cute-and-quaint” in looks with old Polo-style round lights and even though it's small, it is a practical, easy car to drive and park.
The cabin is nicely laid out, with lots of head and leg space and the boot is big for a car this size.
It is a front-wheel drive, five-speed manual, powered by a not too sleepy 3-cylinder engine that churns out 38kW and 70Nm (the 4-cylinder 1.1-litre version pushes out 50kW and 90Nm).
The QQ3's performance is not the kind that makes you want to go and try it out on the nearest race-track, but because the car is small and light (880kg) it hops along quite merrily and cruises unstrained at 120km/h in fifth.
What's more, Chery says it will use as little as 5.2-litres per 100 kilometers if driven sensibly, which means that even with its mini fuel tank of 35 litres you could almost get from Jozi to Grape Town on just two tanks of petrol.
Some of the QQ3's features include a high mounted brake light, power steering, 60/40 split rear seats, a generous boot, cup holders, big glove box and door pockets.
Its high roofline and big doors make for ease of entry and it's particularly convenient for loading things in and out of the car.
More by Henrie Geyser
More...ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Henrie Geyser has worked as a journalist in Cape Town, London and Windhoek for the Argus Company (now Independent Newspapers) and spent 12 years at The Cape Argus in Cape Town. He then owned and ran a public relations consultancy for 13 years. He joined the online publishing industry through iafrica.com, where he worked for five years as News Editor and Editor. He now freelances for a variety of print and online publications, on the subjects of cars, food and travel, among others; and is a member of the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists.
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