Chery remains a niche Chinese budget brand in Australia, where the sub-$10,000 J1 light-hatch, small J3 hatch and compact J11 crossover amassed just 1133 sales between them last year.
But that’s certain to change in coming years with confirmation that both the Alpha 7 small sedan and Beta 5 compact SUV are on the radar of local importer Ateco Automotive.
Chery showed concept versions of both new models at the weekend’s Shanghai motor show, and Ateco spokesman Daniel Cotterill confirmed to motoring.com.au that both are “a possibility for us from 2015 onwards”.
The Alpha 7 is a small Corolla-sized sedan that's expected to be called the A4 when it reaches production. Like the current J3 hatch, which is known as the A3 in China, the A4 is likely to be rebadged as the J4 here.
The front-wheel drive Alpha 7 is powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine matched to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, marking a significant technology advance over the J3.
Priced from just $12,990 drive-away, Australia’s existing J3 hatch comes with a naturally aspirated 87kW/147Nm 1.6-litre petrol four mated exclusively with a five-speed manual transmission.
However, the Alpha 7 is expected to be powered by a naturally aspirated 94kW 1.6-litre petrol four with a CVT transmission by the time it reaches production.
Riding on MacPherson strut front and, surprisingly, multi-link rear suspension, the Alpha 7 measures 4650mm long, 1820mm wide, 1820mm high and rides on a 2700mm wheelbase.
Chery lists a number of big-car features for the Alpha 7, including push-button starting, an electric parking brake, climate-control and ‘Cloud Drive’, a cloud-based infotainment system via which car can be un/locked and started via a smartphone app.
The Beta 5, meantime, is also expected to be launched in China by 2015 as a rival for the plethora of mid-size SUVs led by Mazda’s CX-5, powered by 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol engines also matched with CVT transmissions.
Wrapped in a far more contemporary bodyshell than the existing J11 2.0-litre ($17,990 drive-away), the distinctive Beta 5 design is reported to preview a fresh styling theme for Chery, which is Jaguar Land Rover’s joint-venture partner in China.
Technical details remain scarce, but it’s believed that -- like the Alpha 7 -- the Beta 5 rides on an all-new platform that will underpin a family of new Chery models.
That should see both models offer better safety than the J1 and J11, which achieve lowly two- and three-star ANCAP crash ratings respectively.
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