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Matt Brogan5 Mar 2014
NEWS

Qoros not yet ready for right-hand drive

Israeli-Chinese car-maker says volume of left-hand drive markets is an enticing priority
Qoros Automotive debuted its second model at the Geneva motor show this week, the Qoros 3 Hatch, which joins the Qoros 3 Sedan launched in Geneva one year ago. 
But it seems neither model will be appearing Down Under anytime soon, with right-hand drive models taking a back seat to the sales volume, and therefore profit, found in more numerous and well populated left-hand drive markets.
Speaking at the unveiling of the Qoros 3 Hatch at the Geneva motor show, Qoros vice chairman, Volker Steinwascher, said the company’s present size limited how far it could extend its engineering spend.
“As a small company we have to focus [our] resources,” Steinwascher told motoring.com.au. “We will focus on left-hand drive opportunities in the most-important Chinese market and then look to demonstrating our competitiveness in the Europe market, but we have not decided [to build] right-hand drive cars at this stage.”
Steinwascher used the debut of the Qoros 3 Hatch to discuss the brand’s recent five-star EuroNCAP safety rating, while briefly presenting an electric bicycle concept he says has elements that may resurface in future auto projects.
“Our innovative eBIQE Concept, which we show here for the first time today, is a collaboration between our design and connected service teams, and has allowed us to showcase design cues in a non-car product,” explained Steinwascher. “We have had fun undertaking this project, and I’m sure we will have [the chance] to re-use the knowledge gained here in years to come.”
Steinwascher also briefly mentioned QorosQloud, an interactive infotainment system premiered on eBIQE with comprehensive smartphone or tablet connectivity he says could become standard fitment in future Qoros 3 models.
The Jetta-sized petrol-only Qoros 3 is offered with a choice of 93kW naturally-aspirated or 115kW turbocharged 1.6-litre engines. Each is available with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard or optionally with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.
In China, the Qoros 3 Sedan is priced from RMB119,900 to 167,900 ($A21,800 - 30,600).

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Written byMatt Brogan
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