No brakes, but with DVD. On a Chery on Chinese roads

When you race along the Beijing highway, your heart sinks into your boots. It's scary not only because other road users drive twice as slow, but also because all systems are working at their limit: engine, chassis, brakes. One wrong move — and that's it... And I came to China for a seminar on safety.

The B14's interior is decently styled. Materials are so-so. The steering wheel adjusts for tilt. Gear shifting is nothing to write home about

At the Chery research center, I was promised a look at the latest developments in passive safety: after Autoreview's crash tests, the Chinese wanted to show that they quickly make changes to the design. But Beijing airport was covered in such fog that the flight to Wuhu (Anhui province) was postponed indefinitely.

So we headed to one of the capital's Chery dealers.

Director Wang Zekun received us warmly and gave us a couple of fresh cars for a couple of hours: a Chery A1 hatchback and a spacious Chery B14 wagon. The role of "guide" went to a young man who was introduced to us as a very experienced driver.

In China, the Chery B14 is called CrossEastar — a hint at both its shared components with the Eastar sedan and its "crossover" genre. Indeed, the B14 with three rows of seats and a high roof is already cramped for classic wagons, but still too small for full-fledged minivans. The front is attractive: the grille, large headlights, hood, and front fenders are neatly designed. But the monotone sides, unexpressive rear wheel arches, and boring rear end are dreary.

The interior pleased with the absence of pretentious decor and proper ergonomics. True, the climate control unit is mounted low, and the display glass constantly glares. Overall, though, it's a solid cabin that might put off our buyers only with the light upholstery. Although, more likely, Russian importers, as has happened before, will manage to push for a gray or black replacement.

The driver's seat adjusts over a wide range, but it's not comfortable	The third row will suit people of short stature	The Chery B14 is slightly taller than regular wagons. Wide rear doors provide good access to the gallery

In the second row, there's plenty of space. A passenger of average height can easily cross their legs. The third row is almost "adult." It all depends on which adults you mean — Chinese or European. For me, for example, it's cramped: I have to slide the middle bench forward on its rails — otherwise my knees hit. For Chinese people, there's plenty of room. And behind the back, there's still a trunk for a couple of small suitcases.

The two-liter engine with 128 horsepower from the new Acteco family (developed by Austrian AVL) turned out to be quite noisy (or is the mediocre sound insulation to blame?), and its reserve is only enough for calm driving. The five-speed manual shifts without enthusiasm. The brakes are "at the limit": in normal conditions, there are no complaints, but with repeated hard braking, effectiveness noticeably drops.

The key is like a Volkswagen's, but the build quality is worse	The beautiful climate unit with pleasant graphics is spoiled by the ever-glaring glass. And it hangs too low
The middle row sits on rails. There's an excess of legroom. And if it weren't for the central tunnel...	The "luggage" seats fold in sections. Behind them, there's room for two large bags. In the floor, there are niches for tools

The CrossEastar handles averagely. There's effort on the steering wheel, but "transparency" is lacking. There's also a lack of sharpness — you constantly have to correct even on gentle curves, and with quick wheel rotation, the steering "stiffens," and the car noticeably rolls.

It soon turned out that the Chinese "ace" is just a local guy behind the wheel, but with a completely absent self-preservation instinct. We're flying in a convoy, other cars are scattered across the road in a checkerboard pattern — and we have to "embroider." When there's nowhere to go, the daredevil throws his Chery into a narrow gap between trucks in the right lane and a concrete barrier. I'm behind him: falling behind means getting lost! In twenty minutes, I remembered everything: my carefree childhood, and my first test in Autoreview... I wonder, in China, do they just imprison you for this — or shoot you on the spot?

The big wagon drives without taste: strong rolls, vague steering. Brakes are at the limit	Turn signal repeaters are built into the exterior mirror housings. Thick front pillars severely limit visibility	The two-liter Acteco engine is only enough for a calm pace. There's also an old 128-horsepower Mitsubishi 2.4 unit (like on the Eastar sedan)

We stopped, I moved into the compact Chery A1 hatchback — and the madness continued.

In Russia, the Chery A1 will be sold under the name Kimo. This is a heavily reworked little QQ/Sweet (that is, Daewoo Matiz): different design, new interior, wheelbase increased by 50 mm, under the hood — an 83-horsepower Acteco 1.3 engine. Essentially, a new car! But that's exactly why the "cuckoo" isn't taken off the assembly line: after a light modernization, it goes as the QQ3, and on the same chassis, they also make the pseudo-sedan Chery QQ6 — all these models were shown in summer at the Moscow Interauto exhibition (see AR No. 17, 2007).

The Kimo's design was done with the participation of the Italian studio Bertone. Not bad work: it could well be, say, a Chevrolet Spark. The interior is a head more modern than in the "cuckoo." The sharp smell of cheap materials has almost disappeared. And even though the fit of some plastic parts is far from ideal (this is visible even in photos), overall the assembly is solid. Wide seats with bright combined upholstery provide a comfortable seating position, and the range of longitudinal adjustment will suit drivers of average height. The funny trefoil instrument cluster is quite good, especially with the bluish backlight.

On a perfectly flat highway, the Kimo holds confidently even at high speed. But sharp lane changes make the driver tense up. And the brakes are still "Chinese": after several intense decelerations, the cabin smelled of burning, and braking effectiveness dropped sharply

Low beam now turns on in the usual way: instead of the rotating wheel to the left of the steering wheel (as on the QQ), you need to turn the knob on the left stalk (as on all Japanese cars). But instead of one quirk, another appeared — the handbrake lever. In place of the usual handle, there's a huge flat key with sharp edges that you have to pull up. Couldn't be worse! But there is a USB port for connecting an external source to the standard audio system. And on more expensive versions, there's a DVD player with a huge screen on the center console!

The Kimo's engine runs even louder than the "cross-wagon" B14's, and you have to rev it with even more ruthlessness. The brakes already can't cope — there's a noticeable smell of burnt metal from them. The steering wheel lacks informativeness, which is especially felt during sharp maneuvers between lanes. The suspension is also designed for a calm driving style: the Kimo noticeably rolls in corners, and only then confidently returns to the desired trajectory.

The plastic panels are not fitted perfectly, but the plastic itself is quite decent	CD player and USB input are already in the base trim	The instruments are nice and clear, just right for an inexpensive car

Nevertheless, the Kimo feels better than the "cuckoo". True, the share of such "babies" in the Chinese passenger car market is gradually shrinking: local buyers prefer sedans, even compact ones like the Buick Sail (essentially an Opel Corsa of the previous generation with a sedan trunk). But there are also export directions! Kimo is planned to be sold even in North America under the Dodge brand, of course, after some refinement. Recently, a study was conducted in Canada: out of a thousand respondents, more than 40% are ready to buy such a car if it costs no more than $10,000.

In Russia, there are also plenty of people willing to buy a compact and inexpensive car. Especially since the Oka is already nearing the end of its life, the Daewoo Matiz is aging... The problem is that for the Chery Kimo in maximum trim (with a 1.3 engine, two airbags, ABS, air conditioning, and DVD), they ask $12,000. Not cheap! But the DVD player is already in the base version.

This is not a child's toy, but... the parking brake lever. Couldn't be worse	A small car means a tiny glove box
The trunk is like the "cuckoo's". Well, maybe a bit more spacious	You look at the dashboard with envy: if only the updated Oka were like this! But the five-speed gearbox shift mechanism still needs refinement

By the way, Russian importers of Chery are no longer targeting the Daewoo Matiz (the QQ will continue to compete with it), but are aiming at the Chevrolet Spark and Kia Picanto, models that are more prestigious and expensive. However, buyers will also be offered a more budget-friendly Kimo with a 1.1 engine (68 hp), without DVD, but with ABS, two airbags, and air conditioning for $9,000.

Front seats with bright upholstery are noticeably more comfortable than in the "cuckoo"	Rear seats: enough legroom, but a bit tight in the shoulders
The new 83-hp 1.3 16V engine of the Acteco family was developed by the Austrian company AVL. It sounds like it has a hundred horsepower, but drives like it has sixty	Huge body rolls, the rear wheel almost lifts off the ground. In terms of chassis tuning, the new Chery Kimo hasn't advanced much beyond the old Matiz

What about the seven-seat Chery B14 wagon? In China, the base version (2.0-liter engine, manual gearbox) can be bought for 99,800 yuan (about $13,300). If cars are imported to Russia, the price of the most affordable version will be $21,500, and the most expensive one $25,000. If assembly is set up here, the lower limit drops to $18,000. That's also a lot. Especially considering the still-unestablished image of "Chinese" cars and their low passive safety.

A nice little car, isn't it? For the design, you can safely give it a "five"

However, we were just about to talk about the safety of new models like the Kimo and B14 in Wuhu. But it didn't work out: dense fog. Maybe next time?

By numbers, not by skill

How is car sales organized in China? Approaches vary. In small towns, there are still plenty of unkempt trading areas and unattractive showrooms, while in megacities, modern dealership networks with service maintenance are actively being built, and entire automobile "villages" — automalls — are appearing.

The Chery brand is not yet among the leaders of the capital's market. In "greater" Beijing (with suburbs), there are 15 official Chery dealerships — for a metropolis with a population of 17 million, that's quite few. And the Xin Rui Ming De service center, where we picked up the test cars, is the largest in the capital. And the youngest: it has been operating for less than a year. A large building with glass walls, total floor area of 6,000 m². But everything is finished with modern materials. Everywhere is exemplary cleanliness. In principle, expensive European cars could well be sold here.

The center, which sells just over a hundred cars monthly, employs 100 people, but only 20 of them are engaged in the service station and "mobile" service — they go out to help drivers on the roads. And what do the rest do?

At the barrier, there are two security guards. Fit, in perfectly fitting uniforms. They salute everyone entering. At the entrance to the building, there is another guard. At the car wash, again a guard... You cross the threshold, and two pretty girls already greet you. At the order reception counter, there are four more. Sales consultants and managers scurry around the hall. There is also a tea room, run by two girls who have completed special "tea" courses. There are as many people as in China!

And these are brand-new Chery QQ6 liftbacks. Next year, all three new models will be sold in Russia — the Kimo, the QQ6, and the B14. But the exact timing and order of bringing the cars to our market are not yet known	I thanked the security guard for watching over our Kimo, but he didn't understand a word: most Chinese have problems with English

Wang Cekun, the director of this center, has been working in the car business for seven years — for the local market, that's a period that allows him to be considered a true guru. His friends head dealerships for Geely, BYD, and Brilliance, and each of them knows perfectly well how competitors operate, so they all try to come up with their own ways to attract customers. Wang Cekun, for example, has created an entire department dedicated to post-sale customer relations: car owners are invited to holidays and excursions, and given concert tickets. If the head of a family has purchased a Tiggo or Eastar, managers will try to ensure that his son also buys a car — a QQ or Amulet. The logic is simple: if one family ends up with two cars from the same dealer, these customers are unlikely to switch to other sellers in the future.

Most often, people here buy the QQ and Tiggo. The base "cuckoo" costs 30,800 yuan, which is roughly $4,100, while the Amulet will set you back 51,800 yuan — about $6,900. All cars come with a two-year or 60,000-kilometer warranty. The exception is the new Chery Kimo, which comes with an extended warranty: four years or 120,000 kilometers.

The buyer will also have to pay taxes — about 11% of the car's price, arrange insurance, register the vehicle, and get license plates, with the registration fee reaching about 100 yuan. However, the center's staff will handle all these matters for a small extra fee, and the customer will only have to wait a day or two.

Body repair section: equipment is there, but no work...	Saturday is "customer day." But even today, the long row of lifts sits idle

However, the Chinese, like us, don't like to wait too long. Two to three months before sales of the Chery B14 began, 27 pre-orders had been collected, but three buyers couldn't stand the wait and went to competitors selling similar cars of other brands. The 24 paid-for cars were handed over to owners literally just before our arrival.

Behind the wall is a service station with 16 work bays. The equipment here is quite decent: several lifts, a small paint booth, and a stand for checking body geometry. At each bay and on each lift hangs a photo and the name of the "owner" of the workstation. But there seems to be little work. In the corner stand a few dusty and immobilized cars, and only one Chery QQ was on a lift — it was getting an oil change. Perhaps the service station's rates are too high for owners of inexpensive "cuckoos"? Or maybe the new center's customers simply haven't racked up enough mileage yet? Meanwhile, on neighboring lifts, I noticed two wrecked Hondas. Where did they come from in a Chery branded center? In response to my question, the Chinese pretended not to understand it...