Guangzhou show: Qoros joins the crossover rush

FLEDGLING Chinese-Israeli motor company Qoros will add a third string to its bow when it reveals its first crossover vehicle, the Qoros 3 City SUV, at the annual Guangzhou motor show on November 20.

The small city crossover will join the Qoros 3 hatch and sedan in the growing line-up rolling from the company’s Changshu factory in Jiangsu province, about 80km north-west ofShanghai.

The company, founded in 2007, says the Qoros3-based City SUV – a rival for the likes of the VW Tiguan and upcoming Mazda CX3 and Honda HR-V – is “designed for a more premium metropolitan lifestyle, perfect for urban cruising and country driving”.

“Its modern design and flexibility is exemplified by its increased ground clearance, large wheels, and a more commanding driving position,” it says in a press release accompanying the sketches.

“It offers generous space and more control for an exciting driving experience.”No powertrain details or dimensions have been revealed, but the City SUV is set to take advantage of the booming crossover market in China where demand for conventional passenger cars has cooled somewhat this year.

Qoros, whose engineering and design staff is led by experienced westerners from companies such as BMW and Saab, famously became the first Chinese car-maker to achieve a five-star European NCAP rating for its Golf-sized Qoros 3 hatch.

It has set itself above the run-of-the-mill car brands in China, with ambitions to launch globally with a full range of prestige models.

While Australia is on the radar for export models, with independent importer Ateco Automotive expressing an interest in taking on the distribution franchise, a Qoros presence here is still just a proposal.

At the Geneva motor show where Qoros showed its Q3 sedan in March, Qoros Auto executive director of sales, marketing and product strategy Stefano Villanti told GoAuto the initial focus for the brand would be on China and then Europe before it looks to expand to other markets.

“The first market of course is China which is our core market, and we are going to Eastern Europe as a slow start and then of course extending into European markets,” he said.

“The car has been developed for the Chinese market but at the same time for Europe because it is one and the same product.”In China, the Qoros 3 is sold with a choice of 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engines – a 115kW/210Nm turbo or 94kW/155Nm naturally aspirated – matched with a six-speed manual gearbox or a Getrag dual-clutch automatic transmission.