Chery J1

The Chery J1 was launched as Australia’s equal-cheapest car, matching the $11,990 drive-away sticker on Proton’s S16 sedan.

Australia’s third Chinese car manufacturers launched its J1 city-car with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that delivered 62kW at 5750rpm, mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

Longer than the Suzuki Alto but shorter than the three-door hatch version of Toyota’s evergreen Yaris, the J1 weighed just 1115kg and measured 3713mm long, 1578mm wide and 1575mm high. It rode on a 2390mm wheelbase and offered 160mm of ground clearance.

Standard equipment included twin front airbags, electronic stability control, ABS anti-lock brakes, air-conditioning, power windows and mirrors, front disc brakes and 14x5.0-inch wheels with 175/60 R14 tyres.

The only option was foglights.