Shanghai Preview: Chery/Chrysler Model To Be on Display

SHANGHAI, China — The intrepid Chinese automaker Chery has announced that it will introduce a Chrysler variant of its A1 supermini at the Shanghai auto show in April.

Developed under the code name S12 and introduced at the Istanbul auto show as the Kimo last autumn and later at the Beijing auto show as the A1, this new minicar will be the successor to Chery's most popular model, the QQ. The QQ was surrounded by much controversy as General Motors threatened to sue Chery, claiming the hatch looked too much like its own Chevrolet Spark. But the two settled the case.

The A1 is 145.6 inches long, seats five and is powered by Chery's own 1.3-liter four-cylinder Acteco engine, developed in cooperation with Austrian engine specialist AVL.

According to Chery spokesman Wang Wei, Chery will sell the A1 only in its domestic market. He said that, in contrast to much-published speculation, Chery and Chrysler don't have any plan to launch this jointly developed product in the North American and West European markets.