Chery A1

The Chery A1 is a supermini car produced by the Chinese manufacturer Chery from 2007 to 2015.

Chery A1
Overview
Manufacturer	Chery
Also called	DR2 (Italy)[1] Chery A113 Chery Arauca (Venezuela) Chery Ego (Serbia, Macedonia) Chery Kimo (Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Turkey) Chery J1 (Australia) Chery Face (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay) Chery Fresh (Taiwan) Speranza A113 (Egypt)
Production	2007–2015
Assembly	Wuhu, Anhui, China Macchia d'Isernia, Italy (DR Motor)[2] Cairo, Egypt (Speranza)[3][4] Aragua, Venezuela (ZGT)[5] Barra de Carrasco, Uruguay (SOCMA)[6]
Designer	Bertone
Body and chassis
Class	Supermini
Body style	5-door hatchback
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine	1.0 L SQR317F I3 (petrol) 1.3 L SQR473F I4 (petrol)
Transmission	5-speed manual 5-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,390 mm (94.1 in)
Length	3,700 mm (145.7 in)
Width	1,580 mm (62.2 in)
Height	1,527 mm (60.1 in)
Curb weight	1,040 kg (2,293 lb)

Marketing

Europe

2011 Chery J1 (S2X) hatchback rear

In Italy, it was assembled by the DR Motor Company from semi-knocked down kits and marketed under its own brand, as the DR2. It was introduced at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, as the third model marketed by the Italian company.[7] It is available with 15-inch alloy rims and Euro V-compliant engine, and can be fitted with leather upholstery and an LPG kit.[8]

In Europe, it is also marketed in Russia,[9] Ukraine,[10] Serbia,[11] Macedonia[12] and Turkey.[13]

Australia

In Australia, sales commenced in 2011 (in all states except Victoria), under the name of J1 (as Audi sells the A1 model there). The initial release price was $11,990 AUD; however, a $1,000 cashback offer was made available. This made it one of the cheapest new cars available in Australia, along with the Proton S16, Suzuki Alto and Geely MK (sold in Western Australia only).[14][15]

It was equipped with more features for the Australian market, including 14-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, two front airbags, a six-speaker CD player, air-conditioning, electric windows and side mirrors and a rear windscreen wiper along with a strengthened body and grill. Optional features were floor mats, reversing sensors, Bluetooth connectivity and headlight covers.[15]

Safety features such as ABS and EBD were also included; however, electronic stability control was unavailable. Because of this, the vehicle was never sold in the state of Victoria, which requires all new vehicles sold after 1 January 2011 to come with ESC. This requirement became Australia-wide as from 1 November 2013, effectively banning the car along with some others.[16] Also, it does not have side airbags. With these shortfalls, the Chery J1 scored a three star result in Australian ANCAP tests, making it one of the equal least-safe vehicles sold in the country. Indeed, ANCAP states that it "does not recommend purchasing vehicles with less than 4 stars".[15][17] A defect in the seat frame necessitated a safety recall in August 2011.[18]

Engines and equipment

Engines

It was available with a 1.3-litre Acteco SQR473F engine,[19] that has double overhead camshafts and 4 valves per cylinder, giving a peak power output 61 kW (82 hp) and peak torque of 114 N⋅m (84 lb⋅ft).[20]

Trim levels

There are three trim levels available Standard, Comfortable and Luxury. Both Comfortable and Luxury include air conditioning, alloy wheels, ABS, EBD, CD/MP3 player, electric windows, power steering, trip computer, rear reverse radar and central locking. The Luxury model includes front three-point seat belts with emergency locking retractor (ELR).[21]

References

1. "Modelli". DR Motor Company. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
2. "Viaggio a Noto, nel cuore della Sicilia". RAI Community. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
3. "Current Speranza Models". Speranza Egypt. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
4. "Chery enters Egypt as homemade representative". Chery International. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
5. "5000 vehículos chinos Chery se producirán este año en Venezuela" (in Spanish). AUTOmotriz.net. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 November 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
6. "Chery lanza en Argentina el pequeño Face" (in Spanish). Autoclase. 8 June 2010. Archived from the original on 9 November 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
7. "La "prima" della DR al Salone di Ginevra" (in Italian). DR Motor. 3 March 2009. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013.
8. "Modelli" (in Italian). Dr Motor Company. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
9. "Городской автомобиль Chery Kimo (S12)". Chery Russia. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
10. "Chery Kimo (Чери Кимо) (Чери Kimo)". Chery Ukraine. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
11. "Chery Ego". Chery Serbia. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
12. "Chery Ego". Chery Macedonia. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
13. "Kimo". Chery Turkey. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
14. Car Advice Australia Chery J1 on sale, Retrieved 24-02-2011.
15. Curry, Iain (4 March 2011). "Chery light hatch touches down". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
16. Matt Campbell (1 November 2013). "Safety laws push $9990 Chery J1 and other Chinese cars out of the market". Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 30 November 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
17. "Crash Test Results. Chery J1". ANCAP. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
18. CarAdvice.com.au (3 August 2011). "2011 Chery J1 recalled in Australia". Car Advice. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
19. "ACTECO SQR473F Introduction – Specifications & Diagram (Chery Auto)". Auto-chinese.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
20. auto-chinese.com review of Cherry A1, Retrieved 24-02-2011.
21. "A1 Specifications". Chery International. Archived from the original on 3 August 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011.

External links