Built at a cost of 2.56 billion Yuan, the new Brilliance vehicle factory in Shenyang, Liaoning, with a designed annual capacity of 150,000 units, opened on Jan. 18. Currently rolling out M2 FRV (A1) and FSV (A2), the factory will soon start volume-producing two more A-class cars: the A3 SUV and A4 sedan, both all new. According to a top Brilliance executive, the release of A4, scheduled this year, will mark the end of the road for the M2 sedan (BS4, Junjie).

(all pics below are spy shots of A4)

As a replacement rather than successor, the upcoming A4 inherits little from the M2 sedan, which is built on a different, B-class platform as M3 (Zunchi, BS6). Basically a three-box version of the FRV ("Flexible Recreational Vehicle"), the A4 will have a wheelbase of around 2650mm, compared with the 2790mm wheelbase of the M2 sedan.

The downsizing seems a brilliant idea, considering that the M2 and M3 sedans compete in the same B-class or mid-size market and both have sluggish sales. The A4 will give Brilliance a mainstream (that is, notchback sedan) entry in the most popular segment, the compact.

Main engine options will be a 1.5 and 1.6 liter, found on the current FRV and FSV.

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