The Chery-Quantum project we have been following made its first public appearance on Nov. 29, but under a different name, Qoros Automotive Co., Ltd. The 50:50 car-making joint venture of Chery Auto and Israel Corp. is based in Changshu, Jiangsu, and plans to release its first product, a midsize/compact sedan, in China and Europe in 2013.

Chery says construction of the Changsu factory for Qoros cars is currently underway and will be completed towards the end of 2012. Planned capacity for the initial stage will be 150,000 units a year.

Chery-Quantum, the predecessor of Qoros Auto, was registered in 2007 as a 55:45 joint venture. Total investment has been said to top 5 billion Yuan.

The team leading Quoros includes Guo, Qian, Chairman and President, formerly Vice President of Chery, Gert Hildebrand, Chief Designer, from BMW Mini, and Volker Steinwascher, Vice President, formerly Vice President of Volkswagen North America.

At the opening ceremony on Nov. 29, a rough model of Qoros, named "Chinese White Tiger," was on display. According to Gert Hilderbrand, a compact three-box sedan (described as a midsize at Chery’s official website) will go on sale in 2013, followed by a hatchback and SUV, all sharing one platform; a main target of Qoros cars will be VW Golf.

The name "Qoros" is said to come from the Greek word "Khoros," which, as the root word for "chorus" and "choreography," means "dance" and "play."

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