New Qoros 3 Hatch to Debut in Geneva, 3 Sedan Starts Sales in Europe

A year ago, Qoros, the startup car company based on the business model of building cars in China with European engineering and Israeli capital, showed it’s first car, the compact Qoros 3 Sedan at the Geneva International Motor Show. In two months, Qoros will again use the Geneva show to debut a new car, this one the Qoros 3 Hatch. It is based on the same modular platform as the Qoros 3 Sedan and draws heavily on that model while showing what the company calls a “youthful evolution” of the company’s signature design elements in a more sporty direction. That means in addition to the new C pillars, roof panel, rear fenders, the tailgate and additional roof cross member to retain the structural rigidity needed to make a hatchback, the 3 Hatch gets a new front grille, bumper and fog lights. The interior offers new colors and materials while retaining most of the Sedan’s interior design. It’s slightly shorter than the sedan but maintains the same wheelbase and other general dimensions.

Since they share the same basic structure, Qoros expects the 3 Hatch to duplicate the 3 Sedan’s good crash test performance, which the company says was “ranked by Euro NCAP as the ‘safest car’ of 2013”. The 3 Hatch also will share the 3 Sedan’s 1. 6 liter naturally-aspirated and turbocharged gasoline engines, and its six-speed manual and dual-clutch automatic transmissions, and it will be assembled on the same Changshu, China production line as the Sedan. A diesel engine for both cars is under development.

“The new Qoros 3 Hatch will appeal to the modern metropolitan always-connected customer who needs a little extra versatility provided by the hatchback body style,” said Vice Chairman of Qoros, Volker Steinwascher. “It offers those with active outdoor lifestyles or young families extra practicality, combined with added coolness thanks to its more spirited, sporty look.”

The Qoros 3 Sedan went on sale in its first market, Slovakia, last month. Zuzana Kubikova, the communications manager of AutoBinck, which is handling Qoros’ distribution and retail sales there, said that, “Qoros has chosen Slovakia as the pilot or research market for its brand new car Qoros 3 Sedan because it’s stable, it’s in central Europe, it has European currency and it’s a part of European Union. So within a small country Qoros can set up all the procedures necessary to import a car in Europe which is actually relevant for our China market, because China would like not only entering its own domestic market but also other regions like Europe, Middle-East and so on.”