Say ‘hello’ to the latest iteration of the QQ. This is where normally I’d tell you if it’s the QQ2, or the QQ3 or the QQ4…but, the internet isn’t even able to clairfy. Probably because I search in English, and this car is pretty much unknown in the English-speaking world. Well, apart from it’s original ancestor. There’s an interesting tale behind the original Chery QQ, it’s basically a carbon copy of the Chevrolet Spark (The Daewoo Matiz) to Europeans, but with zero agreement or royalties to Chevrolet. Welcome to the land of copying…


I must say, this one is quite a well-penned car though! It’s a 2-seater, 2-door configuration and props for originality. Most Chinese cars look like bits of other western cars copied and pasted together. For example, the photo above, check out the van in the background with the BMW-esque front grille.

 
Although it does have a resemblance to Japan’s favourite robot cat; Doraemon.

 
For your consideration, left: the Chery QQ. Right: The Daewoo Matiz / Chevrolet Spark.

An extraction from Wikipedia:

Copyright controversy

The QQ became the center of an industrial copyright and intellectual rights controversy, as General Motors claimed the car was a copy to the Daewoo Matiz (which is marketed outside South Korea as the Chevrolet Spark). GM executives demonstrated the extent of the design duplication, noting for example that the doors of the QQ and those of the Spark are interchangeable [1] without modification.
GM China Group indicated the two vehicles “shared remarkably identical body structure, exterior design, interior design and key components.”[1] MotorAuthority.com[2] and Car and Driver called the QQ a “carbon copy”, while the International Herald Tribune, in a 2005 article, referred to it as a clone. [3]
Looking at this controversy on a global stage, the Detroit News reported that “the dispute reflects the confusion, risks and ambitions in China’s new auto industry, where global carmakers are battling pugnacious upstarts for a piece of what may become the world’s largest auto market.”[4]

Safety

Though the Chery QQ and the Chevrolet Spark are similar cars, their safety ratings differ from each other. A Euro NCAP front offset crash test showed that the driver’s injuries in the QQ are worse than those sustained in the Spark. Upon impact, the QQ driver will most likely suffer severe (possibly fatal) trauma in the head, neck and chest areas, while the Spark driver will at most receive a moderate head injury.[5]

Quite an interesting read; here.

Photos taken on B’s Digital IXUS 95 IS which I continue to love! ^_^

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