This Chinese Brand Just Resurrected Its Most Infamous Car As An EV

• The Chery QQ was originally an unauthorized copy of the Daewoo Matiz (known as the Chevrolet Spark in some markets). 
• This new QQ3 hatchback is a unique design aimed right at the new market of subcompact Chinese hatchbacks. 
• Battery size and range aren’t announced yet, but power comes from a 121 horsepower motor powering the rear wheels. 

It’s astonishing to watch the progression of China’s automotive industry. Barely 20 years ago, the cars were laughing stocks of the whole world—terrible, cloned versions of cars that weren’t all that great to begin with, sold to people who didn’t have much money or know all that much about cars.

Fast forward to today, and Chinese electric vehicles have become the darling of the globe, much to the chagrin of long-standing automakers. Now, the brands are even becoming self-referential to a point, relaunching old names and body styles for new audiences.

Photo by: Chery

Case in point: The Chery QQ is back. If you’ve been following the Chinese car market at all, the Chery QQ (renamed QQ3 sometime during its lifespan) may have been the most infamous Chinese car ever made. Clearly, it was a cloned version of the Daewoo Matiz, or Chevy Spark—plastered up with a frog-faced, clown-like smiling front fascia. Chery, of course, denied the QQ being a clone, but it and its Korean inspiration were so close in design that doors between the two cars were interchangeable. 

Well, now it’s back. The Chery QQ3 is back as a modern electric small car ready to take on a new, growing fleet of small Chinese electric hatchbacks. Technically there has been another model with a similar name, a minicar called the QQ Ice Cream, but Chery sees this new QQ3 hatchback as a more appropriate spiritual successor to its original hatchback. 

I’m not going to lie to you and say that this new electric hatchback is exactly original. I think the car is stylish, but the floating roof and overall proportions look pretty similar to what we’ve seen on plenty of other electric cars. It could easily be a Smart, or a Leapmotor, or some other brand we haven’t heard of.

Photo by: Chery

Still, it looks competent. We don’t know anything about range or battery size, but we do know that the QQ3 has a rear-mounted 121-horsepower electric motor. Inside, the car’s infotainment uses a Snapdragon 8155 chip, so expect a fairly advanced infotainment setup for what will no doubt be a cheap car.

In China, the QQ3 will likely go up against a fleet of small competitors like the BYD Dolphin and Nio Firefly. Chery is also one of China’s biggest exporters of vehicles, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the QQ3 shows up on roads outside of China within the near future. Considering its small hatchback shape and form factor, this could be just what some markets are searching for—although it might be a little hard to stand out from the crowd of Renault 5s or MG 4’s on European roads. 

Photo by: Chery

The new QQ3 is expected to go on sale soon in China.

Contact the author: Kevin.Williams@insideevs.com