Five new mini-cars to go on sale this year

August 12, 2008

Shanghai, August 12 (Gasgoo.com) Since the mini-car models of Chery's QQ series achieved sales success in the home market, more Chinese carmakers have shifted their attention to this vehicle segment. In the next few months of this year, Chery Auto, Geely Auto and BYD Auto and other independent Chinese carmakers will launch their all-new mini-car models to snatch more market share from this auto segment.

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The Faira NN, one of Chery's five mini models inspired by the Beijing Olympics' five mascots, is a five-door companion to the entry-level hatchback Faira NN. Chery's Faira series follow the low-emission trend of future vehicles and combine safety, comfort with energy-efficiency perfectly.

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BYD F0, called BYD F1 before the Chinese carmaker realized the potential conflict with the Formula One group about this mini-car label, is now in production in a new plant in Shenzhen and will go on sale by October, to be priced from 40,800 yuan ($5,980) to 55,800 yuan. It will come in four 1.0L MT versions from practical to premium models.

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Haima Fstar gets electric-assisted steering. Batteries get fully charged in 4-5 hours, it's got energy brake recovery and it can run up to 100 km/h (62mph) and for 80 km (50 miles). It's seen by some people as a clone of the Chevrolet/Daewoo Spark/Matiz mini vehicle.

http://www.gasgoo.com/resource/editor/Geely%20panda(2).jpg
The Geely Panda, with its front part resembling a giant panda, is equipped with Geely's self-developed CVVT 1L engine and the model offers two-door and four-door options. The all-new Panda model will carry the new "Geely Eagle" logo when the mini-car goes on sales in September.

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The Lifan 320, said to have made a 5-door version of the iconic BMW Mini Cooper, may carry a 1.1L engine when it's mass-produced for the market in August. It remains to be seen whether its similarities with MINI will become a compelling selling point.


http://www.gasgoo.com/auto-news/7394/Five-new-mini-cars-to-go-on-sale-this-year.html

Awesome ...

The Faira NN is in my opinion by far the best looking of the five. Especially the 3-door NN looks great and has a very 'clean' styling. The BYD F1 and Geely Panda are both clones from the Toyota aygo and the Haima Fushida 1 is indeed a clone from the Daewoo/Chevrolet Matiz/Spark like the Chery QQ, but with a different front and rear. The Lifan 320 looks OK, but I don't like the grille, headlamps and taillights.

i think the panda is pretty cool given the arwful previous design

Look good~! :thumb:

Cute design though, is this hybrid?

as a girl...i cant drive this
guys....:mad:

The following timeline is based upon our best estimated projections in relation to the manufacturer's historic model lifecycles and current industry news. I Want to know if a particular model is likely to have a significant price fluctuation — either up or down?

I like the BYD F0, and I bet it would sell VERY well here at that price. I'm sure shipping, emissions, and crash tests would drive up the price though. :rolleyes:

lol @ the Panda :D

looks unchinese...