Russia: TagAZ clones a Chery for the Vortex Estina

Russia's TagAZ has unveiled a new revamped clone of a Chery car made in China, the Vortex Estina. The company has upgraded the Chery Fora to make it stronger and more reliable, TagAZ officials said.

The Taganrog Car plant (TagAZ) is releasing the compact sedan to dealers this month and started assembly in July. Vortex Estina sedans are available in two versions, both with gasoline engines — the base 1.6-liter engine with 119 horsepower and the 2.0-liter engine with 136 hp.

Both models come equipped with front side airbags, power steering, ABS, onboard computer, radio and alarm systems.

The 1.6-liter engine model is expected to sell for the equivalent of $16,000, while the 2.0-liter version can be purchased for about $18,300.

Local assembly of the Chery Fora is part of a joint venture between Chery and TagAZ, inked in June, which also includes the assembly of the Chery Tiggo crossover. Both vehicles were to be assembled in Avtotor plant in Kaliningrad, but the plant was closed down in March because of what factory officials called "uncongenial import regulations."

TagAZ officials told Inside Line that the Taganrog plant will build about 150,000 cars annually, adding that most cars will go through the full production cycle at the plant, including body works and painting.

The Fora is one of the most popular Chery models in Russia, second only to the Amulet sedan, according to the Moscow-based Avtostart agency, which monitors car sales. Chery sold 2,046 Fora sedans in the first half of 2008, representing 20.7 percent of total company sales.

However, sales of all Chery models in Russia plummeted 47 percent to 9,891 cars in the first half of this year since the closure of production at the Avtotor plant, according to figures from the same agency.