Chery to launch luxury Riich brand on Mar. 18

Shanghai, March 11 (Gasgoo.com) Chery Auto is set to release its luxury car brand Riich (Ruiqi) on March 18, with six models to go on sale in the high-end auto market, xinhuanet.com said today. The Chery Riich logo closely resembles that of Bentley.

In addition to the logo, the exterior of Chery Riich also has much in common with Bentley, especially featuring the renowned Bentley wing signature design for a dapper and refined look. This design is shared by other luxury brands as well, such as Chrysler and Aston Martin. In the middle of the Chery luxury-brand's wing-like logo is a letter "R" (of Riich), just as the "B" of Bentley.

This luxury Riich logo is expected to feature in the Chery A6 models. In 2009, the Chery Riich brand will have six models for launch. The Chery A6 series will be equipped with 2.0-liter engines, each model to be priced between 100,000 yuan ($14,700) and 150,000 yuan.

Chery Auto, a Chinese-brand car maker famous for its cheap small-car QQ series, has decided to develop its own luxury car brand to expand into the high-end market. The Riich is seen as Chery's key brand to the luxury car segment, with Chinese officials as the target consumers.

The company aims to sell at least 50,000 high-end cars this year. Chery Auto is determined to build up its luxury brand image. The Chery Riich brand will rival Audi and will also include the sedan, hatchback, crossover and SUV models.