Five own brand cars unveiled at Beijing auto show

To achieve just the Euro-style of its A3 models, Chery has called in the help of renowned design studio Pininfarina, which is best known for its designs for Ferrari, Maserati and other established marques. Chery and Pinifarina have been working on this A3 project since 2005. The Chery A3 sedan and hatchback are ready to go into production after the Beijing show.

The two cars share the same front end design, with the headlights embracing the grille for a sporty, elegant look. But the rear of the two cars are purposely different, to give most cars their own appeal. The A3 sedan is aiming to compete with the more up-scale sedan with the clean design, while the A3 hatchback will enter the sportier hatch segment and has been styled accordingly.

A series of small family cars are designed by Chery with the European market in mind, including variants of its new A3 hatchback and Fengyun Coupe II sedan, and A3 petrol-electric and diesel-electric hybrids. The A3 1.3D diesel-electric hybrid, with double-clutch gearbox, is said to return an astonishing 94.2mpg.

2. The Roewe 550 unveiled by SAIC at the Beijing show has been designed to appeal to Chinese and British buyers of high-end family cars -- the lines were penned by a team of leading British stylists working for Roewe's owner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). The Chinese firm recently bought NAC MG, and is now looking to use the famous octagon logo to give it a slice of the lucrative European market. A car based on the 550 will be the first MG to go on sale.

The 550 sedan is roughly similar in size to Ford's Focus, and should cost about the same, too. The sharp lines follow closely from last year's Roewe W2. But the road-going version, which will go on sale in China next month with a 1.8-liter turbo-charged petrol engine, has a new slatted grille. Inside, the modern theme continues, with a curved dash and two-tone finish that's similar to the BMW 3-Series.

The car is powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter petrol engine and is scheduled to go on sale in China in June at prices between 130,000 yuan ($18,570) and 180,000 yuan. However, the European version of the car would be more aggressively styled and have a greater engine line-up. It wouldn't be available until 2010 at the earliest.

3. The Brilliance Junjie Wagon is based on the Junjie sedan designed by Pininfarina. The car has a sporty look, and it features a smooth beltline and roof that blends into the back. It's expected to fill a luxury niche for the Junjie brand. As one of the all-new models made by Brilliance Auto to meet the growing market demand, the Junjie Wagon is a perfect mix of the sedan concept and wagon features, offering a free choice of mobility for your business and leisure hours.

4. The BYD F1, dubbed the 'Chinese MINI,' is designed as the cheapest Chinese-made car, to be priced between 30,000 yuan ($4,290) and 40,000 yuan when it hits the market after its Beijing debut. A self-developed model by the Chinese carmaker as BYD general manager claimed, BYD F1 is equipped with the eco-friendly BYD371QA engine. It is a 1.0 L three-cylinder 12-valve SOHC engine which has the max output of 50kW/6,000rpm and a max torque of 90nm. The BYD F1 measures 3,460 (L) x 1,618 (W) x 1,465mm (H) and weighs 870kg. The wheelbase is 2,340mm. The front and rear treads are 1,420 and 1,410mm long, respectively.

5. The Changan Zixiang was launched by Changan Auto along with its several other models at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show. Zhixiang measures 181 inches long and is powered by a 2.0-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine that makes 150 horsepower and 142 pound-feet of torque. Mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, the engine enables a top speed of 125 mph and 0-60-mph acceleration in 11.2 seconds. Priced between 79,800 yuan ($11,410) and 115,900 yuan, the model will go on sale after the show and is expected to compete directly with Buick Excelle, VW Bora, Honda Civic and Peugeot 307.