Chery QQ History
Chery's iconic ultra-affordable city hatchback — a 2003 breakout that racked up over one million sales and helped make Chery a household name in China.
Photo: “2003 Chery QQ” by User 3204 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
History
Launched in May 2003, the Chery QQ (internal code S11) was a three-door city hatchback powered by an 0.8- or 1.1-litre engine and priced under ¥50,000 — roughly $6,000 at the time. Its formula of cheerful styling, small footprint, and low running costs resonated immediately, with monthly sales exceeding 10,000 units by 2005.
General Motors filed a lawsuit in 2003 alleging the QQ's styling was copied from the Daewoo Matiz/Chevrolet Spark; the case was settled in 2005. Regardless of the controversy, the QQ became a genuine Chinese pop-culture car and passed one million cumulative sales by 2011.
The first-generation QQ (later renamed QQ3 in 2006 when the larger QQ6 was introduced) ran in production through 2013. Successor city-car models continued the QQ nameplate, including an electric QQ Ice Cream variant launched in later years.
Generations
First generation (S11 / QQ3) · S11
Photo: “2003 Chery QQ” by User 3204 / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
The original ultra-cheap three-door city hatch; renamed QQ3 in 2006 when the QQ6 was added to the range.
2005 Photo: “2005 Chery QQ3 (QQ308), front 8.11.18” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2008 Photo: “2008 Chery QQ3, front 8.12.18” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2010 Photo: “2010 Chery QQ3 (QQ311), front 8.10.18” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
2012 Photo: “2012 Chery QQ3, front 8.7.18” by Kevauto / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9.
Body styles
- Hatchback
Related models
Collect the nameplate
Find a scale model of the Chery QQ
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