The unveiling of Qoros at the Geneva motor show caused quite a stir. Based in China but with a multinational staff poached from some of Europe’s top manufacturers, the firm has big plans.
So far it has continued to milk the PR gravy train with stories such as its car gaining the top score for 2013 in the Euro NCAP test. The question is, how does the 3 Saloon actually stack up?
While cutting a smart look the saloon lacks anything distinctive to make it really stand out. Currently only on sale in China and Slovakia, it was designed to compete with the Volkswagen Jetta and Ford Focus while also bringing new premium features to the sector.
Qoros’s three watchwords are design, safety and connectivity - and the brand is targeted at young metropolitan drivers.
One of the first things you notice inside is how uncluttered it looks. Very much aimed at the iGeneration, the central dashboard is dominated by the touchscreen infotainment system.
This is controlled by one and two finger swipes and has four functional groups - each with a further control screen off them. Navigation uses real time traffic information and can show points of interest such as restaurants and parking spaces, and you can send pre-programmed routes to it using a phone app.
It is also connected to social media outlets such as Facebook, allowing you to ‘check in’ based on your location.
