Chrysler starts to sell Chery A1 in Mexico

Shanghai. December 18 (Gasgoo.com) -Chrysler will start to sell its first batch of Dodge A1 sedan, the re-badged Chery A1 mini car, in Mexico very soon. This is the first successful move since the cooperation between the Chrysler and Chery, Xinhua News Agency reported today.

"Chery A1 cars, built at the company's Wuhu plant, will start to be sold as Dodge brand vehicles in Mexico as scheduled," a Chery official told reporters recently, but he declined to comment on sales target or distribution channels for the model.

Chery A1 is an updated subcompact model of Chery QQ with a 1.3-litre petrol engine designed to run at a top speed of 156 km/h. The new car, aimed at younger customers, is currently sold from 40,000 to 65,000 yuan (5,000 to 8,125 U.S. dollars) in Chinese market.

The move marks the cooperation between Chrysler and Chery has begun to bear fruit, said the official. Industry analysts say this heralds Chery’s entry into the North America market.

At the beginning of this year German magazine Auto Motor und Sport quoted former DaimlerChrysler president CEO Zetsche's words as saying that "in a first step we are focusing on an existing Chery product only for Canada and Mexico, and in a second step we want to bring out a car defined by Chrysler."