Today in Chinese Concept Cars (CCC) the pretty red Chery M14, a sporty coupe-cabriolet designed by Pininfarina. The M14 was yet another great looking car from China that just not made it into production. And what a shame that was!
Life of the M14 started in 2001, when Chery decided they wanted to have a “domestic sportscar with international quality”. To achieve this they went to Italy, to the world famous Pininfarina design studio.
Pininfarina designed a sharp looking four-seat coupe-cabriolet. Strangely, the first design sketches show the wheels in very odd angles. Perhaps the intern was assigned to draw the wheels for that, at the time, basically unknown Chinese client.
A later design sketch, showing a more mature design, although the A-pillar seems to stand a tad too far forward.
The project then moved on, albeit slowly. In 2003 Pininfarina showed two clay models to Chery: one in coupe form and one in cabriolet form. The ‘license plate’ read PF-M14-EK. PF presumably for Pininfarina.
The model showed a pretty-much ready design with a striking line from the door handle to the rear-light unit.
The model seen from the side, note the wheels.
This is the model of the open version. Note the different wheels.
Separately, Pininfarina also made a mock up of the interior. Note the ‘cut-off’ A-pillars. The interior looked sporty, with three large dials in the instrument panel, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a manual gearbox, and a small screen between the air vents on the center stack.
The model showed various possibilities for the interior; beige, red, or white.
In 2004 the definitive concept car was finished. It had a working CC-roof, a chery-red paint job, shiny gray five spoke wheels, and a dark gray 2+2 interior.
Proud faces! Representatives from Chery and from Pininfarina pose with the M14 concept, at that moment still in Italy. It would take another year, before the Chery M14 finally made it’s debut in China:
And debuting in did! On the 2005 Shanghai Auto Show, standing on a flashy platform, at all times accompanied by a high-heeled model.
There is again the line running from the door handle to the rear light, unchanged from the earlier model. The door handle itself is interesting too, just ig enough for one finger, or so it seems.
According to information handed out at the show; the M14 was powered by a Chery Power 2.0 turbo, good for 193 hp and 290 Nm. Chery said a 1.6 would be available as well. They weren’t very clear about the ‘boxes, saying only that there would be a “manual and a CVT”. Size: 4287/1793/1365, and wheelbase 2550.
The M14 attracted loads of attention, and rightly so, as it was a great looking coupe-cabriolet. But did the roof work?
Oh yes it did!
The interior of the concept car looked a bit different compared to the earlier clay model, especially on the lower-center stack and around the gear lever.
The tiny 6-inch color screen showed an image of a driver-less M14 on the road.
And then it was time to develop the car…
The first test cars were spied in 2007, a full two years after the concept car’s debut. There were problems with the development of the convertible roof.
The problems were so serious, that in late 2007 the entire program was stopped. However, in early 2008 Chery had apparently found a solution and the program continued.
Around that time it became clear that the production version would be based on the same platform as the Chery A3, an economy car than available in sedan and hatchback form.
To confirm that; Chery announced a new name in 2009: the Chery A3 CC.
The test cars looked very much the same as the concept car, and were seen without any camouflage, indicating the program was close to completion.
The interior however got a small makeover. The screen was replaced by a new unit with a much smaller monochrome screen and a CD-player, and above that Chery added a new digital clock. Instrument panel still had three dials, but the steering wheel had lost its flat bottom.
The M14 was tested everywhere. Here is one example in the Beijing area.
This is a really cool picture. Showing a very much production-ready car, with the Chery Auto badge on the left, and a 1.8S badge on the right.
This once more confirmed that the A3CC was indeed based on the Chery A3. At the time, the A3 sedan and hatchback were available with a 1.8, which had an output of 130 horsepower. There was no silly 2.0 turbo in sight…
For a while nothing was heard about the A3CC, until 2010, when Chinese news outlets reported about new problems with the roof. Various lightly camouflaged test cars were seen in various places for a short while, and some Chinese media outlets reported that Chery had built at least 15 prototypes, divided by three batches of five test cars each.
Sadly, that was also the very last we heard about the M14/A3CC. Chery never officially announced they would not build it. But not building it they did.
The pretty CC never made it to the market. Until today we are not sure why not. Perhaps Chery looked at the Geely Meirenbao, or at the Brilliance Coupe, or at the BYD S8, and realized there was just no marked for a Chinese CC with a troubled roof. They were probably right.
But that’s still too bad. I loved how it looked…
Sources: Baidu, 163.com, 58che, Sina.
[…] really going to happen..? The media was skeptical. Just a few years earlier Chery had announced the M14 roadster, but that car still hadn’t been […]
It looks like a Ford/Mercury Cougar from the late 90s/early 2000s.