Chinese Automaker Chery and Its Visionary North American Retail Division to Debut New Models at Auto Shanghai 2005

Can Visionary Entrepreneur Do With Chery What He Couldn't With Yugo?

Chery, one of China's largest carmakers, and potentially the first Chinese vehicle to cross the Pacific to North America

Designed by the renowned Italian styling house Pininfarina, the Visionary/Chery retractable hardtop convertible will make its debut at the Shanghai Auto Show. The convertible will be among the first Chery-made vehicles to arrive in the United States in 2007, and have a sticker price less than $19,000 USD. (Photo: Visionary Vehicles)

with the help of brave entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin, will show a total of six new vehicles at the Auto Shanghai 2005 auto show. With the announcement that Bricklin targets 250,000 Chery unit sales within the brand's first year in North America alone, under his new company Visionary Vehicles, here's the chance to get the inside scoop on what's headed our way.

Of the Chery vehicles that will be shown at Auto Shanghai 2005, the most dramatic is the M14 Roadster. Built to fill the demand for a domestic sports car engineered to international standards, the M14 is one of the most eagerly awaited vehicles to come from

Chery will target young, trend-setting North American buyers with its new retractable hardtop convertible, the M14. Shown with the car is (from left to right) Ken Okuyama, Creative Director, Pininfarina S.p.A., Yin Tongyao, President, Chery Automobile Co., Andrea Pininfarina, Managing Director, Pininfarina S.p.A., Malcolm Bricklin, CEO, Visionary Vehicles, Lorenzo Ramaceotti, Executive Vice President of Design, Pininfarina S.P.A., and Zhan Xia Li, Part Secretary General of Wuhu City and Founder of Chery Automobile Company. (Photo: Visionary Vehicles)

China. A would-be competitor to the stillborn Tiburon-based Hyundai CCS, the Europe-only Peugeot 307CC and Renault Megane C+C, the M14 is super sleek. The car rides on its own unique platform, and the stylish bodywork was penned by Italian styling house Pininfarina.

With four bucket seats, a removable hard top, a multi-function steering wheel and classic-style gauges, the S14 checks all the right boxes for practicality and passenger comfort, without leaving the interior's image to suffer. It's not so big on performance though, with power coming from home-grown 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engines which run through either a five-speed manual or a belt-driven CVT gearbox. Nevertheless, its junior Lexus SC 430 styling and removable hardtop should appeal to the masses.