Currently reading: Chery hybrid for Beijing Olympics
Hybrid co-developed by Ricardo and Chery to be launched at the 2008 Olympics

Chery is to launch its first hybrid models at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Developed in co-operation with British firm Ricardo, the new hybrid is based on Chery’s existing A5 saloon.

Two different hybrid models will be used at the Olympics. One is a stop-start hybrid that uses a 12V ‘belt starter-generator’ linked to the A5’s 107bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine to run the ancillaries when the car halts and the engine stops. Chery claims that the car offers fuel savings of around seven per cent in the urban cycle, but the firm has not published an official mpg figure.

The second model features a mild hybrid system that mates a 1.3-litre unit to a 151V electric motor. The result is a power output comparable with a standard 1.6-litre engine, with fuel consumption roughly 15 per cent improved over that same unit.

Fifty examples of the new Chery hybrids will be used as transport at this year’s Beijing Olympics. The models will become some of the first mass-produced hybrid cars to hit the Chinese market when they go on sale there later in the year.

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