AD_MAGAZINE_350

23 AutoData | November 2018 YES, SIR. BRAZILIAN The new Caoa Chery sedan started being produced with 28 Brazilian suppliers. The plan is to more than double this volume, reaching seventy. tion, the advance of activities is notable compared to the movement that existed soon after the official factory inauguration (August of 2014), it seemed almost none. Altogether there are six hundred workers, who make the structure of the body (which arrives stamped from China), the painting and the final assembly, in addition to the engines assembly. Part of the 4,5 thousandwelding points is made by robots and another part by people. After assembly, the body goes to the painting and, from there, to the final assembly process. Many QQ items, Tiggo 2 and Arrizo 5, the three models that occu- py the Jacareí lines, are still imported: “We are in the process of nationalizing parts and components. We want to double the number of parts purchased here in Brazil, reaching 520, and have at least sixty local suppliers. Today we have 28”. More companies have joined the base with Arrizo production: Michelin, Aptiv, Continental, Coplac, Colorfull, Eqmax and Pancron are new partners. There is a desire to further expand local purcha- ses, especially for the CVT transmission, imported by Aisin from China. The powertrain deserves a different place, although only for the assembly. Blocks, heads, crankshafts and other ite- Disclousure/Caoa Chery ms arrive disassembled fromChina for the QQ and Tiggo 2 models and are applied to Arrizo, in which the Brazilian operation basically adds only the items connected to the flex fuel system. Four years ago the Chinese executives, still without the partnership, were talking about 100 thousand to 120 thousand units in the factory in 2018 - the real volume will be around 10% of that goal. For the next year, Caoa is talking about selling 34 thousand units. YES, THE SEDANS Despite what has been said about SUVs the truth is that the segment which received more novelties in 2018 was the sedans such as Fiat Cronos, Toyota Yaris and VWVirtus. Sedan sales, also because of this, were 11% higher until September compared to the same period last year, representing around 26% of the total sold in Brazil. Ar- rizo 5 arrives to try to take at least part of this cake. The model offers a generous equip- ment list in the RX catalog, entry model: keyless engine start, onboard computer, electronic air-conditioning, car multimedia with 7-inch screen compatible with An- droid Auto and Apple Carplay, rear backup camera with parking sensor, ramp start and 16-inch alloywheel. The RXT version comes with 17-inch wheels, sunroof, side airbag and leather. Alfonso understands that the Arrizo 5 “offers a very interesting item package at an attractive price. We can bother the leaders”. The engine is the 1.5 liter flex with tur- bocharger, 150 horsepower, and the only CVT transmission as option. The goal is to sell five hundred units a month in the first fewmonths of its launch, at São Paulo Auto Show. The Caoa Chery chain already has seventy points of sale: “I believe we can reach more than a hun- dred by the end of the year”.