The dinky Chery QQ was the first Chinese car to go on sale in Singapore, back in July 2006. Coming from a nation notorious for its iPod knockoffs and pirated yet full-featured movie DVDs, the QQ continues to be put down by sceptics who see it as nothing more than a reverse-engineered Daewoo Matiz circa 1998.
The General Motors connection doesn’t stop there. After Daewoo was bought over by GM and rebranded as Chevrolet, the Matiz became a baby Chevy, with the current model launched here as the Spark around the same time as its alleged Chery copycat.
By a strange coincidence, in their first full year of retail in Singapore (2007), the Chevy Spark sold the same number of units as the Chery QQ – 387, to be exact. So far this year (2008), the two little hatchbacks are again running neck and neck on the sales charts.
The QQ featured here is the 0.8-litre manual model priced at $29,999 on the road, while the Spark is the 1-litre manual version priced at $36,788. Their respective OMVs (open market values) are roughly $5700 and $7000, which would equate to ballpark base costs of $12,939 and $15,890 respectively.
Assuming a $10,000 COE, the QQ’s raw price is around $22,939 and the Spark’s is $25,890, implying a dealer margin of almost $11k for the Chevy and $7k for the Chery. Go figure.
The QQ’s 812cc 12-valves 3-cylinder offers the same 52hp as the Spark’s 796cc 6-valves 3-cylinder, but our Chevy example here runs a 995cc 8-valves 4-cylinder. Oddly, the 0.8-litre Spark is only available as a 4-speed automatic, while the QQ 0.8 comes as a manual or an automated manual. The clutch is user-friendly in both 5-speed cars, but the Spark has a sweeter gearchange.
There are six Spark shades other than this Mighty Blue, while the QQ offers eight different paint jobs, including Mango Yellow here and Cherry Red. The Spark has higher construction standards, but the QQ’s build quality is noticeably less dubious than that of early examples.
The speedometer is optimistic in the 130km/h QQ and realistic in the 157km/h Spark. Both instrument sets are clear and concise. Both steering wheels are big and cheap, but the QQ’s is actually a little grippier than the Spark’s. The Chevy has more logical headlight controls, though.
The air-con is surprisingly strong in either car, but the Spark has a better stereo system and tighter switchgear. The QQ, however, compensates with all-round, one-touch-down power windows and dual electric mirrors.
The QQ has a slightly bigger boot, with 190 litres of load space versus the Chevy’s 170 litres, but the Spark’s parcel shelf is a little more practical than the Chery’s. The QQ boot provides a proper lamp, which the Chevy trunk lacks.
The Chevy’s seat cushioning is noticeably less soft than the Chery’s, but it comes with limited height adjustment. Interior space is similar in the Chery and Chevy, but the QQ has marginally better rear headroom thanks to a lower backseat.
Both vehicles are equipped with front fog lamps as standard, but the QQ adds another pair of rear fogs and has two reversing lights instead of the Chevy’s one. Spark’s third brake light is placed higher than the QQ’s and is therefore more visible. The wipers on the Chery look like an afterthought compared to the Chevy’s “well-hidden” affairs.
Both cars are shod with 155/65 R13 tyres, but the Spark’s plastic hub caps are cheaper than the QQ’s alloy wheels, which include a full-size fifth rim for the spare tyre. 
