Chery has launched the new QQ3 Modern Edition, a factory-built retro-styled electric city car, with a Chinese guide price of 83,900 yuan (about $11,800) before taxes and incentives. The model, unveiled at an event on September 22, is positioned as the "001 official modified version" of the QQ3 series, according to Chinese outlet NetEase Auto.
The Modern Edition was born out of a striking user trend: Chery says 80% of QQ3 owners customized their cars after purchase, adding decals, swapping wheels, and repainting. Rather than let buyers bear the risks of aftermarket modifications, Chery decided to offer a complete retro package straight from the factory, avoiding the hassle of registration paperwork and compatibility issues.
Retro design meets modern tech
The car's design language, called Neo-Retro, was crafted by a team that has won four Red Dot design awards. Two exclusive colors are available: "Modern Times" (green) with a film-grain texture and white racing stripes, and "Annie Pearl" (pink) with a low-saturation finish. Standard exterior features include chrome-plated "Time Badge" wheels, a "Golden Age" grille, and body-colored fenders and side skirts.
Inside, the cabin uses a "Cloud Velvet Rice" theme with velvet-covered headliner, A/B pillars, and sun visors, plus houndstooth-pattern upholstery and contrasting fabric accents on the center console. The car also offers a dual vanity mirror with adjustable lighting and a 256-color ambient lighting system that can sync with music or flash as a safety warning.
On the tech front, the QQ3 Modern Edition is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and a 15.6-inch 2.5K touchscreen, supporting the Carmind AI assistant for natural-language conversations and vehicle control. The highlight is the Falcon 500 driver-assistance system, which uses 12 ultrasonic sensors and a Horizon Robotics J6E chip. It enables automated parking in over 100 scenarios and highway NOA (navigation on autopilot) features such as lane keeping, lane changing, and ramp entry/exit.
Powertrain and range
The car is a rear-wheel-drive BEV (battery-electric) with two powertrain options: a 58 kW (78 hp) motor with 90 Nm of torque, or a 90 kW (121 hp) motor with 115 Nm. Both versions come with Chery's "Rhino" battery, available in 29.48 kWh or 41.28 kWh capacities. According to Chery, the CLTC range is 310 km (193 miles) for the smaller battery and 420 km (261 miles) for the larger one. Note that CLTC figures are typically 15-20% more optimistic than WLTP; a rough WLTP estimate would be around 260-350 km (162-217 miles). Fast charging from 30% to 80% takes no more than 16.5 minutes, and a 6.6 kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) function is standard.
The car also features a 70-liter electric front trunk that can be opened remotely via an app, with eight different opening methods. Chery says the front trunk is opened an average of 1.8 times per day, and the external speaker feature's usage rate jumped from 3.1% to 48.6% after launch.
The QQ3 Modern Edition is priced at 83,900 yuan for the base version, with an additional purchase price of 86,900 yuan and a trade-in price of 83,900 yuan. Chery is also offering four limited-time purchase benefits worth up to 27,000 yuan. The car is expected to compete in the increasingly crowded Chinese budget EV segment, where buyers are now looking for more than just low prices, according to NetEase Auto.
