GUANGZHOU, China — Great Wall Motors is finally ramping up production of its i7 hatchback, more than three years after it was first unveiled as a concept at the 2006 Beijing Auto Show. The final production variant is being displayed this week at the 2009 Guangzhou Auto Show.
The Great Wall i7, also known as Phenom, is being positioned above the Cool Bear, the Florid and the Peri, with a projected price range of $10,200-$14,600.
Powering the i7 is a self-developed 100-horsepower 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine that will be offered with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission. Later, a 90-hp 1.3-liter unit also will be available.
Inside Line says: Curiously, both the i7 and Phenom names are already in use — by computer chip manufacturers. Intel makes the Core i7 and AMD sells the Phenom II. Inspiration? — Paul Lienert, Correspondent
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firstclass says:
08:52 AM, 11/27/2009
My thought exactly. Though I'd say the front looks better on the Great Wall. Does this mean the Chinese are getting better at copying existing cars?
says:
08:17 AM, 11/27/2009
The body looks borrowed from the Toyota Yaris 5-door hatchback.. Am I right?
thaitanium15 says:
12:07 AM, 11/27/2009
Wow.. my old '92 non-VTEC 1.5 liter Civic produced 102 hp! Great Wall's engine technology is about 20 years late..