Every car is an argument about what matters, and the Chery A11 makes its case with Petrol engine and 65 kW. Chery built from 1999 to 2008 — when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard.
The story
The Chery Fulwin (Chinese: 风云; pinyin: Fēngyún; lit. 'Wind cloud'), also sold as the Chery A11, is Chery's first car.
Created without government approval, it has nonetheless been the first step of Chery's success story and helped transform the Chinese automotive market from one dependent on foreign joint ventures. Various importers and other commenters have also called the car "Windcloud" (direct translation of Chinese word "Fengyun") or "Fulwin" (romanized equivalent of the "Fengyun" name introduced by Chery after 2009).
What is underneath
Under the skin sits Petrol engine; it is rated at 65 kW; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1030 kg. Power-to-weight lands near 63 horsepower per tonne, which is unhurried — enough for the job, not for the bragging. The gearbox is a 5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine drives the front wheels, the packaging choice that gives a small car a big cabin. The wheelbase is 2468 mm / 2648 mm (LWB). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Chery's history is not in doubt: the Chery Cowin followed it. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Daihatsu Naked, the Daihatsu Mira Gino, the Toyota Vitz. Nearby in the Chery catalogue sit the Chery Arrizo 5 GT and the Chery A1.