Chery Fulwin (1999)

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.^[3]

Chery Fulwin
Overview
Manufacturer	Chery
Model code	CAC6340, SQR7160
Also called	Chery A11 Chery Windcloud
Production	1999–2006 (China) 2008 (Jordan)[1][2]
Body and chassis
Class	Subcompact car
Body style	4-door sedan
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Related	SEAT Toledo Mk. I
Powertrain
Engine	Petrol: 1.6 L SQR480 I4 1.6 L w10b16a I4 1.6 L ACTECO I4
Power output	65 kW (87 hp; 88 PS) (SQR480)
Transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	2,468 mm (97.2 in) 2,648 mm (104.3 in) (LWB)
Length	4,335 mm (170.7 in) 4,515 mm (177.8 in) (LWB)
Width	1,682 mm (66.2 in)
Height	1,424 mm (56.1 in)
Chronology
Successor	Chery Cowin

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).

Development

The Fulwin is essentially a badge engineered first generation Toledo, built by SEAT from 1991 to 1999, based on the A2 platform. This is the same platform used by FAW-VW Automobile for their successful, license-built FAW-VW Jetta. Windcloud production indeed depended on secret side deals with the same parts suppliers as did FAW-VW. A later financial settlement out of court meant Volkswagen agreed to abstain from a planned lawsuit.^[4] The purchase of the Toledo blueprints was also executed in secret, in spite of SEAT being a Volkswagen subsidiary: all of these deft negotiations were the work of engineer Yin Tongyao, who had originally worked for Volkswagen's Chinese joint venture.^[4]

Chery Fulwin

Yin was originally poached by the government of Wuhu, in Anhui province, after they had reached the decision to develop a car for local production. Yin had also quietly purchased the production line for a rather outdated Ford engine (the 1.6 CVH) in England, which he then transferred to Anhui: the first engines left the production line in May 1999.^[4] This was to be the first engine installed in the Windcloud. It was later replaced by the more modern Tritec and Acteco engines. At the time, China had very strict regulations hindering the entry of new players into the automotive industry, so for nearly two years Chery was officially only producing "automotive components", albeit in a fully assembled form. In 2001, Chery finally received government permission to market their cars nationwide.^[4]

Production of the A11 began in December 1999 as the CAC6340. The name was officially changed to Fengyun, codenamed SQR7160, in 2000,^[5] and Chinese production ended in 2006. An long wheelbase version codenamed SQR7160EL was released in 2003,^[6] and the Chery A15, first presented in 2003, is a facelifted Windcloud.