Qoros 3 Hatch collects prestigious red dot design award

Qoros' Executive Director of Design, Gert Volker Hildebrand wins the Red Dot Award at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Less than two weeks after the China launch of the Qoros 3 Hatch, Qoros collected a prestigious Red Dot Award at the "Designers' Night" held at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen.

The Honourable Mention accolade was given to the new international car brand's second production car, the Qoros 3 Hatch, which was recognised by the Red Dot jury for its "striking and particularly successful detail solutions".

Accepting the award was Qoros' Executive Director of Design, Gert Volker Hildebrand. "I'm proud to collect this award on behalf of our international design team. We strongly believe that great design isn't just about the overall look of the car, it's about the small details too, making sure every part works perfectly together aesthetically and also functionally." said Hildebrand.

Inspired by contemporary European automotive styling themes, the Qoros 3 Hatch is designed to appeal to trendy, active and independent individuals. With a subtle evolution of the distinctive signature Qoros design cues, the Qoros 3 Hatch encompasses a dynamic, youthful appearance.

The Red Dot Award is the latest in a number of accolades for the new car brand. As well as design awards, the Qoros 3 Sedan was also recognised by Euro NCAP as the safest car of 2013 and the Hatch shares a five-star Euro NCAP rating with its stablemate. In addition, Qoros recently received a Telematics Update award for ‘Best Telematics Product or Service Launch in an Emerging Market (BRIC Region)' for its pioneering QorosQloud™ connected services platform.

Order books for the Qoros 3 Hatch opened in China on 24 June 2014 with prices starting from 119,900 yuan ($19,350). It is available with a choice of four trim levels at launch (Essence, Experience, Experience Plus and Elegance).

The red dot awards

The internationally famous Red Dot Awards were developed by communications and design expert Peter Zec and has been presented since 2000, having evolved from the Design Innovations award originally launched in 1955. It honours outstanding design achievements in numerous categories that cover cars, architecture, household and home electronics all the way to fashion, life sciences and medicine.

In 2014, Red Dot Awards submissions were received from 1,816 manufacturers, designers and architects from 53 countries. The 40-strong panel of experts assessed a total of 4,815 products according to numerous criteria ranging from degree of innovation to functionality to environmental compatibility. This year's award-winners include the brands Apple, Audi, Braun, Mercedes-Benz, Nokia, Sony and Porsche.

The brand's second production model, the Qoros 3 Hatch, debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014. It went on to win an Honourable Mention in the prestigious Red Dot Awards in recognition of the quality of its design, and several further awards at the Beijing Motor Show in April 2014.

Qoros' all-new, highly-efficient and environmentally-sustainable assembly facility in Changshu is ramping up series production of the Qoros 3 Sedan and Qoros 3 Hatch.