Chery M14

The Chery M14 is a sporty coupe-cabriolet designed by Pininfarina. Despite its striking appearance, the M14 never made it into production. Pininfarina created a sharp-looking four-seat coupe-cabriolet, though early design sketches oddly depicted the wheels at strange angles, possibly due to an intern working on the project for the then relatively unknown Chinese client. A later, more refined design sketch showed a more mature concept, although the A-pillar seemed to be positioned slightly too far forward. The project progressed slowly, and in 2003, Pininfarina presented Chery with two clay models: one coupe and one cabriolet, labeled PF-M14-EK. The design was almost ready, featuring a prominent line running from the door handle to the rear light unit. Pininfarina also developed a mock-up of the interior, which featured ‘cut-off’ A-pillars, a sporty look with three large dials on the instrument panel, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, a manual gearbox, and a small screen between the air vents on the center stack. By 2004, the final concept car was completed, featuring a functional convertible roof, a cherry-red paint job, shiny gray five-spoke wheels, and a dark gray 2+2 interior. It was showcased at the 2005 Shanghai Auto Show on a flashy platform, always accompanied by a high-heeled model. The design retained the distinctive line from the door handle to the rear light. The door handle itself appeared to be sized for just one finger. According to information distributed at the show, the M14 was powered by a Chery Power 2.0 turbo engine, producing 193 hp and 290 Nm of torque, with a 1.6-liter engine option also mentioned. Chery vaguely stated that both a manual and a CVT transmission would be available. The car’s dimensions were listed as 4287 mm in length, 1793 mm in width, 1365 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2550 mm. The concept car’s interior differed slightly from the earlier clay model, particularly around the lower-center stack and the gear lever. For a time, there was no news about the A3CC until 2010, when reports emerged of new issues with the roof. Several lightly camouflaged test cars were spotted, and some Chinese media reported that Chery had built at least 15 prototypes in three batches of five test cars each. Unfortunately, that was the last anyone heard of the M14/A3CC. Chery never officially announced the cancellation of the project, but the car was never built. The M14 remained an unrealized concept, possibly because Chery saw the struggles of similar models like the Geely Meirenbao, Brilliance Coupe, and BYD S8, and concluded there was no market for a Chinese coupe-cabriolet with a problematic roof. They were likely correct in their assessment.