FAW Sirius

Growing interest in FAW and its Sirius MPV spurs upgrade

“Increasing awareness of the FAW brand due to a strong, national advertising campaign and growing sales of the FAW Sirius people carrier have spurred us on to expand the range to now include a larger and more powerful engine,” says the general manager of FAW passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, Pedro Pereira.

The Sirius was introduced this year as a seven-seater MPV in two trim and equipment levels as well as being offered as a roomy panel van, with both variants powered by a 1.3-litre petrol engine developing 67kW of power and 120N.m of torque.

These models are retained as price leaders, but now a 1.5-litre power unit, putting out 75 kW of power and with a significant increase of 20N.m in torque – going up to 140N.m – is available as an option.

Transmission is a five-speed manual gearbox and drive is through the rear wheels.

Front suspension is independent with MacPherson struts, while the solid rear axle has a coil-sprung multi-link suspension.

Load capacities for the two models are 525kg for the 7-seater (including occupants and load) and 545kg for the panel van (including driver, passenger and load).

The panel van can tow an unbraked trailer of 480kg and the 7-seater is rated at 600kg. The loading space in the panel van, which has an aluminium plate floor fitted at the FAW factory in China, is 1 670mm long, 1 270mm wide and 1 070mm high.

What really set the Sirius apart at the time of its introduction was the very high level of standard equipment, which is virtually the same for both the 7-seater MPV and the panel van with the 1.3-litre engine. Add in a competitive price and you have a true value-for-money offering.

High standard specification level

Standard specification includes alloy wheels (including the spare), air conditioning, dual airbags, ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution (EBD), remote control central locking, power steering, electric windows, audio system consisting of a radio with MP3 player and USB port, remote keyless entry, front and rear fog lamps, alarm immobiliser, headlamp levelling, child locks for the rear doors of the 7-seater and LED indicator repeaters in the front of the vehicle and in the exterior rear view mirrors.

There are two Sirius 1.5 MPVs – a Standard and a Comfort. The Comfort version has a roof-mounted air conditioner and a protection shield under the engine. There are no changes to the exterior appearance. The panel van will continue to be available only as a 1.3-litre.

 “These two additional Sirius MPV models enable us to target families with more than four people as well as making it more attractive for personnel transport, including doing duty as a taxi.”

The FAW Sirius is covered by a 3-year/100 000km factory warranty, free roadside assistance for a year and a 4-year/60 000km service plan.

Growing dealer network

“We currently have a national network of 20 dealers and the growing model line-up is resulting in increased interest in the FAW franchise. Most of our dealers are multi-franchise Imperial facilities. We are currently in talks with several interested parties and expect to open a few more FAW outlets shortly,” added the FAW executive, Pedro Pereira.

FAW, which is one of the powerhouses of the booming Chinese automotive industry, has been a player in the SA truck market for almost 20 years. Now it is building up a growing range of light commercials and passenger cars through an independent and separate organisation that is part of the Imperial Group.

FAW Trucks, in contrast, is a standalone company in which FAW of China has had a shareholding since the year 2000 and now owns a stake of 98%25.

The introduction of the 1.5-litre Sirius models will be followed later in the year by the launch of the B-segment V2 hatchback, with a 1.3-litre petrol engine. A B-segment sedan will join the line-up in the second half of 2013.

The Sirius models are very popular in the Chinese domestic market but so far they have been exported only to the Middle East and North Africa. South Africa is the first right-hand drive market to get the Sirius.

A number of FAW’s LCV and passenger car models were displayed at the Johannesburg Motor Show in 2008, but they were all left-hand drive. At the time there was pressure on the company to supply the Chinese domestic market with LHD vehicles, while exports were put on the backburner, especially for those countries requiring right-hand drive models.

Locally evaluated

Sirius evaluation units were subjected to a local test programme to ensure suitability of the vehicle for the African market and the company was very satisfied with the results. Some changes were affected following this evaluation, including the design and fitment of a retractable cover for the cargo space in the 7-seater and the fitment of hooks to hold the seatbelts for the rearmost seat when they are not in use.

The enthusiastic FAW general manager said that he and his team are particularly impressed with the high quality of the Sirius, both in terms of fit and finish and the materials used, such as the carpeting and the seats.

General Manager Pedro Pereira says there is a full range of service and replacement parts in stock with a technical support team from FAW in China based at the FAW LCV and passenger car head office in Boksburg.

FAW is one of the leading companies in the Chinese motor industry. Besides producing its own vehicles it has joint ventures with Volkswagen/Audi, Mazda, Toyota and General Motors to produce vehicles for these major global players.

The FAW Group’s total sales in 2012 were over 2.6 million passenger and commercial vehicles and it ranked 165th in the Forbes Fortune 500. The group now employs more than 130 000 people.

Ongoing global expansion

FAW, which was founded in 1953 is already represented in more than 100 countries and is currently expanding its export programme with the FAW Group Import and Export Corporation having exported over 100 000 built up vehicles or vehicle kits worldwide since its establishment.

FAW is showing its commitment to South Africa with the erection of a manufacturing facility in the Coega Industrial Development Zone near Port Elizabeth. The plant will have an initial annual output of 5 000 trucks a year with passenger cars and light commercials going into production in the future.

The initial investment and planned expansions amount to more than R600-million. The investment will see more than 1 000 jobs created during the building phase and the facility is scheduled for completion in December 2013.

“We at FAW passenger cars and LCVs are very excited about the future as we know we will be getting quality products from China’s leading automotive company and will offer top class back-up service through a countrywide dealer network to ensure cost effective motoring and transport solutions,” concluded GM Pedro Pereira.

The retail price of the FAW Sirius model range:

SIRIUS 1.3 Panel-van: R149 995

SIRIUS 1.3 Comfort: R159 995

SIRIUS 1.5 Standard: R179 995

SIRIUS 1.5 Comfort: R189 995

[ source : FAW SA ]
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