Following the launch of the Qoros 3 Sedan in the Chinese market, the new young car maker is now free to proceed with the expansion plans, including making hatchback and crossover variants of the Qoros 3. This is the hatchback version, which they call the Qoros 3 Hatch, set for European debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in March.

The design of the Qoros 3 Hatch is similar to the sedan – apart from the rear, obviously, and revised front grille and bumper – which is to say it looks decidedly Chinese. And while the front-end design is nothing to be proud of, the back-end is actually rather nice. It reminds us of certain SEAT models. There is some VW Scirocco in there as well.

As with the sedan, the feature Qoros is most boastful about in the Hatch is the home-grown the eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system – Qoros MMH (multimedia hub) – which is operated via smartphone-type multi-gesture finger swipe inputs for minimal driver distraction.

The car also features something called the QorosQloud, which delivers a comprehensive suite of free-for-life services with 3G connectivity, including vehicle monitoring, social networking and enhanced navigation. Chinese cars, after all, never had any problems in the gadget department.

As for the technicalities, the Qoros 3 Hatch is based on the same platform as the Qoros 3 Sedan, and uses the same 1.6-litre naturally-aspirated and turbocharged engines and six-speed manual and dual-clutch automatic transmissions.