Chinese car makers have come a long way since their early days of terrible copies and shoddy quality, but they also still have a long way to go to rival European brands. The new Qoros 3 Sedan has been awarded at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show as the “Most Beautiful Car” in China. That says a lot about the whole industry, doesn’t it?

It makes sense when you compare the Qoros to what other Chinese manufacturers are coming up with these days, but not when you compare it to the European, or even Korean, models. And you have to do that because Qoros is designed for Europe and will soon be launched in the green continent.

So yes, that award is probably the Chinese flattering themselves, but that doesn’t mean the Qoros 3 is bad. It is actually a pretty decent-looking car. Not the most beautiful, but OK. Designed by  Gert Hildebrand, the C-segment sedan has nice proportions and an elegant stance; well, elegant for an economy car. It is going to give Dacia Logan a real run for its money.

Qoros 3 also benefits from European engineering, quality and safety standards and a generous level of equipment as standard, including an industry-leading eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system. But this car’s real winning card will be an insanely reasonable price tag.