September 22, 2026, the all-new Chery QQ3 Modern Edition officially went on sale. Official guide price 88,900 Yuan, additional purchase price 86,900 Yuan, trade-in price 83,900 Yuan.

This is not an ordinary QQ3. It is the first official modified model of the QQ3 series, designed by China's first Red Dot Design Four Award-winning team, with comprehensive upgrades to the exterior and interior on the basis of the current QQ3. In other words, Chery used the Red Dot Award team to give an A0-segment small car a "factory modification".

88,900 Yuan is not cheap in the A0-segment pure electric market. The BYD Seagull starts from 69,800 Yuan, the Geely Star Wish starts from 65,900 Yuan, and the Wuling Bingo Pro even went down to 56,800 Yuan. The Modern Edition is more than 20,000 Yuan more expensive than the entry-level price of these competitors.

Where is the cost? Chery's answer is clear: design.

A "Photo-Worthy" Small Car

The core selling point of the Modern Edition is written in its name—Modern.

In terms of appearance, the new car adopts Neo-Retro retro design language, cancels the traditional black trim, changes all wheel arches and side skirts to match the body color, and adds white stripes, chrome trim, and round retro wheels. Two exclusive color schemes "Modern Times" is Vintage Green with White Stripes, while "Anne Pearl" is low-saturation Beige Pink. The head retains the QQ3 signature smiling front face, but the front grille has been reconstructed, and the front and rear bumper styling has also been upgraded.

The interior changes are even greater. The cabin introduces "Cloud Velvet Beige" color scheme, Houndstooth texture covers the central console, seats, and inner trim panels of the door. The ceiling, A/B pillars, and sun visors are all upgraded to Velvet material wrapping, and the central armrest box matches contrast-colored webbing. The seats use Houndstooth design, supplemented with contrast-colored webbing accents. It also comes with a unique smart color temperature vanity mirror in its class and a 256-color dynamic ambient light.

Houndstooth, Velvet, Vanity Mirror, Ambient Light—these configurations placed in an 80,000 Yuan level small car have a very clear logic: it is not selling a commuting tool, but a "Photo Prop". In those "Car Photos" content on social platforms, small cars are often easier to make effective effects, and the Modern Edition has made this part of the product definition.

Underlying Strength Has Not Been Cut

Beyond design, the hard strength of the Modern Edition continues QQ3's premium-level route.

Dimensions 4229×1812×1573mm, Wheelbase 2700mm. This wheelbase belongs to the first tier in the A0-segment, and the rear space will not be too cramped.

Power uses rear-motor rear-wheel drive layout, providing 58kW and 90kW two motor versions, with maximum torques of 90N·m and 115N·m respectively. All models are equipped with Rhino Battery, capacity divided into 29.48kWh and 41.28kWh, CLTC range corresponding to 310km and 420km. Fast charging from 30% to 80% does not exceed 16.5 minutes, standard with 6.6kW external discharge. The chassis is rear multi-link independent suspension, minimum turning radius 5.2 meters, U-turns and parking in the city are convenient.

In terms of intelligence, the 15.6-inch 2.5K central control screen is paired with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip, Carmind Large Model supports AI chatting and smart vehicle control, compatible with CarPlay, HiCar, CarLink three major phone interconnection protocols, equipped with 100+ scenarios automated parking and L2-level driving assistance. In safety, Five-vertical Eight-horizontal Caged Body, High-strength steel accounts for 82%, Rhino Battery reaches IP68 level waterproof dustproof, 6 Airbags plus 540° Panoramic Imaging.

420km range, 8155 chip, rear multi-link suspension—this foundation itself is competitive in the 80,000 Yuan level. The question with the Modern Edition is: Is it worth spending 20,000 Yuan more to buy a retro skin made by the Red Dot Award team and Houndstooth interior?

QQ3 is No Longer a "Dark Horse"

To discuss whether the pricing of the Modern Edition is reasonable, it cannot be separated from the market performance of the QQ3 series.

The all-new QQ3 went on sale on March 30, 2026, delivering 13,612 units in the first month, directly pulling the share of the 60,000-90,000 Yuan A0-class pure electric sedan sub-market from less than 5% to 15% in the first quarter since listing. May sales 10,425 units, June 10,524 units, August month-on-month growth 64% reaching 19,103 vehicles. Monthly sales stabilizing at the 10,000-unit level for consecutive months.

In the A0-segment market, this result is not small. More importantly, it was achieved in the context of the overall shrinkage of the A00-class market—H1 2026 A00-class sedan retail sales dropped 63% year-on-year, passenger vehicle sales below 50,000 Yuan shrank significantly. Consumers are no longer paying only for low prices, they are willing to pay a little more for small cars that are "Good looking, good to drive, good to use".

The QQ3 Modern Edition happens to step on this consumer upgrade line.

What Chery Truly Wants to Do

Looking further, the significance of the Modern Edition is not limited to a new car.

Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue said a sentence when the QQ brand returned: "We want to turn Chery QQ into China's MINI, China's Smart, into a classic belonging to China."

This is not empty words spoken at a scene. The all-new QQ3 series has won the Red Dot Design Award four consecutive times, covering Concept, Product, Brand and Communication Design fields. In the Southeast Asian market, QQ3 landed in Thailand and Indonesia under the name "CheryQ", orders from both regions total close to 10,000 units.

The official modified version is a classic technique of IP Operation. MINI has JCW, Smart has BRABUS, Beetle has R-Line. When a model starts to launch official modified special editions, it means the brand is trying to turn "Product" into "Cultural Symbol".

The pricing logic of the QQ3 Modern Edition thus becomes clear: it does not pursue maximum price-performance ratio, but uses design premium to test one thing—whether Chinese consumers are willing to pay for the "Cultural Added Value" of local brands.

Betting on Consumer Upgrade, Not Price War

Buying an A0-segment pure electric small car for 88,900 Yuan was hard to imagine two years ago. But the situation is different now.

The A0-segment pure electric market grew 190% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, almost all mainstream automakers have entered the field. The BYD Seagull, Geely Star Wish occupy the top positions respectively, and new players like Leapmotor A10 keep pouring in. In this market, the space for volume via low prices is narrowing, and the space for differentiation via design and experience is opening.

The Modern Edition's choice is the latter. It uses the Red Dot Award team's design, Houndstooth and Velvet interior texture, 420km range and 8155 chip smart foundation, trying to convince consumers: a small car can not only be a commuting tool, but also something people want to look at twice.

Whether this bet can win depends on how many people are willing to pay 20,000 Yuan more for "Good looking". From the performance of the QQ3 series with monthly sales breaking 10,000, the answer is at least not zero.