The result – the best-ever crash test result in the European EuroNCAP test for a Chinese OEM – is an excellent start to Qoros’ attempts to be seen as a credible player in the European market according to Tim Urquhart, senior analyst at IHS Automotive.

He commented: ‘The project's credibility has been given a major boost by the result, which removes one of the key objections of European consumers to the prospect of purchasing a car from a Chinese OEM.

‘The company also have a very useful marketing platform on which to spearhead the brand's launch in Europe as a result of the positive EuroNCAP result. It should also be highlighted that EuroNCAP said the 3 achieved one of the best ratings of any car in the safety testing body's history.’

However, he added that major European market challenges await the company, not least establishing a sales and servicing network that can fully support the brand's growth in the region.

He commented: ‘In addition, Europe is a massively competitive and mature market which is currently experiencing a down phase, with sales declining 5.2% y/y in the January–August period.’

IHS Automotive added its forecast that Qoros will experience a slow rise in sales in Europe, with combined sales across the region reaching 25,000 units in 2016 and then 30,000 in 2017, with sales rising to over 100,000 units in the Greater China region by 2017.