Beijing Olympics car: Chery A5 saloon Hybrid

A 50-car swift of hybrid cars will be doing drive around duty at the Beijing Olympics.

These cars are founded on the Chinese-made Chery A5 saloon, and have been evolved by UK-based engineering consultancy Ricardo.
Each hybrid has a 1.3 liter petrol engine and also a 12v crankshaft mounted starter generator. The fuel consumption has improved by about 15%. The power output and the performance are comparable with that of a thirstier 1.6-litre engine.
Ricardo has also formulated a model with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and stop-start system. Its fuel consumption is reduced by a judged 10% in real-life driving. Both these vehicles are into production later this year.