The modern motorist is often on the lookout for ways to bring down his or her driving costs – whether it’s seeking out competitive annual breakdown cover, or finding good deals on petrol or insurance. But one of the most effective ways to drive down the cost of motoring is to buy a cheaper car.

Enter Qoros…

This is where the new Chinese carmaker Qoros may come in. Armed with a snazzy brand name and backed up with a number of skilled employees who once worked for BMW, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen and Volvo, Qoros has its sights set on Europe. With manufacturing facilities in China, a Qoros car is likely to be an affordable car.

But looking at the spec of the three cars the firm plans to present at the Geneva Motor Show, the cars do not look cheap at all. The styling of these cars is very similar, but very sleek and easy on the eye. While the designers are not exactly re-writing the handbook with these vehicles, it’s easy to see that they might appeal to European drivers.

The interiors offer air conditioning, electric windows and a touch-screen entertainment system – all as standard.

One of the three cars on show is a cross hybrid, which looks as if it will provide some competition for the Nissan Qashqai.

An Israeli investment fund and the Chinese state-owned carmaker Chery are behind the Qoros marque, which aims to ‘achieve top scores in European crash tests’.

What do you think of the new cars’ styling? Would you buy a Chinese car that doesn’t have the pedigree of its European rivals? Or would you be tempted by lower prices, so long as the quality was present?