We drive the top-spec BAIC A1 hatchback (called the E1 in some markets). Built on the Z platform developed jointly by DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi, and powered by a Mitsubishi MIVEC made by a DaimlerChrysler subsidiary, the engineering of the defunct American-German and Japanese alliance still shines through on the China-made sub-compact.
The full story, in two parts …