tooling from an old VW factory to produce a model that resembled a Jetta circa 2003. In the late 2000s, Chery began to actively seek a partnership with a foreign automaker, a hallmark of major Chinese car makers. Tie-ups with both Chrysler and Fiat were touted, but fell through. In 2007, Chrysler planned a cooperation with Chery that would have seen the Chery A1 sold as a Dodge-brand car in the US and abroad. The plan would have quickly increased the Chrysler small car stable, and the two companies participated in a signing ceremony in late 2007. In early 2008, a similar deal was reached between Chrysler and Nissan, however, and the Chrysler-Chery cooperation was abandoned. Around the time of the 2009 Chrysler Chapter 11 reorganization, Chrysler discussed the possibility of an asset sale with Chery. In 2007, Fiat and Chery signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a car-making joint venture. Intended to begin operations in 2009, it was to manufacture Fiat and Alfa Romeo-branded products for the Chinese market and be located in Wuhu. The deal was put on hold in March 2009. As of 2012, Fiat produces in China with local partner GAC Group. Qoros, a car-making joint venture between Chery and Singapore-based Kenon Holdings, was established in 2007. In October 2009, Chery announced plans for an assembly plant in Turkey to be built in cooperation with the Turkish automaker Mermerler Otomotiv at a cost of $500 million. The plant is planned to have an initial capacity of 20,000 units per year, rising to 100,000 by 2017. As of 2012, the plant has yet to commence production. When it comes online, this production base will add to a handful of joint venture factories that Chery has in places like Argentina and Iran. These stand in contrast to a number of factories outside China that assemble Chery vehicles, but in which Chery does not have an ownership stake. In 2009, Chery produced 508,500 units, and at this time, it had an annual production capacity around 650,000 units. More than 400,000 of its 2009 sales were sedans. Production capacity figures may consider engines and vehicles as discrete. 2010 to present Chery became the seventh-most productive Chinese vehicle manufacturer in 2010 by selling nearly 700,000 units. Slipping sales marked 2011 and 2012; in these years, the company produced more than 640,000 and near 590,000 units, respectively, and it