China's revolutionary new ute for Australia: Why the 2026 Chery ute will use a diesel plug-in hybrid set-up that will trump the BYD Shark 6, Ford Ranger and future Toyota HiLux PHEVs in Australia

Chery has just confirmed its new ute will use a surprising and revolutionary diesel plug-in hybrid set-up.

What is most surprising about it is no other ute-maker has done it before, not even Toyota - the master of diesel utes and hybrid power.

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“It’s easier to do the gasoline version,” he said.

Underneath the bonnet of the ute — codenamed KP31 — is a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine paired with an electric motor or two and a sizeable battery.

Details are scarce, but its torque outputs will be mega.

The high torque figures delivered by the combination of diesel and electric power — two fuel sources that create a lot of torque — was one of the benefits of this new set-up compared to more conventional petrol-electric plug-in hybrids, according to Matkin.

Chery Australia Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris said the new ute had to be tough and the diesel-electric combo gave it the best chance to achieve that capability Australians demand from a ute.

“I believe Chery has one chance to prove that we can build and deliver a highly capable ute,” said Harris.

“And so to do that, it needs towing capability, payload capability, all-terrain capability. Particularly all-terrain capability, you know, you get people towing caravans on the beach. You really do need the torque and power delivery that a diesel gives you down low to be able to do those things.”

Chery said the new ute will be able to tow 3500kg and handle a one-tonne payload.

It will have front, centre and rear diff locks, and it should have low gearing for proper off-roading.

Harris also said the brand’s plug-in hybrid technology — which it dubs Super Hybrid — brings countless benefits on the road, too.

“The driving feeling and experience is so much better than an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) only product."

“We've been a bit demanding, we want the best of both worlds,” he said.

Harris explained the Super Hybrid tech delivers smoother and more efficient highway motoring and significantly improved the refinement of the vehicle by reducing NVH levels.

That’s a bit of jargon that stands for Noise, Vibration, and Harshness, which means you’ll hear and feel the engine less in the cabin making it feel more SUV-like.

Harris also said being different was good, too.

“And it's a bit different. Nobody else has it, so it's a nice thing for us to have and do differently,” he said.

While no carmakers offer diesel plug-in hybrid models in Australia, Audi sold a diesel PHEV version of the Q7 nearly a decade ago, and Mercedes-Benz sells versions of the E-Class, GLE and GLC in Europe with the tech.