"We're going to be top 10": Look out MG and Great Wall, new Chinese brand Chery is thinking BIG in Australia

Chinese brand Chery is ready to make its move against brands like MG, BYD and Great Wall — as well as the mainstream Japanese and Korean brands — in Australia, with a fleet of evaluation vehicles on route about to enter the country ahead of the nationwide launch.

And the brand is aiming big in Australia, bringing in rivals to everything from the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5, to the Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro as it targets a place on the Top 10 sales charts in our market.

What's more, it's promising its vehicles will be tailor-fitted for Australia, with local testing about to begin on our roads and in our driving conditions.

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Three Chery vehicles – the Tiggo7 Pro compact SUV, the Tiggo8 Pro mid-size SUV, and the electrified Omoda5 – will touch down in Australia before the end of July for evaluation purposes, ahead of an expected launch in Australia next year.

"The first thing is to check the market, and to have some localisation tests to fit the customer requirements, and to fit the market. The road environment in Australia is a little bit different to other markets, so we should have this kind of test before we launch there," the brand's VP of Australian Operations told CarsGuide.

"For the Omoda 5, no doubt it will be introduced to the Australian market. But for the Tiggo7 Pro or Tiggo8 Pro, yes will have some test vehicles there, but maybe they’re not the final cars we’ll use. We hope we can make them even better."

Interestingly, the brand has also registered the Exceed nameplate, reserved for its premium-feeling SUVs, in Australia, opening the door to a host of models that could target everything from the Ford Bronco to the top-selling RAV4 Hybrid.

Chery has spent the past five months registering a number of trademarks with the Australian patent office, all of which focus on "Exceed" or "CheryExceed".

One appealing option is the Chery Exeed LX ET-i Hybrid, which is a clever plug-in hybrid model with a complete driving range of more than 1000kms.

The model combines twin-electric motors with a 1.5-litre petrol engine, ambitiously titled the "Starcore ET-i Full Engine Super Hybrid Technology". Chery says it will deliver an average fuel consumption of 4.8L/100km (just above Toytoa's 4.7L/100km), and thanks to its 19.27kWh battery pack, a total of 105kms of all-electric range.

It's a tech-heavy offering, too, with a 12.3-inch central screen, and a Smart Cloud Car system that allows for facial recognition and AR navigation.

Better yet, it's no slouch. With some 580Nm of total torque on offer, Chery says its PHEV will clip 100km/h in just 6.8secs. The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, on the otther hand, completes the sprint in 8.8secs

The Cherry Omoda 5 will also be of particular interest to Australia. Billed as a "new energy vehicle", the SUV is expected to deliver a plug-in hybrid powertrain, with a full-electric version expected to follow.

Known internally as an "international model", it's the Omoda 5 that will likely lead Chery's charge in Australia and around the world.

While Chery has been here before and was sold through a local distributor, this time the brand will be OEM backed, distributing its own vehicles through a new dealer network.

The focus, then, will be on cracking Australia's hugely competitive Top 10 sales chart – a feat recently achieved by fellow Chinese brand MG.

"That’s our plan,” another executive told CarsGuide.