2025 Chery E5 Reviews

The days of being a ‘Holden family’ and buying a new model from the same brand each year are gone.The increasing fragmentation of the Australian car market, as well as the on-going cost-of-living crisis is driving new car buyers to ditch brand loyalty in favour of whatever suits them best.It’s why some of Australia’s most beloved brands are enduring a difficult 2026, with the latest new car sales data showing Toyota, Mazda, Ford, Kia and Hyundai all suffering sales decline as the likes of BYD, GWM, Chery and other relative-newcomers lure buyers away.Hyundai Australia Chief Operating Officer Gavin Donaldson admits it is now the toughest time he can recall in the local industry.“Yeah, I think that's one of the biggest things right now,” Donaldson said.“It's important to try and maintain loyalty. There is some benefit of that, and that's obviously going to be really more driven, probably long-term, about your after-sales experience. It's easy, probably purchasing your car, driving it out, but then how you get looked after if there's ever issues or servicing is going to become more important.“Right now I think there's so much choice there for customers that they have the ability to pick and choose whatever it is. It's just competitive, the amount of brands that are in there now. The market size has also slightly grown."Like it's 1.2 this year. It's 1.15m, 1.2m, historically grown on the back of immigration more than anything. It's just so competitive at present time. And as we say, customers now have such a wide diversification of choice that it's difficult to get their attention.”Looking at the car sales data year-to-date to the end of August, Toyota is down 17%, Mazda down 15.9% and Ford 14.5%, while BYD is up more than 100%, Chery is up 64.3% and GWM has grown 15.%. It’s clear from these figures that despite the historical success of the likes of Toyota, Mazda, Ford and the other ‘legacy’ brands, the newer Chinese rivals are winning over customers.In that context, Hyundai’s drop of 2.0 per cent can be seen a relatively positive result, with Donaldson admitting brands will need to adjust to selling less volume. But he also doubled down on the idea that after-sales support, specifically the dealer and servicing experience will be the true test for longevity for both the legacy bands and the newcomers.“ There's no doubt the legacy brands are under pressure,” Donaldson admitted.“Most of them are losing share year on year. Does that mean you reset your future levels of share? I don't know. Because it comes down to, I've always said… it comes down to your product portfolio. You can launch cars that the Australian public might see as outstanding and rush to your brand. So for us it's about maintaining a certain level of scale, make sure our dealers are as profitable as they can be, which is also under pressure because of multi-franchising and all that at present time. It's just extremely competitive and I think customers have got great choice. But I think long-term, you've got to be able to provide the overall customer experience to ensure not only selling the car, but there's the long-term servicing as part as well.”Donaldson’s comments mirror similar sentiment from Skoda Australia Brand Director Lucie Kuhn, who recently told CarsGuide 2026 is shaping as a defining year for the future of the Australian automotive landscape.“ The industry will be recalibrating,” Kuhn said.“I think this year it has just started, but I think we have ahead of us another three years at least, maybe three up to five. We'll see when the entire industry will be, let's say, looking for its new normal. Seventy competitors in the market, yeah, it's a lot. And I think every brand will try to find not only its new normal, but find its new viable normal. And viable normal for all the stakeholders, because this is the most complex thing."It’s not just OEMs, importer, dealers, and still being competitive and attractive enough to the customer. This is what is ahead all of us, and it doesn't matter if it's a legacy brand, but it's also the Chinese entrants, they will have the same thing. Because running like that, it's simply a penetration strategy. It will end up somewhere… and then what?”But Kuhn believes that elements such as the actual driving experience, which is still seen as an advantage for the more experienced legacy brands, will remain a key selling point from Skoda and its like.“To actually meet the expectations of the customers… they expect a level of driving refinement,” she said.But Kuhn, like Donaldson, is resigned to the fact that the days of families being loyal to one car brand for their entire motoring life.“Customers don’t stick to the brands they used to… all their life,” she said.

Buyers are about to get their first look at the next wave of EVs coming to Australia. The 2026 Everything Electric Sydney event will showcase many of the latest EVs headed Down Under, and will have a record number of new examples on show.Many affordable Chinese plug-in hybrid and fully-electric cars will be available to look at, as well as some of the most anticipated new cars on their way to Australia. There will be plenty of new models put on show for the first time by Chery. Chery’s European-styled sub-brand Lepas will have two of its new models about to hit Aussie showrooms on display. The Lepas L6 electric mid-size SUV will be the brand’s first car put on sale in Australia, due in October 2026. Lepas will also show off its smaller L4 electric SUV that is expected to arrive Down Under in 2027. Chery’s adventure-focused sub-brand iCaur will introduce its V25 rugged SUV for the first time.The V25 is scheduled to arrive in early 2027 with a range-extender hybrid set-up to rival the plug-in hybrid Denza B5. Chery and Omoda Jaecoo will debut new models at the show as well, with more details to be revealed closer to the event. Zeekr will unveil its hugely-anticipated 7GT electric wagon publicly for the first time. The 7GT takes aim at Europe’s elite luxury models the Audi S5, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Earmarked for a late 2026 or early 2027 arrival, the 7GT will be the popular Chinese brand’s fourth model on sale Down Under. Geely will continue its new model surge in Australia, with the introduction of two SUVs to its line-up. The brand has not revealed any more specific details about what the models are. They will join the mid-sized fully-electric EX5 and plug-in hybrid Starray EM-i that have both experienced a positive sales return so far. Geely is on the up in Australia, with its methodical approach to introducing models seeing it claim solid sales results.GWM is another brand to have a strong presence at Everything Electric. The brand’s new-generation Haval H7 mid-size SUV will be on show, scheduled to launch Down Under later in 2026. It is expected to be available in both five- and seven-seater configurations, giving it a wider family appeal. GWM will also have a more affordable PHEV ute on display. The GWM Cannon PHEV is pitched as a cheaper and smaller sibling to the Cannon Alpha PHEV, and could undercut the confidently-selling BYD Shark 6. The Cannon PHEV is expected to officially launch in Australia in October 2026. MG’s U9 electric ute will be on display for the first time in New South Wales at the show. The U9 is one of few electric utes targeting the Australian market, along with the low-volume Toyota HiLux BEV. MG’s luxury sub-brand IM will put its LS9 large SUV on display. The LS9 is a six-seater SUV that provides competition for the popular Zeekr 9X. It could launch in Australia in later 2026 or early 2027. Hyundai will present its Staria Load Electric van for the first time in Australia. The Staria Load EV will join diesel- and hybrid-powered variants of the car already on sale. It will battle in an increasingly competitive electric van segment against the Kia PV5 and affordable Chinese rivals, including the LDV eDeliver 7. Forthing will show off an electric people mover that will launch in 2027. Forthing currently only sells its Taikon 5 mid-size SUV in Australia, available as a range-extender hybrid or fully-electric. Cadillac’s new Lyriq V performance SUV will be on show. It is the brand’s first of its V-Series, boasting as the fastest Cadillac ever. It will join the standard Optiq, Vistiq and Lyriq SUVs Down Under in early 2027. Cadillac Lyriq-VChery and Omoda Jaecoo new models Forthing electric people moverTwo Geely SUVsGWM Haval H7 and Cannon PHEVHyundai Staria Load ElectriciCaur V25IM LS9Lepas L6 and L4MG U9 EVZeekr 7GT

Aussie EV owners could soon be facing a battery crisis.The world’s biggest battery maker CATL has warned shortened vehicle-development and validation cycles are leading to wide-scale electric car battery failures, according to reports. CATL Chairman Robert Zeng said China’s battery defect tolerances are too lenient for high-volume Chinese EV production. Chinese carmakers have launched more than 600 new vehicle models this year already, equating to almost three new EVs every day.Potentially rushed development processes could spell trouble for EV buyers down the line.  CATL is calling for defect tolerances to only allow for up to 1000 defective cells for every one billion cells manufactured.Defective electric car batteries don't just stop a car from driving, but they can also give rise to other safety issues.The Chinese GAC Aion S was involved in a “banana battery” swelling issue in mid-2026, impacting 213,000 lithium-iron-phosphate examples, where batteries were physically bending. Australian GAC Aion vehicles use a different battery.This led to cell leakage, insulation faults and power system shutdowns while driving. Supplier CALB was forced to implement extensive quality reforms and inspection measures as a result of the controversy.It doesn’t take much for an EV battery to stop working, according to Zeng, who said packs are only as reliable as the weakest component. Just one defective cell can be detrimental to the performance and safety of the whole pack. There was a high-profile compensation claim from Geely subsidiary Viridi in early 2026, where it sued battery maker Sunwoda for 2.31 billion yuan for defective cells supplied from 2021 to 2023The pair eventually settled for 608 million yuan. EV battery reforms are on the agenda in Australia. A recent report from the Australian Automotive Dealer Network (AADA) called for serious changes to rules around EV battery replacements.The report warned of a “wave of litigation" when EV batteries need replacement outside of the warranty period because their cost could exceed the vehicle’s remaining value. One particular dealer said Chinese-built cars are “not holding their charge” or are “blowing up on fire”.It puts forward that manufacturers should be required to define acceptable battery thresholds or disclose the expected degrading of a unit. If a battery holds at least 70 per cent of its charge after eight years, it would be considered to be performing at an acceptable level, for example. 

Aussie car buyers can’t get enough of the Tesla Model Y right now.Tesla’s mid-size SUV topped the sales charts for August 2026, fending off three Toyota models in the latest set of data. Total car sales held relatively steady in August, with plenty of the usual players occupying the top spots. Electric cars are also making an impact Down Under.Four electric-only models made featured in the top 10 last month.The Tesla Model Y surged to the top of the monthly standings once again, with 6414 sales as its new three-row Model Y L experienced sustained popularity.Combining sales of its Model 3 sedan, Tesla was the third best-selling brand in the country. Toyota’s near 20,000 sales was the best out of any brand, and saw it occupy second, third and fourth on the standings. Its new RAV4 continues to impress (5470), followed by the Hilux ute (4833) that now holds a healthy lead over its arch rival the Ford Ranger (2440). Sales numbers start to drop off after the HiLux, with the Prado’s 2475 rounding out the top four. The Ford Ranger ute experienced another decline in August 2026, falling to fifth position on the standings (2440).The Ranger has been the best-selling car in Australia for the last three consecutive years, but sales decreased in August 2026 by more than 50 per cent compared to August 2025.  The next five cars were from Chinese brands as they increased their grasp over the Australian market. The BYD Sealion 7 mid-size SUV finished in sixth place (2213), followed by the Chery Tiggo 4 small SUV (2012), with the Geely EX5 registering 1947 examples last month. BYD may only have had one car in the top 10, but it was the second best-selling brand in Australia in August 2026.Key Tiggo 4 rival, the GWM Haval Jolion, sold 1891 units, while the Zeekr’s 7X sold 1748 units last month. The Isuzu D-Max took out ninth spot for the month (1708), with the Hyundai Kona finishing off the top 10 with 1688 sales. 

Chinese carmakers like BYD, Chery and Geely must now play by new rules in export markets like Australia. The Chinese government is cracking down on alleged anti-competitive behaviour from its automakers overseas, according to reports. The European Union has imposed extensive tariffs on Chinese electric cars imported and sold in the region over the past few years.The EU made this move to stop suspected Chinese government subsidies from heavily undercutting local carmakers in showrooms.Export markets have become crucial for Chinese carmakers, with an oversaturated local market squeezing out profits. Chinese brands have relied on low prices to establish global market share, which has left some domestic automakers scrambling to survive.These rules are designed to ensure Chinese brands won't be pushed out of export markets by tariffs and other penalties from domestic governments.It could also make new markets like the United States more open to Chinese brands.The Chinese government wants to prevent price wars for its brands in overseas markets that harm its reputation. Carmakers must price cars based on production costs and market dynamics, not aggressive price cuts to drive out established competitorsThey should avoid steep or frequent price fluctuations, like heavy discounts that destabilise foreign marketsThey must avoid activities that trigger trade disputes or damage the image of Chinese brands They must not force overseas dealers to set a certain price for cars, instead creating clear price gradients for different model grades. They must follow host-nation regulations and implement anti-corruption safeguardsAll marketing and advertising must be truthful, with no misleading claims on vehicle specifications or performanceCarmakers must follow local information protection and privacy laws These new rules set out clear obligations for Chinese carmakers in their export markets, including Australia. It is unclear if the rules will have a material impact in Australia in the short term.Australia does not have a domestic car industry to protect, so it doesn't need to impose the same heavy tariffs as Europe. This is one reason there are now so many new automakers drawn to Australia.The new rules could potentially see prices of Chinese cars increase, with many models on sale some of the cheapest on the market currently, and extremely competitive with established brands.However recently Chery, one of the most aggressively priced Chinese brands in Australia, dismissed the idea that its pricing was based on outside support, with local boss Lucas Harris saying its current price structure is "sustainable" and that the brand wasn't engaging in activities like dumping cars into our market."I'd love to see some actual evidence" he said, "I'd love a subsidy, it would really help us out."

Chery’s in the middle of a rapid expansion and has no plans to slow down.Chery relaunched in 2023, but the Chinese automotive group has added Omoda and Jaecoo already, has confirmed Lepas will start sales in October and confirmed both iCaur and Freelander will follow soon.What makes it more confusing to many, is the company has a very different approach to its multi-brand strategy than most rivals, with a significant amount of crossover in terms of both vehicles offered and pricing.Lucas Harris, Chery Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, explained the thinking behind the company to CarsGuide.“ So I think one of the differences in our approach to the brands is that established brands' way of thinking, because there are established brands that have multi-brand arrangements, they typically stack them on top of each other,” Harris said.“This one's volume, this one's kind of premium mainstream, this one's luxury, this one's a supercar. And they segment them and separate them really just by price.”“So our approach is less about pricing and much more about trying to create a unique brand image and a unique brand feeling. And, product is a big part of that and you can see quite a big difference in the design of our products across the brands. The idea is to try and have different brands that speak to different sub-sets of consumers.”Freelander will be the first brand to break that mould, with the Jaguar Land Rover joint-venture to be a genuine luxury brand, priced above Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Lepas.“It's very much a luxury car and is going to be in that luxury segment and have fit and finish, and be priced accordingly. So totally different from our existing products,” Harris confirmed.The introduction of so many brands does have one major challenge - finding enough dealerships to sell them. Omoda and Jaecoo models may be similar to Chery underneath, the different design has seen the brands operate in separate showrooms.For Lepas, Harris said he hopes to add up to 50 new dealerships by the end of the year, which is changing the way dealers physically carve up the space they have available on the showroom floor.“ Look, when we launched with Chery three and a half years ago I think the timing we were fortunate with, in that there wasn't as many new brands competing for showroom space at that time and so that was good,” Harris said.“And Chery really has been the catalyst for our other brands to come through and have good support from our dealers. So if we look at Lepas, maybe two-thirds of it are existing dealers that want the additional franchise and they like operating and dealing with us. And so they're pretty enthusiastic to put their hands up to get the extra brand.“It is also quite good timing that whilst some of those established brands are now not what they once were. They can't command the same 800 or 1000 square meter showrooms that they used to. And it's becoming increasingly expensive for dealers to do business in Australia."The cost of everything's gone up from, the cost of wages and marketing, the cost of electricity, the property and rent costs are through the roof. So it's really hard for any brand, particularly a suffering established brand, to support those kinds of facilities anymore.”Which is why he’s confident he can find so many new dealers willing to sell Lepas, Freelander and potential future brands Chery Group could add.“ I would say at least every second day I get a phone call from a dealer that I've not dealt with who would like a franchise,” Harris claimed. “And I don't know, obviously they're getting my number from other dealers who are dealing with us. But yes, there's a lot of interest in working with us and it's very flattering.”

Three new cut-price challengers are on the way to hunt down some of Australia’s favourite dual-cab utes.These newcomers pack some enticing gear with plug-in hybrid power, rugged off-road capability and likely sharp prices in their arsenal to put Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and Toyota HiLux on the menu.Success isn’t guaranteed.Some recent big names such as the Kia Tasman and MG U9 have failed to fire, but these three have a red hot chance.The Chery Stockman is due to arrive at the end of this year, and is the first ute to pack a diesel plug-in hybrid set-up.The Stockman combines a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine with an electric motor to deliver 350kW and 800Nm to all four wheels.It can drive up to 100km under electric-only power, but this is calculated via the more lenient NEDC test cycle. Expect closer to 80km when tested to the benchmark WLTP protocol.This combo will be ideal for off-roading and load-lugging, two areas plug-in hybrid workhorses often struggle with.It will have a 750kg unbraked and 3500kg braked towing capacity. Chery has not revealed payload yet.Chery has also previously said it would have front, centre and rear diff locks and it should have low gearing for proper off-roading.Chery has had remarkable success in Australia thanks to its sharp pricing, expect no different from the Stockman. This will be backed up by a rapidly expanding dealership network.It also looks mean. Watch out big boys.The Indian brand’s follow-up to the much-maligned Pik-Up has just been revealed and it is a shoe in to come to Australia, with a late 2027 arrival date likely.It is based on a new ladder frame platform, which means it'll be built for hard work.Mahindra hasn’t revealed any official details on the new ute, but it is likely it’ll share a fair bit with the rugged Scorpio SUV.This means a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, six-speed automatic and part-time four-wheel drive are likely.Inside will be plush, with plenty of hi-tech features and top-end finishes.In India it will launch with a starting price of less than 1.98 million Indian Rupee (A$29,300), which is more expensive than the Scorpio, but expect it at less than $50,000 drive-away in Australia.Nissan is going all-in on rugged 4WDs and utes in the next few years, and a big chunk of them will be sourced from China and its partner Dongfeng.The Nissan Frontier Pro ute hasn’t been confirmed for Australia, but it is highly likely the ute will arrive next year to sit alongside the recently launched new Navara.Former Nissan Oceania Managing Director Andrew Humberstone suggested to CarsGuide last year both models would be sold here.It is also believed the Frontier Pro will be called Navara Pro when it lands, following on from its recent reveal in the Philippines.It uses a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a transmission-mounted electric motor producing a potent 320kW and 800Nm combined. The EV-only range is around 100km WLTP.There is a chance it could spin-off an SUV, so watch out Toyota Prado and Ford Everest.

BYD might have provided key insight into future car prices for its Aussie vehicles.Standard BYD flagship models will be priced no more than about 300,000 yuan in China (roughly $62,000), according to Chinese media.The news comes after BYD released pricing for its upcoming Da Han (or Big Han) flagship large electric sedan aimed at the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in China. It confirmed the Da Han will wear a maximum starting price tag of 299,900 yuan (roughly $62,000), just shy of the 300,000 yuan cap. This leaves BYD’s premium sub-brands like Denza, Fangchengbao and Yangwang room to occupy more expensive brackets. BYD’s latest pricing insight provides a glimpse into how its Australian line-up could be priced moving forwards.An imported new car from China usually incurs a 20 to 30 per cent price rise when it goes on sale here, so the cap is more likely to be around the $80,000 mark compared to $62,000. BYD’s most expensive model on sale right now is the range-topping variant of the Sealion 8 plug-in hybrid three-row large SUV, starting from $70,990 (before on-road costs). This is not an exact science partly because BYD sells some of its models under different sub-brands and names in Australia compared to China. The Denza B5 is known as the Fangchengbao Bao 5 in China, while the incoming BYD M9 people mover goes by BYD Xia in its local market. This news does demonstrate BYD’s commitment to offering its cars at affordable price points in Australia in the future. Chery Group has a growing list of sub-brands in Australia, adopting a different strategy to BYD.It seeks to capture different buyer demographics through its sub-brands as opposed to bracketing features at higher price points. The majority of Chery Group cars in Australia rides on the brand’s T1X platform, including the Tiggo 4, Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8. Chery relies on its T1X architecture for its sub-brands, with the Jaecoo J5 and incoming Lepas L6 riding on an updated version of the platform. Chery uses styling tweaks to cater for different buyers.The Tiggo 4, Jaecoo J5 and Lepas L6 all share similar set-ups with minor price differences, but each is designed to appeal to a specific lifestyle compared to a price point.

It’s no secret that Chinese car brands have managed to undercut most legacy brands on price, helping their sales surge. This has led to off-the-record accusations these prices are only possible thanks to subsidies and other financial assistance from the Chinese government.Chery is one of the fastest growing Chinese brands in Australia and also one of the most-affordable, offering some of the cheapest new cars on the market today.This includes the Tiggo 4 Pro, which is priced from just $23,990 drive-away and has already become the best-selling small SUV on the market.But any suggestion that these sorts of prices are unsustainable and only possible thanks to government subsidies is quickly dismissed by Chery Australia’s Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris.“ I think if you account for inflation the short answer's, yes, I think it is sustainable,” Harris told CarsGuide.“If you work out and factor inflation on new car prices over the last 15 or 20 years actually, there hasn't really been a huge shift."The challenge, I think, that we've got at the moment is inflation's out of control. But I think cars in Australia are still quite affordable generally across the board, particularly if you compare to most countries in Europe.“Is it sustainable? I think so, yes. You hear all of these accusations around dumping and government subsidies I would love to see some actual evidence. I'd love a government subsidy, it would certainly help us out.”Instead, Harris said the Chinese brands are attracting Australian buyers not simply on price, but also a significant focus on technology.“ They just want everything to improve and to be better, and there's no sleeping or sitting on their hands and waiting for the next thing,” he explained.“They want to create the next thing. And so there's a huge amount of effort put into trying to understand the customers better and understand what the customers want and push the technology as far as they can. And there's certainly a lot of the reasons you gave before around why people are buying Chinese vehicles, it's not just about the price. I think it's largely driven by technology."I think it's fairly fair to say that if you want a car that is on the leading edge of technology, then you buy a Chinese car. The Chinese brands happen to make it more affordable and more attainable than some others.”In the same interview Harris also hit back at other off-the-record criticism that Chinese car brands are ‘dumping’ vehicles in Australia.“ I would be reluctant to speak poorly about any other particular brands or countries of origins,” Harris said.“And the only explanation I could think of why someone would want to do that is if they were fighting for their lives, and they knew that they couldn't win in a fair fight.” Unfortunately, the complexity of the Chinese car industry and its integration with various levels of government means only time will tell if Harris is right or if they will follow the same trend as their Japanese and South Korean rivals and increase prices over time.

Chinese players in Australia look to get even more aggressive as the country's automotive giants try to offset sales slumps in their own market with an aggressive export strategy to help shift excess metal.That's the latest analysis from automotive experts, who point to falling profits or soaring losses in China's saturated new-car market.To put the market there into perspective, there are now more than 130 brands, and there were more than 500 new models launched in the first six months of 2026 alone.“Such an aggressive rollout of new products was far beyond what the market was able to accommodate,” said Fu Bingfeng, secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, at an industry forum in July.New analysis from the US's Automotive News details the challenges facing some of the now-biggest car brands in the world. Many are booming in Australia, but it's a different story in their home market, where oversupply is crippling sales.According to the US site, July marked the seventh consecutive month of market decline in China, with sales down 24 per cent compared to the same period last year. The July result was even more stark, with month on month sales down 25 per cent.Several auto giants have released their six-month financial results, with Geely benefiting from a massive 158 per cent increase in exports to protect profits, which still dropped two per cent. BAIC, which partners with Hyundai on the Elexio, reported a net loss of 1.65 billion yuan (345m), while GAC is forecasting a potential full-year loss of 4.6 billion yuan ($958m).Changan, which will soon launch in Australia, and already has a footprint here through Deepal, says its first-half profit could slip by 68 per cent, while Great Wall Motor reports a similar, though slightly smaller, figure.Domestic pressure is fuelling an export boom, with a total 5.35 million vehicles shipped overseas from January to July, up more than 70 per cent on the same period last year.The export boom will likely increase competition and sharpen prices in Australia, which will be good news for consumers, and the opposite for legacy OEMs battling ever increasing Chinese headwinds.