Chery News

Australia’s EV buying growth has just been put on a global scale. AutoNews has released its “Global EV Report” looking at electric vehicle uptake around the world. Combined fully-electric and plug-in hybrid sales in Australia grew from just one per cent in 2025 to 15 per cent by 2025. The report confirmed BYD as the world’s leading EV manufacturers, with Tesla and Geely also making major contributions, which is reflected in their sales performance Down Under. It’s forecast that more than 66 per cent of the world’s EVs will be built in China in 2026.  Australia’s EV sales grew by 14 percentage points between 2020 and 2025, according to the report, which is more than South Korea, the United States and New Zealand for the same period.  Australia’s EV uptake still lags behind many of the world’s biggest markets.  China’s EV sales have grown by 47 points, while EV sales in the United Kingdom grew from 11 per cent to 35 per cent.  This news follows the Electric Vehicle Council’s “State of EV’s” report that found one in four new vehicles sold in the first half of 2026 were either fully-electric or PHEV in Australia. The EVC noted sales must still increase tenfold to reach a targeted five million EVs on Aussie roads by 2035.  Australia’s market is well set up for large-scale EV uptake because it has limited import restrictions and associated costs compared to other countries.  This differs from Europe, for example, which has placed hefty tariffs on Chinese imported EVs as it aims to protect its local carmaking industry.  Australia's open market allows Chinese automakers to rapidly roll out new models Down Under, several of which have become top sellers. The predominantly China-built Tesla Model Y mid-size SUV is the best-selling EV in Australia, while the closely-rivaling BYD Sealion 7 isn’t far behind.  Other EVs, including the Geely EX5 and Zeekr 7X have also taken the market by storm in 2026, at the expensive of some Australia's previous petrol- and diesel-powered favourites. Nepal led global EV market share growth between 2020 and 2025 with a 58 percentage point jump, with electric and plug-in hybrid representing 68 per cent of all new vehicle sales.  Vietnam also saw substantial growth, going from no EV sales to 41 per cent in the five-year period.  Singapore saw a comparable surge, climbing from three per cent in 2020 to 40 per cent in 2025. Norway had an incredible 97 per cent of its new car sales that were represented by EV and PHEV in 2025. The United States has one of the worst EV uptake rates for the period, according to AutoNews.  It only grew from two per cent to 10 per cent across the five years, with only Canada and New Zealand recording less growth.  This slower uptake is due to trade barriers such as the US government’s 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made EVs, as well as national security and surveillance concerns restricting imports further.  While BYD, Tesla and Geely produce the most EVs, Volkswagen also registers a strong contribution, along with Leapmotor and Hyundai.

BYD has smashed through a sales milestone. The brand said it has made more than 50 per cent of its total revenue from export markets, rather than from its domestic sales in the Chinese market. This is due to BYD’s efforts in the last several years growing both its exports and its overseas manufacturing efforts in order to escape a stagnant Chinese new car market, which has contracted after a long period of explosive growth. The brand’s sales in China declined by 12 per cent, but it grew its exports by a whopping 137 per cent, to well over half a million units, according to BYD’s third quarter numbers for 2026. The Chinese market has reached a level of saturation and stagnation after several years of a bruising price war, which many competitors have pointed the finger at BYD’s aggressive domestic pricing strategy, overseas markets have become a crucial battleground for their future growth aspirations. Profit margins on vehicles sold in Australia, Europe and South America are exponentially higher than cars sold domestically in China. This is part of the reason sticker prices in the Chinese market are significantly lower than those we see in other markets. Price tags for the Australian vehicles generally attract a 15 - 20 per cent premium over the equivalent spec offered in China. Part of this will be down to right-hand drive conversion costs, and higher compliance costs for vehicles to meet Australia’s notoriously strict design standards and high bar for a maximum five-star ANCAP score. One analyst, as quoted in Nikkei Asia’s analysis of BYD’s latest sales numbers, said the company earns “roughly 10 times more profit per vehicle abroad than in China”. A part of this is vehicles sold in developed markets like Australia are offered in higher trim levels than they are in the Chinese domestic market, although the slew of larger, more expensive 4WDs and growth of luxury sub-brands like BYD’s Denza or Geely’s Zeekr are also massively helping to buff profit margins. GWM proclaims that it has doubled its average sale price in the last seven years in Australia as it has introduced pricier, better-featured vehicles, both from its Haval SUV brand and its Tank off-road brand further up the price scale. “The year-on-year increase in volume has also come with new cars at more expensive price points. If we can do that at the same time as showing customers value no matter the price then we’re on the right track." the brand’s Executive General Manager of Marketing and Communications Steve Maciver told CarsGuide recently. GWM is set to introduce its dedicated luxury arm Wey into Australia before the end of 2026. While Chinese brands continue to dominate the sales charts in Australia, where the barrier to entry is significantly lower, automakers like BYD, Geely, and Chery are facing tariffs in Europe and the USA as those jurisdictions move to protect their own domestic automaking capabilities. This is putting a cap on their respective ambitions, but each brand is also moving to diversify and acquire manufacturing capacity not only across Europe, but also in other strategic markets like South Korea and closer to home in South East Asia. Legacy automakers are feeling the crunch. Domestically this means household names like Subaru and Nissan dropping out of the race to be a top-10 automaker by sales, but internationally it means a massive squeeze in profit margins, big expenditure in research and development, and a large reduction in market share. This has resulted in many large international brands like Volkswagen and Nissan resorting to closing factories or cutting jobs by the thousands, with some brands needing to embrace Chinese joint-venture partnerships more closely to build more competitive models for export. Nissan, for example, shut down its historic Oppama factory in Japan as part of its Re:Nissan business overhaul, as it looks to reduce its capacity by a million units. As of the end of September 2026, the top-10 rankings in Australia are: Toyota (152,944 units) BYD (76614 units) Ford (61104 units) Kia (60800 units) Mazda (58865 units) Hyundai (56009 units) GWM (44959 units) Tesla (41705 units) Chery (38022 units) MG (36832 units)

Chery’s International boss confirmed a local research and development centre is in the works for Australia. Chery International President Zhang Guibing noted that Australian-based engineers would help the brand tune its cars to better suit local conditions. Zhang said an R&D centre is planned, and even suggested one of Chery’s sub-brands could be headquartered in Australia in the future. “We will create an R&D center in Australia,” he confirmed. “We will use more local labor to really teach Chery because we are far Australia. “The habits, the road conditions, the weather is a big difference. Even now… maybe in the future we are also different.” The move to build an R&D centre in Australia would make Chery an on-paper leader in localisation in terms of its Chinese compatriots, with GWM also employing a local ride and handling expert in former Holden guru Rob Trubiani. Chery earlier this year confirmed it would build an R&D centre in Millbrook in the UK, though given the emphasis Zhang places on Australia, it seems an Aussie localisation program will teach the brand plenty about getting ahead in the brutally competitive new-car market. The announcement goes against the brand’s local arm saying last year that local ride and handling work is ‘irrelevant’ because much of the tech in Chery’s cars is too new for local experience to tune. “I think as long as we have the intelligent and educated input, whether we do that work in China or Europe or North America is irrelevant,” Chery’s local Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris said in late 2025. To further cement Australia’s importance in the eyes of Chery’s top brass, Zhang suggested Sydney or Melbourne as potential locations for one of Chery’s sub-brands’ international operations to be headquartered in future. Chery currently has several global sub-brands: Jetour, Exlantix, Lepas, Luxeed, iCaur, Freelander and finally Omoda and Jaecoo, with the latter often paired together. This came alongside the acknowledgement that many have suggested London as a possible headquarters for Jaecoo’s international arm. He also noted the Stockman, Chery's upcoming ute, will launch in Australia before any other market, including China. Zhang also said Chery’s sub-brands in Australia wouldn’t all be based in the same city, ideally. “Some of the brands, the headquarters maybe put in Sydney. Some of the brand we put not in Sydney, in other cities… Melbourne.” He outlined that even in Wuhu, the plan is for Chery’s sub-brands to at least have their own buildings and spaces to develop and engineer their vehicles, despite the regularly shared engineering and tech across the Chery group. Mr Zhang’s approach is to try and tailor the staff on each brand to best understand the intended audience of the brand by being closer to that demographic where possible. “Actually, the team, the people, the different R&D department people is completely separated. “Because we want this brand from R&D and later the sales the, marketing, the people really is the same customer group of the brand. “Even the building, the design is also a very strong link with the customer feeling. So this is our main decision.  “Even for me, I don't participate. Because I think I'm not the customer group. So if sometimes I make too many decisions, it’s wrong.  “So I will leave more power to the different brand groups. So they will make their own decisions on how to really make the customer happy, because they understand the customers.”

Chery has launched Luxeed, a new global sub-brand that is a high-end luxury brand already present in China. Luxeed International CEO Shawn Xu confirmed some details to CarsGuide. The first model to launch for the brand will be the 2027 Luxeed LLounge - the extra L not a typo, but instead meant to represent the brand’s name, and pronounced as the letter ‘L’ before the word ‘Lounge’. It’s a high-end luxury electric people-mover, and it’ll be followed by an electric performance SUV called the Luxeed Stormax, sold as the Luxeed RX in China. The Luxeed LLounge (or Luxeed Luxeed-Lounge?) will arrive mid-year, with Australian testing to take place between now and then, though local specs and pricing haven’t been confirmed. Called the Luxeed V9 in China, the international version features dual-chamber air suspension, a road preview system and is certified for motion sickness reduction by TUV Rheinland. It’s almost 5.4 metres long, but its rear-wheel steering means it has a turning circle of just 5.35m. Rotating welcome seats with zero gravity mode, a 33-speaker sound system and even adjustable privacy glass to block “99.6 per cent” of light makes it stand out as a luxury van. Mr Xu also told us dedicated Luxeed dealers will handle sales of the LLounge from launch, with the potential for partnerships with other premium brand dealers on the cards. The Stormax, which is more of a mystery in terms of features for now, will follow the LLounge at some stage. Luxeed confirmed on the night its intention as a driver-focused model, with a 3.8-second sprint to 100km/h and a 251km/h top speed. Importantly, the brand’s collaboration with Chinese phone maker Huawei won’t extend to its international models. “For international models, there’s not any relation with Huawei,” Mr Xu told journalists after the presentation. “Not any for the hardware or the software.” Dropping Huawei allows the brand to avoid limitations to connectivity and capability after the phone brand’s hardware was banned from implementation in Australia’s 5G networks in 2018.

Chery’s International User Summit in its home city of Wuhu, China, has resulted in many surprises thanks to its many, many sub-brands, but the Chery brand’s own reveal night proved one of the more surprising. Beyond the AI-generated videos shown to attendees and the Chery-owning families who had been flown in to chat on stage in front of the crowd talkshow-style, the brand revealed two new models - an allegedly all-new 2027 Chery Tiggo 7 mid-size SUV, and a rugged version dubbed X7. As sure as we are it’s raised a few eyebrows at BMW HQ, the Chery Tiggo X7 also raised eyebrows in the theatre chosen as the venue for the event - it looks more like a (smaller) budget rival to the Toyota Prado or Land Rover Defender than the Toyota RAV4 it normally aims for. Little tangible information about tech or spec was given in the presentation, and the X7 currently has only a ‘coming soon’ page on the brand’s international website, but the model is apparently intended for a global audience, which means Australia should be on the cards given our importance to the brand. Chances are it will be available with a hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrain, and with the brand’s renewed interiors all seeming to get an upward move in terms of premium vibes, the new Tiggo 7 and X7 could easily cost a little more than the current hybrid model’s near $30,000 starting point before on-roads. Alongside the X7, the new Tiggo 7 was dubbed ‘all new’ but looks remarkably similar to the car it’s set to replace. Noticeable changes include tweaks to the front-end where the panels flank the now-recognisable Tiggo grille, a new LED headlight signature, and a new lower-lip shape. Inside, the interior step-up includes more premium features like massage seats and footrests, though an exhaustive list of changes hasn’t been published at the time of writing. It’s also unclear what exactly will power the Tiggo 7 (or its X7 sibling), given Chery’s move towards electrification. The current Tiggo 7 is available with a non-hybrid turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine or with a plug-in hybrid variant, also using a 1.5-litre turbo engine but with an electric motor drawing from an 18.3kWh battery. It’s unclear if petrol-only will remain an option for the cut-price RAV4 rival, but given Chery’s currently testing a new hybrid system with a 5kWh battery, it’s possible the end of Chery’s petrol-era is in sight.

A new Chinese brand has been confirmed for Australia. Chery sub-brand Exlantix, known as Exeed in China, will be the latest to join the growing number of brands for Australian buyers to choose from. The news follows Exlantix’s announcement of its global ambitions as it gears up to expand to right-hand drive models out of China. Chery Group has already launched Omoda Jaecoo and Lepas in Australia, with iCaur, Freelander and Exlantix now also on the way. Sitting at the top of Chery’s brand hierarchy, Exlantix is slated to introduce next-generation solid-state battery technology in future models. Exlantix has a range of models earmarked for a global launch. The ES GT (also badged as the ES7 GT) is a fully-electric or hybrid range-extender wagon, with acceleration from 0 to 100 taking less than three seconds. The car will rival the much-anticipated, and Australia-bound Zeekr 7GT. There is also the brand’s EX9 flagship SUV that will tackle BYD’s Yangwang U8 that was just approved for sale in Australia. The smaller EX8 large SUV is another model on the agenda, while the EX7 is a mid-size SUV that is more pitched towards a sporty disposition to challenge the BYD Sealion 7 and the Zeekr 7X. The final two SUV models shown off were the ET FL and X-Concept. The ET FL is a large luxury SUV while the X-Concept is a full-size SUV designed to demonstrate best-in-class cabin space and a commanding presence. It’s not just SUVs Exlantix is planning on launching. The brand also unveiled its answer to the Denza D9 people mover with its MPV concept. Exlantix said it introduces fresh design thinking for luxury multi-seat travel. The brand will be know as Exlantix instead of Exeed in Australia, due to trademark issues with Mitsubishi's Exceed SUV. The Exlantix brand has been on Chery Group Australia Chief Operating Officer Lucas Harris’ wish list for some time. “I really like the Exeed product, and I think they make some, you know, really cool, really high end, actual luxury specification vehicles,” Harris told CarsGuide. “If I could make a wish tomorrow and it would come true, that would probably be what I would ask for.” It’s unclear at this stage exactly what models will land in Aussie showrooms or when they will arrive. Chery is working on launches for the iCaur and Freelander brands in 2027, meaning Exlantix could arrive in later in the year. Buyers will get an indication of what other models are under consideration for Australia, based on launches in other right-hand drive markets, such as the United Kingdom. It's expected the ES GT wagon will be the first model to launch under the Exlantix name Down Under, along with the ET FL.

The 2027 Chery Stockman is already locked-in for Australia with just about all the specifications confirmed aside from the price. During the 2026 Chery International User Summit, Australian media were given a chance to examine the Stockman by its Chief of Product Mark Qi. For a look beyond the numbers at the incoming ute, he gave media a run-down of the engineering and design choices made for the plug-in hybrid diesel ute. As a quick refresher, the Stockman is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with 350kW and 800Nm outputs. A 34kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery is able to be charged at up to 70kW on DC and when full allows an EV driving range of up to 96km under WLTP testing. It has an 80-litre fuel tank for diesel, an unusual choice of fuel for a plug-in hybrid. It’s got a 3495kg braked towing capacity, just short of the 3500kg many utes are benchmarked at. Chery Stockman Chief of Product Mark Qi said the intention with the Stockman was to capitalise on the popularity of ‘boxy’ design of modern utes while also incorporating references to traditional Chinese design. The round headlights and the layout of the LEDs were chosen as a reference to Chinese traditional wooden architecture elements, he told media. The front bumper is designed so that when it’s removed to be replaced with a bullbar or nudge-bar, it looks better-integrated with the front-end. There are fixed points for mounting across the car, flanking the bonnet for spotlights or in the tray for mounting storage elements or other accoutrements. There’s a surprising amount of small details that speak to the engineers having spent a fair bit of time around utes and knowing what kind of things the people who drive utes might need in their vehicles. The tailgate, for example, has a way to be fixed half-open to allow dirtbikes for example to be transported while helping prevent them rolling out. Inside, the combination of practicality and play is on display - there’s a removable bluetooth speaker mounted in the dash for camping or barbecues, while the rear seats can be folded up for more floor space for tall objects or down to provide a flat surface for wider objects. The big question around the Stockman’s unusual diesel PHEV running gear is the potential for diesel particulate filter (DPF) issues if the engine is not always running and therefore not hot enough to regenerate or ‘burn off’ the trapped carbon build-up. Rather than avoiding the engine being used too much, the system lets the engine run as it needs to and collects the energy expelled to improve efficiency and power where needed. This means the Stockman’s system won’t avoid using the engine especially when it’s time for the DPF to be regenerated. To do this, the ute’s P1 electric motor mounted to the crankshaft can help get the engine to a state where regeneration is possible. “The P1 motor can very quickly help the engine to a good speed,” Mark Qi said. He also pointed out the engine’s ability to charge the battery means on the highway in particular, the engine can run a DPF regeneration at the same time it’s charging the battery. In addition, the engine in the Stockman won’t stop-start the same way petrol engines do in PHEVs. Instead the engine will run longer if it’s required to turn on, and use the time it runs to charge the battery. The 2027 Chery Stockman will launch in Australia first, before China, South Africa, South America or any other ute-loving market in the world. To this end, the Stockman’s Australian testing has been undertaken by local ride and handling experts Premcar to ensure suitable behaviour on and off the road. Mark Qi told media the first major round of feedback and adjustments have been undertaken and now the brand is awaiting feedback on the improved version of the ute before it’s signed off. The launch is expected for February 2027, so the amount of time Chery has for more adjustments is narrowing, but the engineering team seems confident the launch date won’t move. The importance of Australia was also on display at Chery’s global HQ with a Stockman decked out in Ironman 4X4 equipment parked on the lawn alongside numerous new and modified models from Chery’s many sub-brands.

Jetour has just launched a massively updated version of its BYD Ti7-rivalling T2, with plug-in hybrid tech boasting 250km of electric driving range ahead of the new Chinese brand’s Australian debut next year. The battle of long-range hybrid SUVs is set to become more intense with Jetour officially releasing its updated T2 SUV with a huge 45kWh battery offering a claimed electric driving range of up to 251km (CLTC). The question is - will we get the new updated version in Australia or the previous one? Known as the Traveller 7 in China and T2 in export markets, it has been given a major overhaul featuring new styling and a large battery for its plug-in hybrid system. In China the updated T2 will launch in two petrol variants and a plug-in hybrid version with a choice of two batteries. The petrol variants consist of a 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre engine with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto transmission or eight-speed traditional automatic transmission. The plug-in hybrid has a 1.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor with a choice of 26.61kWh or 45.12kWh batteries. The smaller of the batteries is claimed to offer an electric driving range of up to 140km (CLTC), while the bigger has up to 251km (CLTC) according to Chery. CLTC is the Chinese standard of measuring energy consumption and it's often higher than than the benchmark WLTP system. Generally WLTP is more real-world so a 251km CLTC range is likely to be about 200km, which is still impressive. Measuring 4827mm in length, 2006mm wide and 1875mm tall the T2 has kept its boxy looks but has had styling changes to its front end with the old, square headlights replaced with circular headlights joined by an LED lighting strip much like we’ve seen on the Ford Bronco. Now exclusively a five-seater, the T2’s interior has also been given a freshen-up with a chunkier more rugged design, and higher resolution 15.6-inch display. Pricing in China starts at A$30,000 - A$37,000 but we could expect the price for us in Australian to be about $50,000. Jetour is auto giant Chery’s rugged brand and it will launch in Australia in 2027. We’ve seen Chery win over Aussies with models such as the Tiggo 4 small budget SUV and models from its other brands such as the more premium Jaecoo and its remarkably Range Rover-looking the J5. The next stage of Chery’s plan appears to be a move into the lucrative off-road segment with its Jetour range of rugged SUVs in much the same way that BYD has launched its Denza brands. Despite the rugged looks the T2 won't have the off-road capability of the Denza B5 or Toyota Prado and will see its true rivals as the Kia Sorento or Hyundai Santa Fe. The T2 is very likely the model that Jetour will launch with when it comes to Australia, but will we get the new and updated model with the big battery for the PHEV variant or will the previous version? CarsGuide has reached out to Chery Australia to ascertain if and when the T2 will arrive and whether it will indeed be the updated version that’s launching in China.

Physical buttons are making a return to cars around the world, but the Chinese government is taking it a step further. China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has filed proposals to mandate physical buttons and switches for critical car functions. Multimedia screens, large-area displays and complex head-up displays in cars must undergo mandatory safety checks under the proposals. These tests will measure the impact on driver distraction, reliability in extreme weather and crash performance. The rules take effect for new models from January 1, 2027, with existing models getting the same scrutiny from July 1, 2027. In February 2026, China overtook Japan as the biggest seller of cars in Australia. The China-built BYD Sealion 7 and Tesla Model Y have consistently been the two best-selling electric cars in Australia. They feature 15.6-inch and 16.0-inch central touchscreens, respectively. The Model Y’s screen controls virtually all functions, while the touchscreen in the Sealion 7 controls climate as well as vehicle and safety settings. Installing a large screen instead of a series of buttons and switches can save carmakers money. Housing features like this in a touchscreen increases driver distraction, with drivers needing to sift through menus instead of looking at the road. It arguably causes a similar distraction to using a mobile phone while driving, but using a big touchscreen isn’t illegal. These new rules will require key functionality to be controlled physically as opposed to being embedded in the in-car software. Buyers will see many of Australia’s most popular models adopt a new layout inside the cabin from 2027. Some brands have already started to reintroduce physical controls in the cabin in response to buyer feedback, including Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen. The Chinese government is moving to prohibit “folding” or “flexible” screens inside the car. While there aren’t mass-production cars that have these styles of screen, some brands were developing plans to introduce them down the line. China is also banning the use of ‘zero-gravity’ seats while driving that have become hugely popular in luxury models. This feature enables a seat to recline back on a steep angle, while elevating the leg rest to distribute body weight evenly, hence ‘zero-gravity’. This poses dangers to passengers, because in the event of a sudden stop or a crash, they could slide under the seatbelt, and will also be misaligned with airbags. It comes after the Chinese government outlawed electrically-operated hidden door handles, in favour of manual emergency releases.

There is plenty of affordable Chinese car choice for buyers in Australia, and we’ve just learnt why. Chinese brands can build an EV for $11,000 less than European legacy automakers, according to a report in AutoNews.  Manufacturers aren’t just winning on price, they’re winning on speed as well.  Chinese automakers develop cars more than two times faster than their European rivals. These advantages are seeing Chinese manufacturers surge up the sales charts globally, and there’s more than 100 EV models on sale in Australia.  Chinese carmakers can build and sell cars faster.  European carmakers take up to five years to bring a new model to market, while Chinese rivals can do it in only two years.   When these models do finally hit the market, they aren’t as prolific as Chinese ones, with less than a third of sales from vehicles introduced in the past three years.  New Chinese models account for up to 100 per cent of a brand’s sales within the first two years by contrast.  These factors have contributed to European car brands’ pre-tax profit dropping from 13.2 per cent in 2021 to 6.9 per cent in 2025, which in turn limits their ability to innovate.  The European Union has resorted to hefty tariffs on Chinese EVs coming into the region to protect its car industry, but it’s not stopping buyers choosing them.  These brands have now started building their cars in Europe to avoid tariffs, while taking advantage of under-utilised European automaker factories.  Consultancy firm AlixPartners told AutoNews the way Chinese brands are operating in Europe has fundamentally reset consumer expectations on price and technology. “A gradual response isn’t an option,” AlixPartners co-head of automotive for Germany, Austria and Switzerland Xing Zhou said.  “Manufacturers need to restructure, support their suppliers and move faster on technology partnerships than most have been prepared to do so far.” European carmakers need to aim for two-year development cycles and lean into artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce costs and increase production and development speed, according to the firm.  “The window to act from a position of financial strength is closing, and closing faster than most boardrooms and governments assume,” global co-leader for automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners Andrew Bergbaum said.