Chery News

Chery has a new sub-brand on the way to take on rivals such as the GWM Tank 700 and premium off-roaders from the likes of Land Rover.Or, rather, it's a sub-sub-brand, as Chery’s existing Jetour sub-brand is set to spawn another badge called ‘Jetour Zhongheng’.According to CarNewsChina, the brand will target premium off-roaders like the GWM Tank 700 and products from Land Rover, while using hybrid and electrified powertrains to do so.The brand will hold a conference later in January to divulge more details about the launch, but whether Australia will see any of these products is yet to be seen.So far, it seems like Chery isn’t planning to bring the Jetour sub-brand Down Under, instead focusing on luxe Jaecoo models.“Jetour is not in the plans at this stage. They’re cool looking cars, but they’re not an international export at this point,” Chery’s local boss Lucas Harris told CarsGuide in 2024.“There’s gotta be a business case,” he said. “It’s not a cheap exercise to redevelop from left-hand drive to right-hand drive.”The Jetour Traveller — powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine — would have been a cut-price rival to the Land Rover Defender if it had been available here, though the new Jetour Zhongheng offshoot would have likely seen a similar vehicle available with a hybrid drivetrain.

Despite a backwards step in 2024, Chinese cars are on-track to bounce back in 2025 as a flood of new brands enter the market.While brands like BYD, MG, GWM and Chery have already established themselves, a new wave is on the way to challenge Japan as Australia’s biggest car importer.By the end of 2024 there were 12 Chinese brands officially in the Australian market and at least two more have announced plans for entry into our market in 2025 with more expected to follow. Japan, by contrast, only has nine brands in our local market but still comfortably leads the overall production with nearly 379,000 vehicles from Japan sold here in 2024.That compares to 272,139 from Thailand and 176,159 from China. Those figures don’t account for a brand’s national base but rather simply where they are built, so it includes certain Tesla, Volvo and other models from different brands.But while Japan and Thailand still lead the way as the most popular countries for new-car production, China appears on-course to overtake them in the not-too-distant future at the current rate.With the likes of Zeekr, Leapmotor, Deepal, XPeng, Geely, Smart, JAC, GAC/Aion, Jaecoo and more set to grow in 2025, plus expanded product lines from BYD, MG, GWM and Chery, the approximate 96,000 sales difference between China and Thailand could shrink dramatically this year.The industry is well aware of the rapid growth of the Chinese car industry in Australia, with Toyota Australia’s Head of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, commenting this week: “The Australian new-car market has always been one of the most competitive in the world, and 2025 will be no different. We expect to see more new brands and models, which means more choice and even stronger competition, which, in the end, is great for the consumer.“By all reports, there could be a dozen new Chinese car companies arriving in Australia by the end of next year. In the past five years, they have taken more than 13 percentage points of market share from established brands.”Hanley was quick to point out that while these new brands have taken significant market share, Toyota remains the clear leader.However, that growth must come from somewhere and that will force brands across the market to react to this new array of rivals. This is likely to result in increased competition for Australian buyers at a time when cost-of-living pressures are expected to cool the market after record sales in 2024.

The electric car price wars have renewed with increased intensity in 2025.Chery is the latest maker to slash thousands off its electric car as it tries to move stock.The brand’s first electric car, the Omoda E5, is now $6000 cheaper at $36,990 (before on-road costs) for the entry-level BX grade.This matches the drive-away run out deal on the soon to be replaced MG ZS EV, though this is only on older 2023 versions.This price discount follows similar price cuts by MG late in 2024, which took thousands off older versions of its MG4 electric hatchback.BYD just announced new entry-level versions of its Dolphin electric mini hatchback and Atto 3 small SUV. The cheaper Dolphin now starts just below $30,000 (before on-road costs).Chery Australia boss Lewis Lu said it is growing its electric and hybrid portfolio this year with several new models.“At Chery, we are committed to accelerating the transition to clean energy by making electric vehicles more affordable for everyone, and easing the burden for consumers in these tough economic times” said Lu.The Omoda E5 is powered by a single electric motor, which sends 150kW and 340Nm to the front wheels.A 61kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery provides a driving range of up to 430km and can accept a maximum charge rate of 80kW. Chery claims this can replenish the battery from 30 to 80 per cent in half an hour when connected to a DC fast charger.There is a fair level of standard kit, too.The base BX comes with cloth seats with synthetic leather highlights, wireless device charger, six-speaker Sony stereo, 18-inch alloy wheels, 18 driver aids and two 12.3-inch digital displays with one for the multimedia and the other for the driver’s instruments.It also has a full size spare tyre, which is a massive advantage over the tyre repair kit other electric cars are dealt.The Omoda E5 received a five star ANCAP safety rating, too.Chery said the deal remains in place until stock lasts.

The Australian new car market is more competitive than ever before and the 2024 sales charts proved exactly that.It doesn't matter whether you're a legacy brand or a new kid on the block, the electric transition has created ample opportunities for carmakers to thrive – and a considerable number did so this year.So, without further ado, here they are...GWM’s rise to a top-ten brand in 2024 caught many by surprise, though people are quick to forget that this has been a long time coming.As the first Chinese car brand to reach Australian shores in 2009, GWM has evolved considerably from its early ute foundations, with its SUV range now comprising the vast majority of its sales.Specifically, the Haval Jolion, which GWM sold 14,238 of last year – a record for the brand for what is Australia’s second-cheapest hybrid car and 10th most popular in December. We knew BYD was coming, but who expected this?The Chinese Tesla-challenger came big in 2024 with a sales uptick of 64.5 per cent, primarily off the back of the fully-electric Seal and plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 models – which sold 6393 and 6198 units, respectively, in their first year.With the Shark 6 ute and Sealion 7 on its way, who knows, by this time next year we could be calling it a top-ten brand.It was another strong year for Ford which maintained the title of Australia's best-selling vehicle with the Ranger ute. It clocked 62,593 sales in total.Second to it, albeit much further behind, was the Ranger-based Everest SUV, which clocked 26,494 sales for the year – a 75.8 per cent increase on last year.Together they accounted for nearly 90 per cent of Ford's sales, which puts them in a precarious position in 2025 with New Vehicle Efficiency Standards and stiff competition from BYD and GWM on the plug-in hybrid ute front.Australia’s love of Mitsubishi clearly isn’t waning despite the brand lacking an EV.Sales of the Outlander SUV, which is offered in plug-in hybrid guise, skyrocketed in 2024, with 27,613 sales making it the second-best selling medium SUV in the country behind the Toyota RAV4.It is also worth noting that the new-gen Triton had a strong year, with sales up a further 7.6 per cent to 14,737 for the year.There are few things Australians love more than a Toyota.  The Japanese powerhouse grew its sales by 26,056 on last year, with the final tally of 241,296 sales exceeding the volume of both second (Ford) and third (Mazda) places combined. A big chunk of that was off the back of the RAV4, which nearly doubled its sales from 29,627 last year to 58,718. Toyota expects that to grow even further in 2025.HiLux sales retracted by 14.2 per cent in 2024 and are likely to do so again in 2025, but it still performed strongly with 53,499 total sales. Expect some of the slack to be picked up by the brand new Prado this year.The South Korean powerhouse continues its march as one of Australia’s best-selling car brands, increasing its slice of the pie by a further 7.4 per cent in 2024 to 81,787 total sales.Leading its sales was the Kia Sportage with 22,210 sales, a 41.0 per cent increase on the previous year.The Cerato and Carnival models weren’t too far behind at 15,502 and 10,080 sales, respectively.Regardless of challenging times for the brand globally, Nissan had a strong year in Australia, clocking up nearly 6000 more sales this year compared to last.Those were greatly helped by the X-Trail, which had a huge 36 per cent increase in sales year-on-year.Though it's far from the most compelling ute in Australia, the Navara continued to sell relatively well, clocking up 10,063 sales for 2024, a 15.5 per cent increase.So apparently selling super-affordable cars during a cost-of-living crisis was a winning ticket, who would’ve thought?Chery shook things up in 2024 with its very affordable range, which doubled in size. The Omoda 5 reigned supreme, growing its sales from 5370 to 6162.It wasn’t without help from the Tiggo 7 Pro (2734) and the brand new Tiggo 4 Pro (1918) and Tiggo 8 Pro (1789) models, though.Suzuki is proving that you don’t necessarily need a brand new line-up to achieve sales success.As the brand’s most popular model, the Jimny (9697 sales), enters its seventh year, it shows no signs of slowing down, with sales up 93.9 per cent from 2023.The same can be said for the Vitara (2456 sales), which enters its 10th year this year with a 45.6 per cent sales increase on last year.Porsche’s strong year was largely off the back of its petrol Macan model, which is now out of production as the brand transitions to an electric-only Macan range.Expect sales to dip strongly next year.The second- and third-most popular models were the Cayenne and 911, which remain strong market favourites with respective sales increases of 15.5 and 40.3 per cent.While recording a modest sales increase, BMW retained its title as Australia’s best-selling premium brand for the second year running.With 26,341 total sales, BMW saw strong results across its very dynamic line-up, which consists of EVs, plug-in hybrids, mild-hybrids, petrol and diesel.Notable models were the electric i4 sedan, which saw a staggering 484.1 per cent increase on last year, along with the new X2, which saw a 565 per cent increase.It sounds big on paper, but the 16.1 per cent increase only equates to 600 sales from 3703 in 2023 to 4303 in 2024.Not to downplay it, though, it's a strong result for Chevrolet which sells its cheapest car in Australia – the Silverado LTZ 1500 premium – for $130,500, before on-road costs.

Having expanded its line-up from one model to four, on the way to huge year-on-year sales growth in 2024 (+114 per cent), Chery Australia has confirmed it is bringing no less than three hybrid SUVs to the local market around the middle of this year.

There are now more Chinese cars in Australia than ever before, and yet there are more which haven't arrived yet which would almost certainly find an audience.

Many so-called “all-new” models aren’t all that new. In fact, a sizeable chunk are reskinned versions of what came before, with fresh sheetmetal over the same general hard points.

Zeekr is the first Chinese premium brand to launch in Australia, but by the end of 2025 it will be far from the only option.

The trend of range-extender hybrids is showing no signs of slowing down in China, with Chery – under its sub-brand Exceed – the latest automaker to join the party.It’s called the Exlantix ET and it's a full-sized family SUV built on Chery’s brand new E0X platform which is set to underpin a suite of future hybrid and electric vehicles, including some from Jaguar Land Rover.This particular model uses a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with a peak power of 115kW/220Nm and a 41.16kWh battery pack.Together, they provide current to two electric motors positioned on the front and rear axle which deliver 150kW/324Nm and 195kW/324Nm, respectively.The hefty power outputs see the Elantix ET rocket from 0-100km/h in just 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 195km/h. Not bad for a nearly two-and-a-half-tonne car.Total range is claimed at 1500km, 240km of which is available in pure-electric mode, according to the lenient CLTC cycle.The Exlantix's 400-volt architecture reportedly delivers a charge time from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 17.5 minutes.Measuring up at 4955mm long, 1975mm wide, 1698mm tall and with a wheelbase of 3000mm, the Elantix ET is larger than a Kia Sorento but not quite as vast as a Hyundai Palisade.We don’t know at this stage whether it will compete Down Under with those South Korean rivals, particularly as Chery gears up to launch its more off-road focused Jaecoo sub-brand in early 2025.CarsGuide has contacted Chery for comment to determine if and when we might see the offshoot locally. An update to the story will follow with a response.In terms of design, the Elantix ET screams Chery Omoda E5 at the front, evidenced by its thin LED headlights and larger fog lamps on the lower bumper.Given its bigger size, though, the rest of the body appears to be more Range Rover influenced, particularly in its sleek body panelling and retractable door handles.There’s also a bit of Porsche Cayenne about the rear three quarter, particularly in the rear fastback styling and LED lightbar.Inside, the Elantix ET gets a 10.25-inch floating digital driver’s display and a 15.6-inch central multimedia touchscreen, a 23-speaker sound system and 256 ambient lighting colours.There is a huge panoramic sunshade and AI voice assistant controls, while the front and rear passenger seats are heated and ventilated.According to CarNewsChina, Prices will commence at 239,800 Yuan ($51,765) for the bottom-spec Max, 269,800 Yuan ($58,241) for the mid-range Ultra and 289,800 Yuan ($62,588) for the top-spec Premium.

MG's parent company announces second-gen solid state tech before its first-gen batteries are even on sale.