Chinese upstart Chery expanding its Australian range in 2024

Chery returned to the Australian new car market with a factory-backed operation earlier this year, and it’s gearing up to further expand its model range in 2024.

That will include a new flagship SUV, as well as the brand’s first electric vehicle (EV) in Australia.

The Chinese carmaker currently offers only the Omoda 5 small SUV, which launched earlier this year after having originally been set to launch in Australia in late 2021.

The Omoda 5 will be joined this November by the larger Tiggo 7 Pro, which straddles the larger end of the small SUV segment and the smaller end of the mid-sized SUV segment.

Tiggo 8 Pro

At 4513mm long, it’s just shy of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (classified as a small SUV) and the Mazda CX-5 and Honda ZR-V (classied as a mid-sized SUV), and is priced from $39,990 drive-away.

Chery Australia has previously said it plans to launch a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Tiggo 7 Pro in Australia, as well as a PHEV version of the Tiggo 8 Pro, but hasn’t confirmed local launch timing.

These PHEVs use a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with dual electric motors, a motor controller and transmission integrated with each other. The Tiggo 8 Pro e+ boasts total system outputs of 240kW and 545Nm and 75km of electric range on the WLTC cycle.

Measuring in at 4745mm long, the Tiggo 8 Pro closely matches the Mitsubishi Outlander in size and like its Japanese rival is also available with a third row of seating.

Chery Australia previously said the Tiggo 8 Pro would launch in Australia in the second half of 2023, though this has now been revised to the first half of 2024.

The Chinese brand’s first EV in Australia will be the Omoda 5 EV, now set to launch in Australia in mid-2024. It was previously earmarked for a local launch in the first half of next year.

This electric version of the Omoda 5 small SUV will serve as a rival to the likes of the MG ZS EV and BYD Atto 3, offering 450km of WLTP range from its 61kWh battery.

It uses a single electric motor producing 150kW of power and 340Nm of torque, good for a 0-100km/h time of 7.8 seconds.

Omoda 5 EV

While Chery Australia has locked in local launch timing for the Omoda 5 EV, it now says timing for Omoda 5 variants with the more powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine will be confirmed at a later date.

It had previously said the new 1.6T models, which include a version with all-wheel drive, would arrive later this year.

All local Chery Omoda 5 variants sold in Australia currently are front-wheel drive and powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

From January to September, Chery Group has sold 1,253,327 vehicles globally, a year-on-year increase of 40.2 per cent. That also means that, though there are still three months left in the year, Chery has already exceeded its 2022 total.

Chery Tiggo 7 Pro

To the end of September, Chery has already sold 3647 vehicles in Australia.

Despite having only a fledging dealer network and one vehicle, Chery has already been vastly more successful in its latest foray into the Australian market.

The Omoda 5, year to date, is already outselling the likes of the Honda HR-V (1587 sales), Skoda Kamiq (1432 sales), and Suzuki Vitara (1221 sales).

Chery has expanded into various Middle Eastern markets in recent years, before entering Mexico in 2022, where it sells cars under the Chirey nameplate, and then entering Malaysia in 2023.

Chery Omoda 5

Next, it plans to tackle the European market with three separate brands: Omoda, Jaecoo and the all-electric Exlantix.

It’s setting up factories in Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to build combustion-powered, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), and already builds cars in Brazil and Egypt.

Founded in 1997, Chery boasts it was the first Chinese automaker to export complete vehicles overseas, and now sells vehicles in more than 80 countries.

Chery also exports vehicles under the Jetour and Exeed brands.

It has typically been China’s largest vehicle exporter, though last year SAIC Motor – parent of brands like MG and LDV – overtook it in export volume.

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