Chery Australia could have five new models within a year, including electric cars!

Chery is aiming to start operations in Australia, confirming plans to offer a rich mix of models, body types and powertrains within a year of its official launch.

The Chinese brand – which is coming to Australia this time as a wholly owned subsidiary, with support from the company’s headquarters – is aimed squarely at the big names in the market such as Toyota, Mazda , Hyundai and Kia.

with Chery Omoda 5 Compact SUV to be released next year February, the company has been thinking about what’s next. Local marketing director James Curtis says there are many options available for the local market.

“Our model range will increase. We have many engine variants of the Omoda 5, and then there are many different models under development or upgrade in the Chery model portfolio that we will have available to choose from,” he said.

The Omoda 5 is expected to launch initially with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine (with output power between 108kW and 115kW) and it will run a CVT automatic transmission with front-wheel drive. by standard.

But given the Aussies’ preference for extra performance, it seems almost certain based on these comments that the brand will add more power – you could say, Kia Seltos GT-Line rival – 145kW/290Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged version with dual-clutch automatic transmission. In other markets, this model also uses a multi-link rear suspension instead of a torsion bar.

In addition to the two petrol versions, Mr. Curtis also confirmed the Omoda 5 will be offered as an electric vehicle.

“Omoda 5 will be a vehicle suitable for many different lifestyles. It will have an internal combustion engine, but it will also be built with an EV. And that car is already available, and will be coming to Australia.

“At this stage, I cannot say specifically when it will be released. But the electric vehicle plan is very aggressive and we will bring electric vehicles to the market, I expect in a period of 12 months,” he said.

Mr. Curtis said it was important for the brand to assess the best time to launch different models, and made it clear that the company wanted to get there the first time.

“We’re not going to rush anything to market – we’re going to make sure it’s in the right conditions,” he said.

When asked about the potential of non-SUV models, Mr. Curtis explained that the door is always open for any and all body types, depending on market demand.

“Globally we have several different product lines – we even have Exeed, like Genesis or Lexus as a luxury brand. [for Chery], they produce SUVs and passenger cars. We have everything from off-road vehicles… to all of these different product lines available to us.

He explained that the current market is clearly focused on SUVs – these models in Australia in 2022 account for 53.1% of total sales (574,632 units) – but he said there are other body types that the company is considering.

“We have every product available in terms of body styles, powertrains and powertrain configurations, if the market desires it. And that’s the good thing about the market here – we have an opportunity to do that,” he said.

“I am fortunate to have the ability to see into the future, a little bit of a crystal ball. I’m really excited about what we’re about to achieve – and we’re not talking about 5 years, we’re talking 12 months.

“So I can be pretty confident that the cars that I have seen in the presentations and on the screens will be made available to us. And they span many different segments and powertrains. Electric vehicles, PHEVs, four-wheel drive, passenger cars, whatever – I really believe there will be five, if not more, of those vehicles,” he said.

A ute – or possibly more than just a ute – seems like an obvious candidate for the local market, but Mr Curtis would not comment on that, despite reports that the company is working Rescue a number of different vehicles that match the “ute” umbrella.

The company is said to be developing two lifestyle models and could partner with a long-standing rival in the Chinese market to produce rival Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. More on that as we learn the details.

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