China’s Chery won’t rush to bring more brands to Australia

Chery is preparing to launch Jaecoo SUV brand Down Under as early as 2025, but the Chinese automaker has no plans to launch any other brands in the next 12 months.

Compared to Chery, Jaecoo is aiming for a more premium, go-anywhere SUV segment, and the boxy J7 will be available in Australia in the first quarter of 2025. Two other models will follow.

Jaecoo will be Chery’s first sub-brand to launch in Australia, although the Omoda name is used as a sub-brand in other export markets.

Chery also has separate brands Jetour and Exeed in markets such as China.

However, Chery Australia managing director Lucas Harris said there was no need to rush into expanding local offerings beyond Chery and Jaecoo-branded models.

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“In the near future, we have Chery, and Jaecoo will be coming in the first quarter of next year. For us, that’s enough at this stage, we need to give those brands some air and breathing space so they can do what they need to do,” said Mr. Harris. Car expert.

In terms of brand positioning, Chery’s eponymous brand ranks below the more upscale Jetour and Exeed, both of which were founded in the mid-2010s and sell vehicles not only in China but also in many Middle Eastern and Latin American markets.

By the end of this year, four Chery models will be available in Australia, all of them SUVs: Tiggo 4 Professional, Omoda 5 (including the upcoming E5 electric car), Tiggo 7 Pro And Tiggo 8 Pro Max.

While Jetour also specializes in SUVs, Exeed also produces the Sterra ES luxury sedan along with a larger family car line.

When asked if Chery would be willing to offer Australian customers a vehicle like the Sterra ES, Mr Harris reiterated that Chery is currently focusing on SUVs.

“SUVs are a popular vehicle for many brands today and I don’t see that making much of a difference for us,” said Mr. Harris.

“I’m not saying we’re not interested. It’s a matter of timing. We have a lot of models, six models plus three from Jaecoo next year, so I think we need to focus on getting those models up and running well, making sure our dealers are well-oiled and really efficient, and that we’re doing a good job of taking care of the customer.

“I think there are probably enough models to do that. Once we get good at that, we’ll start looking at what other models we can bring in.”

Chery is set to mark a milestone in Australia by starting deliveries of the Omoda E5, its first electric vehicle (EV) to be sold Down Under. It will also launch the Tiggo 4 Pro compact SUV later this year, completing the line-up.

Mr. Zhang Guibing, executive vice president of Chery Global, previously said Car expert on plans to add Exeed to its Australian product portfolio.

“We will also have a number of different brands. [in Australia]such as Jaecoo or Exeed, some different brands [with] “Customer targets are different,” Mr. Zhang said in August.

THAN: Everything Chery