Chery Australia passes on Himla ute, plans larger BYD Shark 6-rivalling PHEV
The
Chery Himla ute
revealed at this month's Shanghai motor show won't be sold here, and instead Chery Australia will release a larger plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute directly aimed at the popular
BYD Shark 6
.
Now in development ahead of its global launch next year, the as-yet-unnamed new Chery ute is claimed to be more suitable for Australia – one of many right-hand drive markets in which it will be sold.
'We recognise Australia as a big market for pickups, and I can tell you now that we are developing a first-rate pickup that will better meet the needs of Australian customers,' Chery International president Zhang Guibling told a small group of journalists at the Chinese auto brand's HQ in Wuhu.
Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal.
Browse now
.
When Chery revealed its first ute on Friday, it said its new Himla brand would offer 'a full lineup spanning from compact to mid-size and large pickups' powered by petrol, diesel and electrified powertrains for markets including Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.
Few details were announced, but Chery said its first Himla ute (pictured here) will match key rivals with a braked towing capacity of 3500kg and a circa-1000kg payload, plus 'global five-star safety standard' and a 'high-strength body structure, intelligent driving assistance systems, and advanced battery safety technology'.
No details or images of subsequent Himla utes have been revealed by Chery, but the company's international chief said the next two models will be launched in 2026.
'I think the first one will be ready for the first half of next year, with another version later in the second half but with a range of different powertrains to suit different customer needs,' said Mr Guibling.
Last week a local Chery spokesperson said the Chinese auto brand was keen to release its first ute in Australia, but the Himla dual-cab shown at Shanghai remains unconfirmed for this market.
'We're always interested in reviewing the exciting product from our head office and we'd love to see a ute in our lineup, but there are no confirmed details at this stage,' he said.
The comments from the Chery International boss were backed up by various engineering and product managers at a test-drive facility in Wuhu, all of whom were quietly confident the newly developed pickup would be better than its Chinese-built rivals in every way.
Chery's new global right-hand drive ute is expected to be powered by the company's fifth-generation plug-in hybrid powertrain, dubbed Chery Super Hybrid (CHS) and already seen in the Tiggo 7, Tiggo 8 and Tiggo 9 models.
The company claims these powertrains are some of the most advanced PHEVs in the segment, boasting thermal efficiency of 44.5 per cent, a single-speed Direct Hybrid Transmission (DHT) with 98.5 per cent efficiency, and an all-electric range of 95km on the WLTP cycle via an 18.5kWh battery.
The combined range for the Tiggo 7 PHEV is a claimed 1080km (WLTC), while the larger Tiggo 8 Hybrid will offer an even longer 1200km-plus range.
Both models incorporate a 'hybrid-specific' four-cylinder 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 108kW of power and 215Nm of torque, while the electric motor develops 150kW and 310Nm, with total power output of approximately 230kW.
Interestingly, the larger new Tiggo 9 PHEV uses the same 1.5-litre turbo-four petrol in both 2WD and 4WD configurations, paired to a three-speed DHT transmission and making up to 340kW and 700Nm, which should be plenty for a 4×4-capable dual-cab ute.
Previewed by the KP11 prototype last year, the first Himla ute shown in Shanghai is based on a ladder-frame chassis and expected to be available in some markets with a 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
However, a turbo-diesel version is also possible for some countries, to go with a four-wheel drive system that's expected to offer some degree of off-road capability.
Chery says its Himla ute range is being engineered with input from more than 30 countries to ensure it meets global safety, performance and utility standards.
Off-road driving modes and a high-tech cabin comprising a 'class-leading intelligent cockpit' have also been promised.
Chery has promised Himla vehicles will 'accelerate the evolution of the global pickup market toward four key trends: passenger-oriented design, intelligence, premiumization [sic] and new energy adoption'.
The dual-cab shown off in Shanghai featured a large free-standing infotainment touchscreen, and a two-tone black/tan colourway with lashings of leather or leatherette trim.
The carmaker has sold traditional ladder-frame, dual-cab utes before, including the Higgo and Aika from its Karry commercial vehicle brand.
But as the huge 'Chery' wordmark on the front and rear of the new ute shows, Chery wants to leverage its own brand name for its latest ute models.
The Himla ute range is part of Chery's strategy to sell one million vehicles annually by 2027, by expanding into new vehicle segments including light commercial vehicles and people movers.
Locally, Chery has made no secret of its plan to become a top-five auto brand in Australia within five years of its local relaunch in 2022.
It had hoped to reach 30,000 annual sales by 2024, but sold less than half that number with fewer than 13,000 registrations.
Chery's first ute would join a growing number of Chinese utes sold in Australia, including rivals from BYD, GWM, JAC, LDV and, soon, MG and Foton.
And a PHEV ute would also go head to head with models including the Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and the upcoming Ford Ranger PHEV.
Chery was China's top passenger car exporter for the 22nd consecutive year in 2024, with its vehicles sold everywhere from Europe to Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.
In addition to its namesake brand, it also has a confusing web of spinoff brands including Exeed, Exlantix, Jaecoo, Jetour and Omoda.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AU Financial Review
an hour ago
- AU Financial Review
China's May exports slow, deflation deepens as tariffs bite
Beijing | China's export growth slowed to a three-month low in May as US tariffs slammed shipments, and factory-gate deflation deepened to its worst level in two years, heaping pressure on the world's second-largest economy on the domestic and external fronts. US President Donald Trump's global trade war and the swings in Sino-US trade ties have in the past two months sent Chinese exporters, along with their business partners across the Pacific, on a roller-coaster ride and hobbled world growth.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Prisoner's dilemma': How China is using the West to break an aviation duopoly
For example, China's strategy has been to require Western companies to set up co-production facilities within China, where technical knowledge can either be shared or acquired legally or illegally. Airbus, active in China since 1994, operates a final assembly line facility in Tianjin, as well as an R&D Centre and Airbus China Innovation Centre. It will soon open a second assembly line in Tianjin. 'All Airbus sites around the world have robust systems in place to protect intellectual property rights and data,' a company spokesman said. Should COMAC eventually succeed in producing cheaper, competitive jets at scale, the competitive landscape for Boeing and Airbus will change dramatically. 'Airbus welcomes competition, and the entry of COMAC in the market will not affect our commitment to continue working with our customers, partners and suppliers in China,' the company said. The people who are most willing to talk about China's aggressive technology acquisition are not COMAC or Boeing, but the people concerned about the relative power of democracies in the face of China. Emily de La Bruyère, a senior fellow at the US-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, believes Western aerospace companies are mistaken for partnering with China in their commercial aerospace programs. They are 'incredibly short-termist and blind for ignoring the consequences of their action', de La Bruyère told this masthead. (Airbus rejects the claim of being 'short-term' focused, pointing to its history in China dating back to 1994.) De La Bruyère believes Western aerospace companies face a 'prisoner's dilemma' in China. If any single aerospace company pulls out of China over intellectual property theft fears, they will get punished financially, she says. But their individual action won't stop the larger trend of China's forced technology transfers, industrial espionage and hacking. So the Western companies are 'sowing the seeds of China destroying their [the companies'] markets all over the world for the sake of what is a very short window of access to the Chinese market'. Engine-makers GE Aerospace and Safran were contacted for comment. A market looms Although the price of the C919 has reportedly come in higher than expected, expectations are that if it can be built at enough scale, it would eventually undercut the price of giants Airbus and Boeing. As Michael O'Leary, chief executive of the ultra-low cost Irish carrier Ryanair, put it recently: 'The Chinese are basically building a f---ing A320. So if it was cheap enough – 10 or 20 per cent cheaper than an Airbus aircraft – then we'd order it,' he told aviation publication Skift in May. To eventually establish a large position in the market, COMAC must have a customer base. COMAC has successfully sold a smaller, 80-seat regional jet, the C909, to airlines in South-East Asia: Lao Airline, VietJet, TransNusa (of Indonesia) and soon GallopAir of Brunei. Alton Aviation Consultancy's Beijing-based Jiang Shuai notes: 'If C919 can be successfully operated in Asia, the track record will support COMAC's C919 future sales outside of Asia.' Focus on Asia As for the continued technological development of COMAC's aircraft, China's experience in other industries is instructive. When Western bans on telco equipment-maker Huawei hobbled its exports into developed markets in 2018, the company pivoted to the Global South, where governments were less fussed by the prospect of security concerns. CSIS's Kennedy notes that regulators in most of the world still only consider purchasing aircraft certified by the FAA or the EASA. As for the Huawei example, 'there is no comparable Western-based regulator of telecom equipment'. 'Neither [the FAA nor EASA] has certified or is likely to certify the C919 any time soon because of concerns over safety,' Kennedy says. Yet demand for new jets is real. After years of supply disruptions, difficulty in sourcing parts, and the impact of COVID, the backlog to be delivered to airlines exceeds 17,000 planes, says the International Air Transport Association. Boeing is still contending with the aftermath of two 737 Max jetliner crashes that killed 346 people, blamed on the botched rollout of a software system. Production restrictions have slowed Boeing's all-important 737 further. Alton Aviation's Shuai says: 'Given Boeing's and Airbus' supply chain issues and delayed deliveries, we expect Chinese airlines to continue to demand and take deliveries of C909 and C919 aircraft. 'Domestic demand is sufficient to fill COMAC's production rates for the next few years.' Efficiency matters The economics of aviation are not just the upfront costs of planes. Earnings in commercial aviation are underpinned by ever more inexpensive planes to operate in fleets. Each new plane model must be a full 20-30 per cent more efficient than the last to stay profitable over its lifetime. If COMAC produces a structurally less efficient and more costly plane, it will saddle buyers with more expenses, making the plane less competitive. Yet China is determined to achieve what Aboulafia refers to as 'autonomous (or autarkic) aviation power', autarky being complete economic self-sufficiency. Aboulafia has testified that China hopes to introduce a fully Chinese version of the C919, which includes the hardest part, 'all-Chinese engines', around 2035. With this trajectory, China will be closer to its goal, aided deeply by Western aerospace companies, says Foundation for Defence of Democracy's de La Bruyère. 'Early on, maybe it was harder to see a future in which China would be able to develop real, competitive technology in the field,' she said, so the logic of engaging in China 'maybe made a little more sense'. Loading 'But the fact that the partnerships continue despite China's proven and advancing capabilities, proven intention to disrupt the incumbents and methods of doing all that, is fundamentally destructive for them.' Asked what's wrong with China succeeding in the commercial aerospace, de La Bruyère said Western businesses fundamentally misunderstand the concept of success to the Chinese Communist Party. 'The CCP has a different vision for what industrial and technological success means. 'It's not profit, it's control.'
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
‘Prisoner's dilemma': How China is using the West to break an aviation duopoly
For example, China's strategy has been to require Western companies to set up co-production facilities within China, where technical knowledge can either be shared or acquired legally or illegally. Airbus, active in China since 1994, operates a final assembly line facility in Tianjin, as well as an R&D Centre and Airbus China Innovation Centre. It will soon open a second assembly line in Tianjin. 'All Airbus sites around the world have robust systems in place to protect intellectual property rights and data,' a company spokesman said. Should COMAC eventually succeed in producing cheaper, competitive jets at scale, the competitive landscape for Boeing and Airbus will change dramatically. 'Airbus welcomes competition, and the entry of COMAC in the market will not affect our commitment to continue working with our customers, partners and suppliers in China,' the company said. The people who are most willing to talk about China's aggressive technology acquisition are not COMAC or Boeing, but the people concerned about the relative power of democracies in the face of China. Emily de La Bruyère, a senior fellow at the US-based Foundation for Defence of Democracies, believes Western aerospace companies are mistaken for partnering with China in their commercial aerospace programs. They are 'incredibly short-termist and blind for ignoring the consequences of their action', de La Bruyère told this masthead. (Airbus rejects the claim of being 'short-term' focused, pointing to its history in China dating back to 1994.) De La Bruyère believes Western aerospace companies face a 'prisoner's dilemma' in China. If any single aerospace company pulls out of China over intellectual property theft fears, they will get punished financially, she says. But their individual action won't stop the larger trend of China's forced technology transfers, industrial espionage and hacking. So the Western companies are 'sowing the seeds of China destroying their [the companies'] markets all over the world for the sake of what is a very short window of access to the Chinese market'. Engine-makers GE Aerospace and Safran were contacted for comment. A market looms Although the price of the C919 has reportedly come in higher than expected, expectations are that if it can be built at enough scale, it would eventually undercut the price of giants Airbus and Boeing. As Michael O'Leary, chief executive of the ultra-low cost Irish carrier Ryanair, put it recently: 'The Chinese are basically building a f---ing A320. So if it was cheap enough – 10 or 20 per cent cheaper than an Airbus aircraft – then we'd order it,' he told aviation publication Skift in May. To eventually establish a large position in the market, COMAC must have a customer base. COMAC has successfully sold a smaller, 80-seat regional jet, the C909, to airlines in South-East Asia: Lao Airline, VietJet, TransNusa (of Indonesia) and soon GallopAir of Brunei. Alton Aviation Consultancy's Beijing-based Jiang Shuai notes: 'If C919 can be successfully operated in Asia, the track record will support COMAC's C919 future sales outside of Asia.' Focus on Asia As for the continued technological development of COMAC's aircraft, China's experience in other industries is instructive. When Western bans on telco equipment-maker Huawei hobbled its exports into developed markets in 2018, the company pivoted to the Global South, where governments were less fussed by the prospect of security concerns. CSIS's Kennedy notes that regulators in most of the world still only consider purchasing aircraft certified by the FAA or the EASA. As for the Huawei example, 'there is no comparable Western-based regulator of telecom equipment'. 'Neither [the FAA nor EASA] has certified or is likely to certify the C919 any time soon because of concerns over safety,' Kennedy says. Yet demand for new jets is real. After years of supply disruptions, difficulty in sourcing parts, and the impact of COVID, the backlog to be delivered to airlines exceeds 17,000 planes, says the International Air Transport Association. Boeing is still contending with the aftermath of two 737 Max jetliner crashes that killed 346 people, blamed on the botched rollout of a software system. Production restrictions have slowed Boeing's all-important 737 further. Alton Aviation's Shuai says: 'Given Boeing's and Airbus' supply chain issues and delayed deliveries, we expect Chinese airlines to continue to demand and take deliveries of C909 and C919 aircraft. 'Domestic demand is sufficient to fill COMAC's production rates for the next few years.' Efficiency matters The economics of aviation are not just the upfront costs of planes. Earnings in commercial aviation are underpinned by ever more inexpensive planes to operate in fleets. Each new plane model must be a full 20-30 per cent more efficient than the last to stay profitable over its lifetime. If COMAC produces a structurally less efficient and more costly plane, it will saddle buyers with more expenses, making the plane less competitive. Yet China is determined to achieve what Aboulafia refers to as 'autonomous (or autarkic) aviation power', autarky being complete economic self-sufficiency. Aboulafia has testified that China hopes to introduce a fully Chinese version of the C919, which includes the hardest part, 'all-Chinese engines', around 2035. With this trajectory, China will be closer to its goal, aided deeply by Western aerospace companies, says Foundation for Defence of Democracy's de La Bruyère. 'Early on, maybe it was harder to see a future in which China would be able to develop real, competitive technology in the field,' she said, so the logic of engaging in China 'maybe made a little more sense'. Loading 'But the fact that the partnerships continue despite China's proven and advancing capabilities, proven intention to disrupt the incumbents and methods of doing all that, is fundamentally destructive for them.' Asked what's wrong with China succeeding in the commercial aerospace, de La Bruyère said Western businesses fundamentally misunderstand the concept of success to the Chinese Communist Party. 'The CCP has a different vision for what industrial and technological success means. 'It's not profit, it's control.'
