Mitsubishi's former Chinese joint venture eyes RHD markets, could include Australia
You may never have heard of Soueast, but the Chinese car company is expanding its global presence – and Australia could be in its sights.
The brand was established in 1995 as a joint venture between China Motor Corporation, Fujian Motor Industry Group and Mitsubishi Motors, before it was acquired by Chery in 2024.
The company that once built Mitsubishis could therefore be coming to compete with the Japanese brand in our market – including by offering a ute.
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Since being acquired by Chery, it has focused on left-hand drive markets with petrol-powered SUVs and sedans, along with plug-in hybrids. This year, it'll add Mexico to its list of global markets.
Across 2026 and 2027, it plans to expand into right-hand drive markets 'while achieving a balance between fuel, hybrid and electric models'.
While it didn't specify Australia in its announcement, this market is already teeming with Chinese brands eager to demonstrate success in a competitive, well developed Western market like ours.
From 2028 to 2030 it aims to '[complete] the industrialisation of new energy vehicles' and says it will prioritise pure EVs for Europe.
'We're not just entering markets — we're deeply embedding ourselves within them and earning a seat at the table,' said Dai Lihong, vice president of Chery and president of Soueast.
The company says it operates six overseas R&D hubs across 'high-potential' markets, including the Middle East, ASEAN and Brazil.
Work conducted in the Middle East has involved optimising heat resistance of vehicle components and the effectiveness of Soueast models' air-conditioning.
Soueast also operates plants across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America that assemble vehicles from knocked-down kits.
It says it intends to have two global models targeting the B-SUV segment, three 'premium' C-SUV models, and B- and C-segment sedans.
In Chinese segmentation, B-segment vehicles are mid-sizers while C-segment vehicles are large.
Soueast also says it intends to launch a ute by 2030, but hasn't offered any more details on the vehicle.
The brand currently offers a range of SUVs – the S06, S07 and S09 – in markets like the UAE.
The S06 measures 4616mm long, 1910mm wide and 1690mm tall on a 2720mm wheelbase, making it effectively the same size as a
Toyota RAV4
.
It offers a choice of turbocharged 1.5- and 1.6-litre petrol engines, mated with either six- or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.
Soueast's Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology – offered in the S06 – features a 150kW electric motor, a 19.4kWh battery, and a 1.5-litre engine.
Total system outputs are 265kW of power and 530Nm of torque, with electric range of 114km on the NEDC cycle and over 1000km of combined range.
The S07 is larger, measuring 4724mm long, 1900mm wide and 1720mm tall on a 2720mm wheelbase.
However, it sticks with a choice of turbo-petrol 1.5- or 1.6-litre engines. Interestingly, the former is offered with a six-speed manual as well, while the latter can be had with either a seven-speed dual-clutch or an eight-speed torque-converter auto.
The S09 is the flagship, measuring 4858mm long, 1925mm wide and 1780mm tall on a 2850mm wheelbase.
That makes it 43mm longer, 25mm wider and 80mm taller than a
Kia Sorento
on a 35mm longer wheelbase.
It's offered with a choice of five- or seven-seat configurations, and either 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines – the latter pumping out 187kW of power and 390Nm of torque.
Mitsubishi sold off its share in Soueast back in 2021, but prior to this the Chinese joint venture brand produced vehicles like the Lancer, Galant/380, Delica, and Nimbus.
During the 2010s, it also rolled out a range of vehicles that were styled by Pininfarina but which used Mitsubishi technology, though after several years of declining sales it was acquired by Chery.
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"Sentiment around the greenback remains negative and it continues to look vulnerable to further bad news on the fiscal and trade policy fronts." On Monday, the dollar had dipped 0.2 per cent on the yen to $143.79 , while the euro edged up a fraction to $1.1353 . The greenback also slipped 0.1 per cent on the Canadian dollar to $1.3727, getting no tailwind from Trump's threat of 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel exports. In commodity markets, gold edged up 0.6 per cent to $US3310 ($A5,147) an ounce , having lost 1.9 per cent last week. Oil prices bounced after OPEC+ decided to increase output in July by the same amount as it did in each of the prior two months, a relief to some who had feared an even bigger increase. Brent rose $US1.07 ($A1.66) to $US63.85 ($A99.28) a barrel, while US crude gained $US1.18 ($A1.83) to $US61.95 ($A96.33) per barrel. Asian share markets have made a wary start to the week as investors navigate the shifting sands of White House tariff policy, while awaiting key US jobs data and a widely expected cut in European interest rates. There was little obvious reaction to President Donald Trump's threat late on Friday to double tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to 50 per cent, beginning on June 4, a sudden twist that drew the ire of European Union negotiators. Speaking on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump would soon speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping to iron out a dispute over critical minerals. White House officials continued to play down a court ruling that Trump had overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from US trading partners. "The court ruling will complicate the path ahead on trade policy, but there remains an ample set of provisions available to the administration to deliver its desired results," said Bruce Kasman, chief economist at JPMorgan. "There is a commitment to maintaining a minimum US tariff rate of at least 10 per cent and imposing further sector tariff increases," he added. "An increase in ASEAN to discourage transhipment looks likely, and the bias for higher tariffs on US-EU trade persists." Markets will be particularly interested to see if Trump goes ahead with the 50 per cent tariff on Wednesday, or backs off as he has done so often before. In the meantime, caution reigned and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan went flat. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.1 per cent on Monday, while South Korean stocks dipped 0.1 per cent. S&P 500 futures eased 0.2 per cent and Nasdaq futures lost 0.3 per cent. The S&P climbed 6.2 per cent in May, while the Nasdaq rallied 9.6 per cent on hopes final import levies will be far lower than the initial sky-high levels. Front-running the tariffs has already caused wild swings in the economy, with a contraction in the first quarter likely turning into a jump this quarter as imports fall back. The Atlanta Fed GDPNow estimate is running at an annualised 3.8 per cent, though analysts assume this will slow sharply in the second half of the year. Data this week on US manufacturing and jobs will offer a timely reading on the pulse of activity, with payrolls seen rising 130,000 in May while unemployment stays at 4.2 per cent. A rise in unemployment is one of the few developments that could get the Federal Reserve to start thinking of easing policy again, with investors having largely given up on a cut this month or next. A move in September is seen at around a 75 per cent chance, though Fed officials have stopped well short of endorsing such pricing. There are at least 11 Fed speakers on the diary for this week, led by Fed Chair Jerome Powell later on Monday. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Sunday that cuts remain possible later this year as he saw downside risks to economic activity and employment and upside risks to inflation from the tariffs. A softer jobs report would be a relief for the Treasury market, where 30-year yields continue to flirt with the five per cent barrier as investors demand a higher premium to offset the ever-expanding supply of debt. The Senate this week will start considering a tax-and-spending bill that will add an estimated $US3.8 trillion ($A5.9 trillion) to the federal government's $US36.2 trillion ($A56.3 trillion) in debt. Across the Atlantic, the European Central Bank is considered almost certain to cut its rates by a quarter point to 2.0 per cent on Thursday, while markets will be sensitive to guidance on the chance of another move as early as July. The Bank of Canada meets Wednesday and markets imply a 76 per cent chance it will hold rates at 2.75 per cent, while sounding dovish on the future given the tariff-fuelled risk of recession there. Widening rate spreads have so far offered only limited support to the US dollar. "The greenback remains near the lower end of its post-2022 range and considerably weaker than interest rate differentials would imply," noted Jonas Goltermann, deputy chief markets economist at Capital Economics. "Sentiment around the greenback remains negative and it continues to look vulnerable to further bad news on the fiscal and trade policy fronts." On Monday, the dollar had dipped 0.2 per cent on the yen to $143.79 , while the euro edged up a fraction to $1.1353 . The greenback also slipped 0.1 per cent on the Canadian dollar to $1.3727, getting no tailwind from Trump's threat of 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel exports. In commodity markets, gold edged up 0.6 per cent to $US3310 ($A5,147) an ounce , having lost 1.9 per cent last week. Oil prices bounced after OPEC+ decided to increase output in July by the same amount as it did in each of the prior two months, a relief to some who had feared an even bigger increase. Brent rose $US1.07 ($A1.66) to $US63.85 ($A99.28) a barrel, while US crude gained $US1.18 ($A1.83) to $US61.95 ($A96.33) per barrel. Asian share markets have made a wary start to the week as investors navigate the shifting sands of White House tariff policy, while awaiting key US jobs data and a widely expected cut in European interest rates. There was little obvious reaction to President Donald Trump's threat late on Friday to double tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to 50 per cent, beginning on June 4, a sudden twist that drew the ire of European Union negotiators. Speaking on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump would soon speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping to iron out a dispute over critical minerals. White House officials continued to play down a court ruling that Trump had overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from US trading partners. "The court ruling will complicate the path ahead on trade policy, but there remains an ample set of provisions available to the administration to deliver its desired results," said Bruce Kasman, chief economist at JPMorgan. "There is a commitment to maintaining a minimum US tariff rate of at least 10 per cent and imposing further sector tariff increases," he added. "An increase in ASEAN to discourage transhipment looks likely, and the bias for higher tariffs on US-EU trade persists." Markets will be particularly interested to see if Trump goes ahead with the 50 per cent tariff on Wednesday, or backs off as he has done so often before. In the meantime, caution reigned and MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan went flat. Japan's Nikkei fell 1.1 per cent on Monday, while South Korean stocks dipped 0.1 per cent. S&P 500 futures eased 0.2 per cent and Nasdaq futures lost 0.3 per cent. The S&P climbed 6.2 per cent in May, while the Nasdaq rallied 9.6 per cent on hopes final import levies will be far lower than the initial sky-high levels. Front-running the tariffs has already caused wild swings in the economy, with a contraction in the first quarter likely turning into a jump this quarter as imports fall back. The Atlanta Fed GDPNow estimate is running at an annualised 3.8 per cent, though analysts assume this will slow sharply in the second half of the year. Data this week on US manufacturing and jobs will offer a timely reading on the pulse of activity, with payrolls seen rising 130,000 in May while unemployment stays at 4.2 per cent. A rise in unemployment is one of the few developments that could get the Federal Reserve to start thinking of easing policy again, with investors having largely given up on a cut this month or next. A move in September is seen at around a 75 per cent chance, though Fed officials have stopped well short of endorsing such pricing. There are at least 11 Fed speakers on the diary for this week, led by Fed Chair Jerome Powell later on Monday. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said on Sunday that cuts remain possible later this year as he saw downside risks to economic activity and employment and upside risks to inflation from the tariffs. A softer jobs report would be a relief for the Treasury market, where 30-year yields continue to flirt with the five per cent barrier as investors demand a higher premium to offset the ever-expanding supply of debt. The Senate this week will start considering a tax-and-spending bill that will add an estimated $US3.8 trillion ($A5.9 trillion) to the federal government's $US36.2 trillion ($A56.3 trillion) in debt. Across the Atlantic, the European Central Bank is considered almost certain to cut its rates by a quarter point to 2.0 per cent on Thursday, while markets will be sensitive to guidance on the chance of another move as early as July. The Bank of Canada meets Wednesday and markets imply a 76 per cent chance it will hold rates at 2.75 per cent, while sounding dovish on the future given the tariff-fuelled risk of recession there. Widening rate spreads have so far offered only limited support to the US dollar. "The greenback remains near the lower end of its post-2022 range and considerably weaker than interest rate differentials would imply," noted Jonas Goltermann, deputy chief markets economist at Capital Economics. "Sentiment around the greenback remains negative and it continues to look vulnerable to further bad news on the fiscal and trade policy fronts." On Monday, the dollar had dipped 0.2 per cent on the yen to $143.79 , while the euro edged up a fraction to $1.1353 . The greenback also slipped 0.1 per cent on the Canadian dollar to $1.3727, getting no tailwind from Trump's threat of 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel exports. In commodity markets, gold edged up 0.6 per cent to $US3310 ($A5,147) an ounce , having lost 1.9 per cent last week. Oil prices bounced after OPEC+ decided to increase output in July by the same amount as it did in each of the prior two months, a relief to some who had feared an even bigger increase. Brent rose $US1.07 ($A1.66) to $US63.85 ($A99.28) a barrel, while US crude gained $US1.18 ($A1.83) to $US61.95 ($A96.33) per barrel.
