Everyone is talking about going global, but do you know what true globalization is?

The Future of Chinese Cars is the Global Car.

Author | Niu Li

Producer | Car Traveller

The 2026 Chengdu International Auto Show officially kicked off on August 21.

Chery and BYD were the only two automakers to occupy the entire pavilion at this year's auto show, which has become a popular topic of conversation.

On the facade of the Hall 5 occupied by Chery, the theme "Chinese Cars, Global Champions" was very prominent. At first glance, it might be unclear what it means, but when you walk into the exhibition hall and carefully finish viewing the brands, display cars, and technology exhibits brought by Chery, you will have a deeper understanding of this theme.

At this auto show, the Chery Group showcased a total of 38 models from its five brands: Chery, Exeed, Zongheng, Jetour, and iCAR.

From global models like Fengyun T7 and Arrizo 7, to the Rhino Battery and Kunpeng Power technology zones, and finally to the Ruixiang Ecosystem Space covering lifestyle, it can be said to be a panoramic presentation of Chery's more than twenty years of globalization accumulation.

When "Going Overseas" has become a collective keyword for the Chinese automotive industry, and when most automakers are still studying "how to sell cars abroad", Chery is already exploring deeper answers:

True globalization has never been about simply selling Chinese cars overseas; it is about building "Native Global Cars" that are oriented towards the global market in R&D, design, quality, and ecosystem.

From ranking first in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years to joining the top ten global automakers in sales, Chery's globalization path provides a reference sample of long-termism for Chinese cars going overseas.

Native Global Car: Anchoring Global Standards from the First Day of R&D

"A true global car must be anchored globally from the start of R&D, not developed domestically first and then modified for export."

At the launch of this auto show, Li Xueyong, Executive Vice President of Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., explained Chery's understanding of global cars.

This sentence precisely pinpoints the core difference between Chery's globalization and the industry's common model.

For a long period in the past, Chinese automakers going overseas mostly adopted the path of "Localizing Domestic Models for Modification": completing the whole vehicle R&D targeting the Chinese market first, and then making regulation adaptation and configuration adjustments for the export market after launch.

This model has low R&D costs and a fast pace, but it naturally has the problem of "adaptation compromises"—chassis tuning, safety standards, and function design are all centered on domestic needs, making it difficult to fully meet the differentiated needs of overseas users.

And the "Native Global Car" strategy being promoted by Chery has reconstructed the R&D logic from the root.

As the first Native Global Car model of the Smart Electric Era, Fengyun T7 has thought and planned from the product definition stage from the perspective of the global market.

For example, at the regulation level, the team pre-researched safety and emission regulations in different parts of the world 2 years in advance, directly benchmarking the whole vehicle design against the 2026 Edition E-NCAP standards to avoid compliance risks later from the source;

At the user demand level, Chery surveyed more than 5,000 users globally, covering car usage scenarios in 15 typical countries, integrating body differences, driving habits, and usage preferences of different regions into the product definition in advance.

To adapt to the complex and diverse car usage environments globally, Fengyun T7 completed rigorous verification covering 7 major categories of extreme environments: 500mm off-road wading in the Southeast Asian rainy season, electronic equipment heat protection under Middle East high-temperature sun exposure, odor control in Indonesian high-humidity environments, wiper blade lifespan reinforcement in Siberian extreme cold weather, interior lighting optimization in Nordic polar nights, battery connector protection on Brazilian gravel roads, and durability noise verification on Mexican cobblestone roads.

Chery invested in 81 dedicated durability test vehicles for simultaneous road trials, with the whole vehicle cumulative test mileage exceeding 6 million kilometers, of which 1.45 million kilometers were dedicated durability actual tests, covering more than 100 extreme road condition environments such as the EU, Australia/New Zealand, Middle East, and South Africa.

It is precisely for this reason that Fengyun T7 was able to achieve a global simultaneous launch rhythm: launched first in South Africa and Thailand, landing in China and Indonesia markets in August, entering the EU in September, and covering Australia/New Zealand, UK, Malaysia and other regions successively in October. During the pre-sale phase, orders for this car exceeded 16,787 units in just 9 days, with users under 35 years old accounting for 65.2% and female users accounting for 35.7%, confirming the universal appeal of global native design to users in different markets.

Also following the logic of Native Global Cars is the Arrizo 7, making its global debut at this auto show.

As a landmark model in Chery's forward-looking development, the Arrizo series has been carrying Chery's global sedan dream since its birth in 2013. The first-generation Arrizo 7 was the first independent model in China to adopt the international common "V-shaped" forward-looking development process.

Now the all-new Arrizo 7 sets out again. From the first day of the project, it was positioned for global development and global adaptation, conducting R&D simultaneously around roads, climates, and car usage needs in more than 70 countries globally.

In design, the core language is "Momentum of Moving Water", transforming the Eastern philosophy of "The highest goodness is like water" into an aesthetic expression that global users can empathize with;

In terms of power, it offers two choices: Kunpeng Fuel and C-DM Super Power Electric Hybrid, with one car dual energy adapting to different countries' energy structures;

In terms of safety, it is designed according to global five-star standards, covering evaluation systems in multiple regions.

The return of Arrizo 7 is both the inheritance of Chery's forward-looking development genes and the extension of its Native Global Car strategy to the sedan category.

Oriental Design Breaking Boundaries: Chinese Cultural Expression in Global Aesthetics

If native R&D is the underlying skeleton of global cars, then design and cultural identity are the soul of global cars.

A true global car must not only meet global regulations and quality standards, but also trigger resonance among global users at the aesthetic and emotional levels. In this regard, Chery has taken a path of "Oriental Originality, Global Resonance" in design.

The Fengyun A9, which appeared side-by-side at this auto show, is a typical representative of this path.

This model, positioned as a long-range Smart Beauty Coupe, takes "Lingfeng Aesthetics" as the design core, integrating the introversion and tension of Oriental aesthetics into the whole vehicle shape, and won the 2026 German Red Dot Product Design Award with its highly original design language.

In the current industry trend where everyone follows cloning and excessively pursues exaggerated shapes, Fengyun A9 used highly confident Oriental original design to get backing from international top design authorities.

Behind this is the transformation of the role of the Chinese automotive industry: In the past, we were participants in global manufacturing, following overseas design standards; now, Chery is becoming one of the definers of global design trends, using modern expressions of Oriental aesthetics to influence global car aesthetics.

If Fengyun A9 is the upward breakthrough in high-end design, then the all-new QQ3 is the global empathy of mass culture.

In the history of the global automotive industry, small cars have never been just transportation tools, but cultural symbols carrying emotional expression among young groups—Europe has the Beetle and Mini Cooper, which transcend the product itself and become spiritual labels for young people of a generation. And in the process of Chinese cars going global, the QQ series is taking on such a role.

Even before the launch of the all-new QQ3, Chery Group Chairman Yin Tongyue stated at the launch event that he hoped QQ could become "China's Beetle, Mini Cooper".

Since its birth, the QQ series has accumulated 1.6 million users globally, and has become the first car for many young people with its affordable price and personalized shape.

After the launch of the all-new QQ3, domestic sales broke 10,000 for four consecutive months, and orders broke 10,000 in the first month after landing in Indonesia and Thailand markets, showing strong attraction across regions.

To meet users' personalized modification needs, Chery launched the QQ3 Modern Edition at this auto show. Taking retrofuturism as the concept, it fuses classic elements of a hundred years of automotive industry with the technological feel of the Smart Electric Era. Houndstooth interior, mirror chrome wheels, retro color block decals, this understanding of small car culture and empathy for young users knows no national borders.

From Fengyun A9's Oriental aesthetics winning international awards, to the QQ series becoming a cultural symbol for global young people, Chery is proving: Good design never needs to deliberately cater to one market. Standing on local culture and挖掘 human common aesthetics and emotions, it naturally wins the recognition of global users.

From "Going Out" to "Taking Root": Localization Philosophy of the 23-Year Export Champion

To measure an automaker's degree of globalization, it's not enough to just see how many cars were exported, but more importantly to see if it has truly integrated into the local market to become part of the local industry and society.

Chery has ranked first in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years, and this relies not only on product power, but also on the localization business philosophy of "Wherever it is, for there, becoming a part of the locals".

Latest data shows that in July 2026, Chery Group exports reached 202,533 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 70.1%, making it the first automaker in China to exceed 200,000 vehicles in a single month's export, equivalent to one Chery car being driven overseas every 16 seconds. From January to July 2026, Chery's cumulative exports reached 1,146,350 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 71.2%, quickly breaking the million-unit level. As of the end of July, Chery's global cumulative car users have broken 20.16 million, among which overseas users exceed 6.99 million, with products sold to more than 130 countries and regions.

Behind the eye-catching sales figures is Chery's "Going Deep" globalization strategy.

Unlike many automakers' models centered on complete vehicle export, Chery has long completed the upgrade from "Product Going Overseas" to "Industry Going Overseas".

Currently, Chery's overseas employees have exceeded 20,000, with overseas factory local staff accounting for 85%, achieving full localization of talent, supply chain, and production.

In Spain, Chery rejuvenates local national car brands through joint venture factories, creating more than 1,000 local employment positions;

In South Africa, after the new factory officially started, it fully retained the original more than 690 employees and drove more than 3,000 employment opportunities up and downstream.

This deeply integrated local economic and social model makes Chery not just a "foreign brand that sells cars", but a participant and contributor to local industrial development.

It is precisely relying on this solid localization layout that Chery has continued to achieve breakthroughs in the global high-end market.

From January to June 2026, Chery's cumulative sales in Europe exceeded 174,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 212%, among which new energy vehicle sales reached 86,000 vehicles, a year-on-year surge of 385%, with the new energy ratio approaching half.

In Spain, Chery's brand cumulative sales exceeded 50,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of more than 90% in the first half of 2026, ranking among the top three Chinese brands;

In the UK, Chery has consistently ranked second in the monthly sales total list for three consecutive months since March;

In Australia, Chery has maintained positive sales growth for 22 consecutive months, and the sales of some pure electric models are second only to Tesla Model Y;

In May 2026, Chery officially entered the Canadian market, becoming one of the first Chinese automakers to layout the North American market.

From emerging markets to Europe, America, and Australia developed markets, from complete vehicle export to local production, Chery has walked out a steady and stable globalization path in 23 years.

Quality and Technology Dual Support: The Confidence of Long-termism in Globalization

Of course, whether the path of globalization can be walked for a long time eventually has to return to the product and technology itself.

Global market competition, in the end, is a competition of quality and technology. Chery can stand firm in more than 130 countries, relying not on low-price strategies, but on product quality and technical strength that can withstand global market testing.

At the quality level, Chery's global quality has been repeatedly verified by authoritative institutions.

In June-August 2026, in the five core studies released by J.D. Power: New Vehicle Quality, Product Appeal, Buying Experience, After-sales Service, and Vehicle Reliability, Chery took the first place among all independent brands, becoming the only independent brand to take the "Five Grand Slam" in the year.

At the safety level, Chery has accumulated 71 models obtaining five-star safety certification in global markets such as China, Europe, Australia, and ASEAN, ranking first among Chinese brands in the number of five-star safety models.

Accumulating small steps, one can reach a thousand li.

These achievements were not blown out by marketing, but are polished and accumulated by on-site testing and verification of one car after another, and by grinding out point by point with global unified R&D and verification standards.

Chery has currently deployed 8 major R&D centers globally, building a R&D system covering the globe. Every global model must undergo extreme environment verification such as high temperature, extreme cold, plateau, and high humidity, using unified standards to guarantee that global users can obtain consistent quality experiences.

At the technology level, Chery is also continuously supplying ammunition for globalization.

The technical results exhibited at this auto show, such as Rhino Battery, Kunpeng Power, Flying Fish Digital Intelligent Chassis, etc., are a concentrated presentation of Chery's technology system.

Taking Rhino Battery as an example, breakthroughs were achieved in safety and energy density through technological innovations such as high enthalpy change separators, active defense electrolytes, and composite current collectors, and 400Wh/kg solid-state batteries have also entered the exhibition stage.

The Kunpeng Power system covers multiple technical routes of fuel, hybrid, and pure electric, and emerging technologies such as variable flux motors and axial flux dual motors continue to land. The continuous iteration of these underlying technologies provides solid support for the product power of Chery's global models.

It is precisely relying on the dual foundation of quality and technology that Chery's industry status in the global market continues to rise.

In January-June 2026, Chery Group's global sales share reached 4.1%, ranking ninth globally. In the list of the top ten global automakers in sales, Chinese automakers BYD, Geely, and Chery appeared for the first time, and Chery is the one with the highest degree of globalization and the deepest overseas layout among them.

Viewpoint:

The Future of Chinese Cars is the Global Car

Looking back from the new starting point of 20.16 million global users, Chery's more than twenty years of globalization path is exactly a microcosm of the Chinese automotive industry going overseas.

From initially earning foreign exchange through complete vehicle export, to later building factories for local operation, and now to Native Global Cars and global unified standards, Chinese cars' going overseas is moving from "Product Output" to a new stage of "Brand Output, Standard Output, Cultural Output".

And Chery has already grown into the complete appearance of a global enterprise:

8 major R&D centers covering the globe, a production and supply chain system rooted locally, a product matrix sold to more than 130 countries, and more than 20 million global users.

It is not just a Chinese automaker, but a true global automaker.

"Chinese Cars, More than Global Cars", this sentence placed on today's Chery, is no longer a slogan, but a fact that is happening.

It can be foreseen that with the continuous improvement of the overall strength of the Chinese automotive industry, and with the continuous perfection of Chery's globalization system, more native global cars like Fengyun T7 and Arrizo 7 will be driven to all corners of the world in the future, and as a pioneer on this road, Chery will also occupy a more important position in the new pattern of the global automotive industry.