Last year, China's passenger vehicle exports surpassed Japan to take the global top spot; in the first half of this year, exports increased by another 65.3%, with the full year expected to break the 10 million vehicle milestone. This number is striking, but behind the glamour, an awkward reality is emerging: cars are selling in increasing volumes, but the walls of regulations are getting higher and higher.

The EU imposed countervailing duties of up to 35.3% on pure electric vehicles made in China, pushing the combined tax rate above 45%; Brazil raised import tariffs for electric vehicles uniformly to 35% starting from July 1st; Thailand implemented a 'production wager' mechanism, requiring the local production of 2 vehicles for every 1 imported; South Africa is also considering raising the import tariff for complete vehicles from China and India to 50%.

From Europe to Latin America, from Southeast Asia to Africa, Chinese automobiles are facing encirclement on all sides. The light-asset model of producing domestically and selling overseas has hit its ceiling.

On July 3, 2026, Chery made a move in Pretoria, South Africa, formally taking over the Rosslyn Plant, which Nissan had operated for nearly 60 years. This appears to be an ordinary transaction for Nissan to cut losses and Chery to expand production, but viewed under the proposition of 'how Chinese automakers can truly take root overseas', its weight is quite different.

Nissan Sheds Burden, Chery Takes Capacity

The sale of the Rosslyn Plant is part of Nissan's global restructuring plan 'Re:Nissan'. In the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years combined, Nissan reported a total loss exceeding 1.2 trillion yen. According to the restructuring plan, Nissan will close 7 plants globally and lay off about 20,000 people before the 2027 fiscal year, reducing global production bases from 17 to 10.

This factory previously produced models such as the Navara pickup and NP200, with products covering more than 40 African nations. However, capacity utilization rates have continued to decline in recent years. After the NP200 stopped production in March 2024, Navara became the factory's only in-production model, yet monthly sales were only a few hundred units. In May 2025, Nissan announced that local production of Navara would also cease. For Nissan, this factory has transformed from an asset into a burden.

For Chery, taking over an existing factory is more efficient than building from scratch. Chery entered the South African market in 2021, showing a steep growth curve. At this node of rapid expansion, local capacity means avoiding exchange rate and tariff risks, and also provides a hardware foundation for the next step of expanding market share.

More importantly, this acquisition is a piece in Chery's 'systematic overseas expansion' chess game. Since the beginning of this year, Chery has not just been selling cars but has deeply planted the roots of an entire industrial chain, including R&D, manufacturing, operations, and standards, into overseas markets.

In Europe, the European Operation Center and Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, have been commissioned, and the joint venture factory with EBRO has also started production and operations; in Southeast Asia, a new factory in Vietnam worth 800 million USD is under promotion. The South African Rosslyn Plant is positioned as a comprehensive automotive hub radiating to Southern Africa.

The layout of these three locations supports each other, and a global manufacturing network is taking shape.

The Real Challenges of the South Africa Move

With the factory handover complete, the real test may have just begun.

Chery committed to retaining all 692 employees, planning to start production in mid-2027, with a future single-shift capacity of 50,000 units, and striving to achieve a 40% localization rate before 2028. This 40% is the core challenge.

Currently, South Africa imposes import tariffs of about 25% on complete vehicles, with the government considering raising the tax rate to the WTO-allowed limit of 50%. Once implemented, imported models dominated by Chinese and Indian brands will face direct cost pressures.

This is actually a positive for Chery. However, there are concerns; if the localization progress cannot keep up, the cost of importing parts will rapidly increase the overall vehicle manufacturing cost.

More realistically, the South African domestic market size is limited, with new car sales of about 550,000 per year, far insufficient to absorb large-scale production capacity. If the capacity of the Rosslyn Plant is to be fully utilized, Chery must treat South Africa as an export base, selling cars to Southern Africa and even farther markets. However, the automotive market size in most African countries is extremely small, infrastructure is weak, and export channels are not smooth.

Meanwhile, the foundation of the South African local parts industry is not optimistic. Data from the Motor Industry Association of South Africa shows that in 2025, only 33% of vehicles were manufactured locally in South Africa, a significant drop from the previous level of over 50%.

The South African local parts industry has long relied on orders from multinational automakers. As brands such as General Motors, Ford, and Nissan successively withdrew or reduced local production, the parts supplier system has already begun to shrink.

For Chery to achieve a 40% localization rate within three years, it means building or restoring an entire supply chain from scratch, introducing Chinese parts suppliers, and completing localization certification and production preparation. The schedule is quite tight.

Conclusion

Once this chess piece, the Rosslyn Plant, is placed, the situation on the chessboard begins to change. This is a landmark node for Chinese automotive export shifting from 'trade-type' to 'rooted-type'.

Against the background of tariff barriers encircling on all sides, the light-asset model relying on complete vehicle exports is unsustainable. Chery has chosen a more sustainable path, deeply planting an entire industrial root system including R&D, manufacturing, supply chain, and standards into overseas markets.

This path is not smooth. The 40% localization rate, the fragile parts system, and limited market capacity, each is a threshold that needs to be crossed. But Chery is not starting from zero.

The operational experience accumulated over more than 20 years of struggling overseas, as well as the global competitiveness of the Chinese automotive supply chain providing cost and technical support, its layout in Spain, Vietnam, and South Africa is forming a network effect.

Perhaps the most fitting conclusion is the words from Chery itself on social media: 'A new era is coming. From this moment on, Chery Automobile will proudly serve South Africa, manufactured in South Africa.'

This statement speaks not only of the fate of a factory but also of a fundamental transformation that Chinese automotive export is undergoing: from selling a car to rooting in a place. This is true globalization.

Tahun lalu, jumlah eksport kenderaan China melampaui Jepun, menduduki tempat pertama di dunia; separuh tahun ini, jumlah eksport meningkat lagi 65.3%, dijangka mengatasi paras 10 juta unit sepanjang tahun. Angka ini amat berimpak, tetapi di sebalik kilauan itu, realiti memalukan mula kelihatan: kereta semakin banyak dijual, tetapi tembok peraturan yang dihadapi semakin tinggi.

Kesatuan Eropah mengenakan cukai antisubsidi sehingga 35.3% untuk kenderaan elektrik tulen buatan China, kadar cukai gabungan melebihi 45%; Brazil menaikkan cukai impor kenderaan elektrik kepada 35% secara seragam bermula 1 Julai; Thailand melaksanakan mekanisme komitmen pengeluaran, menuntut setiap 1 kenderaan yang diimport mesti dihasilkan 2 kenderaan di tempatan; Afrika Selatan juga sedang mempertimbangkan untuk menaikkan cukai impor kenderaan siap dari China dan India kepada 50%.

Dari Eropah ke Amerika Latin, dari Asia Tenggara ke Afrika, kenderaan China sedang menghadapi pengepungan dari segala arah. Model aset ringan yang bergantung pada pengeluaran di dalam negara dan jualan ke luar negara, had maksimumnya hampir tercapai.

3 Julai 2026, Chery memainkan langkah di Pretoria, Afrika Selatan, secara rasmi mengambil alih kilang Rosslyn yang dioperasikan Nissan selama hampir 60 tahun. Ini nampak seperti transaksi biasa bagi Nissan untuk membatalkan kerugian dan Chery untuk mengembangkan kapasiti, tetapi jika dilihat di bawah tema 'bagaimana syarikat automotif China benar-benar berakar di luar negara' ini, bebannya berbeza.

Nissan membuang beban, Chery mengambil kapasiti

Penjualan kilang Rosslyn adalah sebahagian daripada pelan global Nissan 'Re:Nissan'. Dalam dua tahun kewangan 2024 dan 2025, kerugian gabungan Nissan melebihi 1.2 trilion Yen. Mengikut pelan restrukturisasi, Nissan akan menutup 7 kilang global dan pemangkasan kerja sekitar 20,000 orang sebelum tahun kewangan 2027, pangkalan pengeluaran global dikurangkan daripada 17 kepada 10.

Kilang ini pernah menghasilkan model seperti lori pikap Navara, NP200, dan lain-lain, produk menjangkau lebih 40 negara Afrika. Tetapi kegunaan kapasiti pengeluaran menurun berterusan dalam beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini. Selepas NP200 dihentikan pengeluaran pada Mac 2024, Navara menjadi satu-satunya model yang sedang dihasilkan di kilang, namun jualan bulanan hanya beberapa ratus unit. Mei 2025, Nissan mengumumkan pengeluaran tempatan Navara juga akan ditamatkan. Bagi Nissan, kilang ini telah berubah daripada aset menjadi beban.

Bagi Chery, mengambil alih kilang sedia ada lebih efisien daripada membina kilang dari sifar. Chery memasuki pasaran Afrika Selatan sejak 2021, keluk pertumbuhannya curam. Pada titik pengembangan pantas, kapasiti tempatan bermaksud mengelakkan risiko mata wang dan cukai, juga boleh menyediakan asas perkakasan untuk mengembangkan bahagian pasaran seterusnya.

Yang lebih penting, pembelian ini adalah satu langkah dalam 'pemainan globalisasi sistem' Chery. Pada tahun ini, Chery bukan sekadar menjual kereta, tetapi mendiami sistem industri secara menyeluruh termasuk penyelidikan, pembuatan, operasi, piawaian ke pasaran luar negara.

Di Eropah, pusat operasi dan institut penyelidikan Eropah di Barcelona, Sepanyol telah dilancarkan, kilang bersama dengan EBRO juga telah beroperasi; Di Asia Tenggara, kilang baharu bernilai 800 juta USD di Vietnam sedang diteruskan. Kilang Rosslyn Afrika Selatan pula diletakkan sebagai hab automotif komprehensif yang merangkumi Afrika Selatan.

Penyusunan tiga tempat saling sokongan, satu rangkaian pembuatan global sedang terbentuk.

Tantangan sebenar langkah Afrika Selatan

Selepas penyerahan kilang, ujian sebenar mungkin baru sahaja bermula.

Chery berjanji mengekalkan semua 692 pekerja, rancangan pengeluaran pertengahan 2027, kapasiti jangka panjang satu giliran 50,000 unit, dan berusaha mencapai kadar tempatanisasi 40% sebelum 2028. Dan 40% inilah yang menjadi masalah teras.

Sekarang Afrika Selatan mengenakan cukai kira-kira 25% untuk impor kenderaan siap, kerajaan sedang merancang untuk menaikkan kadar kepada had maksimum 50% yang dibenarkan oleh WTO. Apabila dilaksanakan, model impor yang kebanyakannya berjenama China dan India akan menghadapi tekanan kos langsung.

Inilah sebenarnya adalah kelebihan bagi Chery. Namun ada kebimbangan tersembunyi, jika kemajuan tempatanisasi tidak mengikut, kos impor komponen akan meningkatkan kos pembuatan kenderaan siap dengan cepat.

Lebih nyata, saiz pasaran tempatan Afrika Selatan adalah terhad, jualan kenderaan baharu tahunan kira-kira 550,000 unit, jauh tidak mencukupi untuk menyokong penyerapan kapasiti berskala besar. Jika kapasiti kilang Rosslyn perlu dipenuhi sepenuhnya, Chery mesti menjadikan Afrika Selatan sebagai pangkalan eksport, menjual kereta ke selatan Afrika bahkan pasaran yang lebih jauh. Tetapi saiz pasaran automotif kebanyakan negara Afrika amat kecil, infrastruktur lemah, laluan eksport tidak lancar.

Sementara itu, asas industri komponen tempatan Afrika Selatan tidak mengembirakan. Data persatuan industri automotif Afrika Selatan menunjukkan, hanya 33% kenderaan di buat di tempatan Afrika Selatan pada 2025, penurunan besar berbanding paras sebelumnya melebihi 50%.

Industri komponen tempatan Afrika Selatan bergantung lama pada pesanan syarikat automotif multinasional. Dengan jenama seperti General Motors, Ford, Nissan keluar atau mengurangkan pengeluaran tempatan, sistem pembekal komponen telah mengalami kemerosotan.

Chery perlu mencapai kadar tempatanisasi 40% dalam tempoh tiga tahun, bermaksud perlu membina atau memulihkan keseluruhan rangkaian bekalan dari sifar, mengambil pembekal komponen China, dan lengkapkan pengesahan tempatan dan persediaan pengeluaran, jadual agak mendesak.

Kesimpulan

Apabila bidak kilang Rosslyn ini diletakkan, corak di atas papan mula berubah. Ini adalah titik tanda aras peralihan eksport automotif China daripada 'jenis perdagangan' kepada 'jenis berakar'.

Dalam konteks tembok halangan cukai yang mengepung dari segala arah, model aset ringan yang bergantung pada eksport kenderaan siap sudah sukar diteruskan. Chery memilih jalan yang lebih mampan, mendemakan sistem industri secara menyeluruh termasuk penyelidikan, pembuatan, rantai bekalan, piawaian ke pasaran luar negara.

Jalan ini tidak rata. Kadar tempatanisasi 40%, sistem komponen rapuh, kapasiti pasaran terhad, setiap satu adalah halangan yang perlu dilalui. Tetapi Chery bukan bermula dari sifar.

Pengalaman operasi terkumpul selepas bertahun-tahun bergelut di luar negara, dan daya saing global rantaian bekalan automotif China menyediakan sokongan kos dan teknologi, penyusunan di Sepanyol, Vietnam, Afrika Selatan sedang membentuk kesan rangkaian.

Mungkin paling sesuai untuk mengakhiri dengan kata-kata Chery sendiri di media sosial "Satu era baharu akan tiba. Bermula saat ini, kereta Chery akan membanggakan melayani Afrika Selatan, dibuat di Afrika Selatan."

Ungkapan ini bukan hanya mengenai nasib sebuah kilang, juga merupakan satu peralihan asas yang sedang dialami oleh eksport automotif China, dari menjual satu kenderaan kepada menanam satu akar, inilah globalisasi dalam erti kata sebenar.

Another Chery pickup truck is coming to light! The newly registered patent for the exterior design of a new small pickup truck by Chery in multiple countries such as South Africa, Thailand, New Zealand, and the Philippines has been officially revealed. This crossover product built on a unibody chassis will become Chery's entry-level model in the global pickup matrix, coordinating with upcoming models like Stockman, helping Chery break into the global pickup truck market.

According to South African media reports, the Chery headquarters submitted the exterior design patent application for this new pickup truck in multiple countries simultaneously in November 2025, and it was officially approved in early June 2026. It is worth noting that on the day of application, Chery also submitted a patent for a compact SUV with a highly similar design, confirming the connection of these two models being developed on the same platform.

From the design sketches, the new car adopts a dual-row cabin layout, blending SUV's smooth lines with the practical attributes of a pickup. The front face continues Chery's latest family design, square wheel arches are equipped with black scuff protection, and roof rails enhance the crossover style. The car body side adopts hidden door handles on the C-pillar, a support structure extends from above the C-pillar to connect the cargo bed, balancing rigidity and visual effect. Patent documents define it as a "crossover pickup", meaning a fully enclosed passenger cabin paired with an open rear cargo bed. Unlike traditional mid-size pickups, this car has a shorter cargo bed, positioning it as a city lifestyle pickup rather than a pure utility vehicle.

In terms of power, it is expected to be equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, front-wheel drive, and future hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions cannot be ruled out. In fact, Chery had revealed plans to launch a half-ton pickup as early as 2021, when it was rumored to be named "TiggoPup", the project was mentioned again during a presentation to South African media in October 2024.

This small crossover pickup will perfect Chery's multi-line pickup product layout. With the launch of Stockman, Chery's pickup product line is formed: Stockman is a mid-size body-on-frame pickup, pure electric pickup KP2X, and full-size pickup KP4X benchmarking the Ford F-150. Jetour brand F700 pickup will also land in Australia by the end of 2027. A multi-brand, multi-positioning product matrix will comprehensively cover various sub-markets from city crossover to hard-core off-road, from fuel to pure electric.

In the South African market, Chery recently acquired the Nissan Rosslyn plant, currently undergoing renovation, planning to start local production in mid-2027, this small pickup is expected to be manufactured in South Africa. Regarding the Australian market, if the new car is introduced, it will be positioned below Stockman, pioneering a new segment of small unibody pickups in Australia. Currently, the Australian market has almost no similar products except the KGM Musso EV, while the hot sales of Ford Maverick in North America have verified the potential of this market.

Chery Australia executives stated earlier: "The global pickup market is not limited to body-on-frame one-ton products." Chery's chief engineer also revealed: "We are developing both body-on-frame and unibody pickups simultaneously, and the success of Ford Maverick gave us inspiration."

In conclusion: Currently, the official launch date for Chery's unibody pickup has not been announced, but with the patent exposure, it is expected that its global debut is not far away, and Chery's global product line will also be further enriched, helping Chinese brands compete with traditional Japanese and American brands in the global pickup market.

On June 21, 2026, on the Shantou East Coast, a car life square facing the sea was unveiled.

This is not only a commercial opening, but also the latest achievement of famous Teochew businessmen Wang Laichun and Wang Laisheng returning home to invest, and also a vivid footnote to the Shantou "Teochew Businessman Returning Home Project".

In this new city transformed from tidal flats, the Ruixun Gulf Car Life Square and the first Chery Life Hall in the country are trying to define an unprecedented new landmark for car culture in Eastern Guangdong

This life hall has completely broken the cold transaction logic of traditional 4S stores "selling immediately upon entry". It has turned the 30,000 square meter seaside space into a full-scenario ecosystem field integrating "people, cars, and life".

Here, viewing cars can be a sea view tour, waiting can be a meal of Chaoshan cuisine, parent-child time can be interwoven with tech study.

Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyue revealed the essence: "What today's users need is not just a good car, but a quality, personalized, and happy lifestyle."

He explicitly stated that this life hall is the largest and most fully-featured benchmark of Chery globally, and the "one city, one hall, one feature" layout will be promoted in the future.

This "stress-free discovery" model has completely broken the circle barriers of car consumption, allowing car culture to move from professional to mass public.

For the 15 million overseas Chinese scattered across the globe, the strategic significance of this life hall far exceeds a leisure consumption venue.

Shantou possesses scarce international submarine cable channels and "data processing" pilots, approved as one of the national first batch of "Digital Bonded Zone" cultivation pilots, serving as the digital bridge connecting China and Southeast Asia. This is naturally the "bridgehead" for Chinese brands going global.

Chery's partnership with Shantou is essentially a strong alliance between "Chinese hardcore products" and "Global Teochew Business Networks".

Chery Life Hall is not only a showroom, but also a "home port" and actual scene model room provided for overseas Chinese and potential dealers — overseas Chinese here not only see cars, but can also see a replicable commercial model carrying Chinese lifestyle and brand value.

Chery's confidence stems from its solid overseas performance record.

In 2025, Chery's export sales reached 1.344 million units, accounting for nearly half of total sales, ranking first in export of Chinese brand passenger cars for 23 consecutive years.

In the Southeast Asian market dominated by Japanese cars for decades, Chinese brands are tearing open a gap with new energy as a weapon.

In January 2026, Chinese brands accounted for over 75% of the pure electric vehicle market share in Thailand, and Chery has even jumped into the top three in brand sales.

In Malaysia, Chery, relying on solid workmanship and highly competitive pricing, saw its market share surge, attracting a large number of consumers who originally considered Japanese cars.

Yin Tongyue once said, Chery's globalization cannot just compete on speed, but must rely on sustainable technical capabilities, with the goal of upgrading from "product going global" to "technology going global".

Now, Yin Tongyue went a step further, he hopes to build the Shantou Life Hall into an "investment promotion platform, going global exchange platform", promoting Chinese automotive technology to "go south to Southeast Asia", towards the world.

This highlights Chery's strategic vision of deeply cultivating Southeast Asia — no longer satisfied with selling cars, but outputting brands and lifestyles. The opening of the Shantou Chery Life Hall is not only a milestone in Chery's channel reform, but also a microcosm of Shantou's urban advancement.

It integrates the advantages of the hometown of overseas Chinese, coastal endowments, and cutting-edge consumption formats, providing an observation sample for the globalization narrative of Chinese brands: true going global is letting brand culture take root in a foreign land, and behind this, is the warmth and strength given by this hot soil of the hometown.

Written by | AUTO Xinqiu

Author | AUTO Xinqiu Team

In the vast family of Chinese automobiles, there is a "non-typical" leading enterprise.

It has ranked first in exports among Chinese brand passenger cars for 23 consecutive years, with almost half of its annual sales sold abroad, recognized as the No. 1 exporter.

You might not know, what is the status of it in the hearts of overseas consumers? On April 23 this year, the International Automotive Quality Expert Group, consisting of the International Automotive Task Force (IATF), International Automotive Oversight Bureau (IAOB), Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), and Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), followed it, personally visited and presented the "Automotive Industry Peak Award: Quality Innovation Figure" to the chairman of this enterprise.

Not to mention, winning the ICQCC Quality Gold Medal, regarded as the "Olympic" grade of international quality, for three consecutive times, proved its popularity in overseas markets has already "far surpassed" domestic peers.

If the above does not give you a sense, let me tell you, the recently in-the-spotlight Land Rover Freelander's engine is manufactured by it.

Congratulations, you answered correctly! Yes, what I am referring to is Chery Automobile.

So, why is Chery so radiant? What did Chairman Yin Tongyue do right?

"Technology Fanatic" Dual-Drive: R&D Obsession, Honest Collaboration

Yin Tongyue graduated from Hefei University of Technology, known as the "Huangpu Military Academy" of Anhui's automotive industry. After graduating in automotive manufacturing major in 1984, Yin Tongyue directly joined FAW Hongqi Sedan Plant, working as an automotive process engineer. Due to his diligence and outstanding performance, he was quickly identified as core talent and sent to Germany and the US for further study.

After returning to China, Yin Tongyue served as Director of the Final Assembly Workshop and Chief of the Logistics Section at FAW-Volkswagen. He was also awarded the "FAW Top Ten Outstanding Youth" title, with a bright future ahead.

However, a visit and study tour organized by Wuhu City completely changed Yin Tongyue's life trajectory.

At that time, Wuhu City was planning to build an Auto City, and also received strong support from the provincial government. Yin Tongyue, who had already shown his锋芒, was talent scarce in Wuhu City. Thus, the visit group invited him to return home to develop and lead the local auto project. What truly moved Yin Tongyue was a sentence from the visit group: Always working for foreigners is not worthwhile. It was this sentence that ignited his "Dream of Domestic Brand" deep in his heart.

So, he quit and handled the procedures, carrying luggage from Changchun, the Automobile Capital of China, to Wuhu which seemed unrelated to automobiles.

Heaven will assign great responsibility to this person. Yin Tongyue deeply felt the heavy responsibility, only able to exert all efforts and give whole heart.

Chery started from the "Heart of the Automobile", the engine. To ensure this project would be won, Yin Tongyue even made a hardcore commitment: If it failed, I would jump into the Yangtze River.

Possessing this persistence and resilience, he recruited 288 cadres and over 1,000 employees from FAW. It was also with this persistence and resilience that, facing a foreign production line assembly team shirking and slacking, they loudly shouted: "Get back to your home, let us do it ourselves!"

Thus, after 500 days of hard fighting, on April 27, 1999, Chery's first engine successfully rolled off the line, ignited successfully in one try. 7 months later, the first Chery sedan - Fengyun 000001 successfully rolled off the line.

From then on, under Yin Tongyue's leadership, Chery hit models emerged one after another. In 2003, Chery launched the generation mythic car Chery QQ, with annual sales revenue exceeding 8 billion RMB.

How popular was Chery QQ back then? Describing it as a "Phenomenal National Mythic Car" was no exaggeration, because it was the first true "Hit" among Chinese independent brands. Before Chery QQ ceased production in 2014, cumulative sales reached 1.40-1.54 million units, exported to over 100 countries and regions, with cumulative exports exceeding 500,000 units.

In 2013, under a new system and process, Chery created another classic model - Tiggo 5. To strictly control quality, before listing, Yin Tongyue even invited a Japanese expert for acceptance check. This Japanese expert scratched the inside of the car door handle with his fingernail and found a mark, saying: "This is unacceptable."

So without a word, they remade it. During the second inspection, the Japanese expert said the material formula needed re-adjustment and re-certification.

Thus, Yin Tongyue led the team to repeatedly tear down and start over. When Tiggo 5 passed rigorous verification, it also meant Chery bid farewell to the primary stage of "Assembling Parts to Build Cars", and car manufacturing technology and systems truly approached international standards.

Taking engine thermal efficiency as an example, this is a hard indicator measuring core capability of fuel vehicles. Currently, mainstream engine thermal efficiencies mostly range between 38%-45%, while Chery Kunpeng Tiqing Engine achieved 48%. According to Chery internal data, cumulative global installations of its Kunpeng Power Engine Upgraded Version has exceeded 3.1 million units. So, does Made in China fuel engine work? Currently, only Chery dares to pat their chest and say "Yes".

Nowadays, Chery engine thermal efficiency has stabilized at 44.5%, which is top-tier in the industry. With this unique skill, Chery won the favor of two major international luxury car benchmarks, Jaguar and Land Rover. Both parties jointly established a new company, and the new energy vehicle brand "Freelander" directly equipped with Chery's 1.5-Liter Range Extender.

The cooperation with Huawei is a strong alliance. Yin Tongyue has a sentence often mentioned: "When opinions differ, listen to Huawei; when opinions align, listen to Chery." This is not surface-level flattery nor deliberate humility, but a truest respect for technology and the most pragmatic posture of an entrepreneur with an engineer background.

In fact, since Zhijie S7/R7, both sides have been satisfied and mutually appreciative. Why did HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility select Zhijie V9 as its first MPV? It is precisely due to comprehensive consideration of Chery's manufacturing hard power, a need for deep integration of "Technology Definition + Top Manufacturing".

Firstly, in capacity and quality control aspects, Chery specially created a Super Factory and Brand New Welding Line for Zhijie V9, investing over 20 billion RMB in special funds, capable of delivering this large size MPV and models with high craft requirements with quality and quantity. Secondly, in supply chain cost control, Chery possesses a perfect supply chain system, capable of effectively balancing the high BOM cost brought by Huawei Advanced Smart Driving (such as 896-line LiDAR), supporting V9 being fixed in the 389,800 RMB starting price range, possessing strong market impact.

Global Layout: Not "Sold Out", but "Grown Out"

As early as 1999, Yin Tongyue determined one thing: Chinese automobiles must go out, but not in the way of dumping at cheap prices, but in the way of long-termism.

What was the result? Chery has held the No. 1 position in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years. In 2025, exports reached 1.344 million units, nearly half of annual sales, cumulative exports exceeding 5.85 million units. More rarely, for Chery exported new energy vehicles, for every 5 sold, 1 is sold to Europe with the strictest regulations, meaning Chery Automobiles' quality is globally top-tier.

Yin Tongyue summarized Chery's globalization philosophy with one sentence: "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere — Wherever, For Wherever, Become Part of Local." Considering deep integration into local market as the core goal of car exporting.

This is not a slogan. Chery has 10 overseas factories globally. Like Russia, Brazil, Egypt, etc. KD factories achieved "Parts Export, Local Assembly", which both avoids tariffs and drives local employment, deeply welcomed and supported by local governments.

For the extreme cold of Russia and Middle East, Chery strengthened car AC and engine cooling functions; for Brazil and Latin America market, Chery developed flexible fuel engines capable of adding ethanol and gasoline; for Europe market, entering with OMODA, JAECOO New Brands, fully meeting Euro NCAP 5-Star Safety Standard; for Southeast Asia market, Chery developed RHD models using local factories.

Besides, Chery developed multiple modular platforms like T1X, M1X, Mars Architecture, letting products quickly adapt to different countries' regulations, road conditions, and climate.

In April this year, Chery established its first Overseas Regional Operation Center in Barcelona, Spain, and simultaneously launched Spain Research Institute, main focus is Electrification, Smart Mobility and Sustainable Development, with the goal to develop "Cars with More Local Flavor".

In the overseas market, Chery did not consider itself as a "Foreign Manufacturer", but also voluntarily undertook corporate social responsibility for locals. For example, cooperated with World Conservation Union (IUCN), conducted a Mediterranean Posidonia Seagrass Bed Restoration Project, to protect local "Lungs of the Ocean"; Chery also organized local owners in Malaysia, conducted Afforestation Public Welfare Activities, doing all for protecting local ecological environment.

When many companies still "Chase Trends, Make Quick Money", Chery has already built supply chain and layout R&D network overseas for years. This persistence has now finally turned in a shining report card.

Conclusion: Not a Stroke of Genius, but 23 Years of "Hard Work"

What Yin Tongyue did right was never any one "Stroke of Genius", but determined 23 years ago that "Chinese Automobiles Must Go Out", then using Engineer's Rigor, Merchant's Patience, Long-termist's Steadfastness, brick by brick built the "Made in China" reputation into Global Market.

When domestic car companies still race price and configuration, Chery has already completed the transformation from "Cheap Alternative" to "Quality Choice" in overseas market - this is the fundamental reason and confidence of the International Quality Expert Team "Chasing Awards": Not because of what you said, but because in the global market, using over 20 years time, you truly achieved what.

Objectively speaking, Chery Helmsman Yin Tongyue is not only the Top Domestic Car Exporter, but also the Founder and Torchbearer Promoting Chinese Cars to the World, this honor will be written into Chinese Auto Industry Chronicles.

Hope Chery Automobiles Advance Further!

*Images in this article sourced from Internet

Focusing on Smart Cars, Assisting Key Decisions.

At last year's Tokyo Motor Show, BYD launched an all-electric K-Car model for the Japanese market, the BYD RACCO Sea Otter. Now, another Chinese automaker has set its sights on this market. According to reports, Chery recently announced it will enter the Japanese market, and the exterior of its first K-Car model was revealed simultaneously.

It is reported that Chery is entering the Japanese market through a joint venture. Chery will cooperate with four companies to establish a new EV brand, EMTA. The four companies are Jiangsu Yueda, Japanese auto parts manufacturer Autobacs Seven, Chinese battery company Gotion High-Tech, and Japanese machinery company Anest. Chery will provide platforms and drive hardware for the new brand among these.

Unlike the previous BYD situation, Chery's strategy this time is to build a brand new brand and emphasizes a Japanese brand positioning. Therefore, besides the participation of two Japanese companies, technicians from Japanese automakers such as Honda and Mazda were recruited to participate in localized development. The company CMO is Shun Uchiyama, who served at Dongfeng Nissan in the early years. At the same time, EMTA's registration location was chosen to be Singapore, which can be said to help avoid the "Made in China" label, so as to better establish in the Japanese market.

As for the first model, EMTA chose a K-Car model with distinct Japanese characteristics. The vehicle length is 3.4 meters, and it will be developed according to Japanese K-Car specifications. Currently, the new car has not been named, and more parameters are unclear. However, looking at the shareholding structure of the enterprise, we can make some guesses. The new car will adopt Chery's electric drive technology and Gotion High-Tech's batteries. Some technologies might adopt the setting of Chery's pure electric small car QQ Ice Cream. As for the two Japanese companies, Autobacs Seven is responsible for sales business, and Anest is responsible for quality management. The new car is scheduled for delivery in 2027 and will form a product matrix of four models by 2029.

However, the competition in this market is still very huge. Competitors include local hot models such as Honda N-Box, Nissan Sakura, Daihatsu Tanto, and Suzuki Hustler, of course, there is also BYD's Racco Sea Otter. K-Car models occupy one-third of Japan's car sales, and for a long time have been almost entirely occupied by Japanese local manufacturers.

BYD entered the Japanese market in 2023, but penetration progress has been very slow, perhaps this is also one of the reasons why Chery entered this time in the form of a joint venture. But whether it can skip the dilemma currently faced by BYD and achieve better results still needs the market to give the answer. For this new Chery car and the move to enter the Japanese market, we will also continue to follow closely.