Chery is set to launch its Jaecoo SUV brand Down Under in early 2025, but the Chinese carmaker has no plans to launch any further brands over the next 12 months.
Compared to Chery, Jaecoo is geared towards more upmarket, go-anywhere SUVs, and the boxy J7 will arrive in Australia during the first quarter of 2025. It’ll be followed by two other vehicles.
Jaecoo will be the first Chery sub-brand launched in Australia, although the Omoda nameplate is used as a sub-brand in other export markets.
Chery also has the separate Jetour and Exeed brands in markets such as China.
However, Chery Australia Chief Operating Officer, Lucas Harris says that there’s no rush to expand the local offering beyond Chery and Jaecoo branded models.
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Jaecoo J7
“For the foreseeable future we’re going to have Chery, and Jaecoo is coming in Q1 next year. That’s enough for us at this stage, we need to give those brands some air and room to breathe so they can do what they need to do,” Mr Harris told CarExpert.
In terms of brand placement, Chery’s namesake brand sits below Jetour and the more premium Exeed, both of which were established in the mid-2010s and sell vehicles not only in China but also in various Middle Eastern and Latin American markets.
By the end of this year, four Chery model ranges will be available in Australia, all SUVs: the Tiggo 4 Pro, Omoda 5 (including the upcoming electric E5), Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro Max.
While Jetour also specialises in SUVs, Exeed manufactures the Sterra ES luxury sedan alongside its line of larger family vehicles.
Asked if there was a willingness to offer Australian customers a vehicle such as the Sterra ES, Mr Harris reiterated that Chery is focused on its SUV model lines for now.
Exeed Sterra ES
“SUVs are where a lot brands are living at the moment and I don’t see it being much different for us,” Mr Harris said.
“I wouldn’t say that we’re not interested. It’s more about timing. We’ve got a lot of models, six plus three from Jaecoo next year, so I think we need to focus on getting those models established and working nicely, making sure that our dealers are well oiled and running really efficiently, and we’re doing a good job of looking after customers.
“I think that’s probably enough models to do that with. Once we get good at that, then we’ll start looking at what other models we can bring.”
Chery is set to tick off a milestone in Australia by kicking off deliveries of the Omoda E5, the carmaker’s first electric vehicle (EV) to be sold Down Under. It’s also launching the Tiggo 4 Pro small SUV later this year, rounding out the lineup.
Mr Zhang Guibing, executive vice president of Chery global, previously told CarExpert of plans to add Exeed to the mix in Australia.
“We’ll also have some other different brands [in Australia], such as Jaecoo or Exeed, some different brands [with] different customer targets,” Mr Zhang said in August.
Chery Omoda E5
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