What is Chery?
You may have lost count of the number of new Chinese car firms coming to the UK.
In the last couple of years, we’ve seen no more than 17 new car manufacturers, with one of those being Chery, which could be the carmaker to watch out for.
Chery has just started selling cars in the UK, but that doesn’t mean it’s a new company. In fact, Chery is one of China’s oldest, richest and largest automobile manufacturers.
So, if you’re thinking about buying a Chery, what else do you need to know about this rapidly-expanding company?
How big is Chery?
Chery was founded in 1997 in Wuhu, China. It’s currently the fourth largest automobile manufacturer in its hometown and sold 2.7 million vehicles last year.
Chery launched its first car in 1999, which was called the Fengyun. It was a compact four-door saloon that was built in conjunction with the Spanish firm, Seat. It used a chassis from the Seat Toledo and sat on the Volkswagen Group ‘A2’ platform.
Throughout the 2000s, Chery began to grow, launching its compact QQ supermini in 2003. By 2009, the firm had produced more than 500,000 vehicles and was starting to invest in joint partnerships with other car manufacturers from around the world.
In 2012, Chery struck a deal with Jaguar Land Rover to allow the British firm to produce Jaguar and Land Rover products in China.
When it comes to electrification, Chery produced its first EV in 2009, which was an electric version of its QQ compact car, while the Chery eQ arrived in 2014, followed by the eQ1 in 2016.
Fast forward to 2025, and Chery is now the fourth largest car manufacturer in China, with its multi-brand strategy enabling the brand to develop different vehicles under different company names for export purposes.
What cars does it sell in the UK?
The UK market currently gets three flavours of Chery models. The first is the Tiggo 7, which is a five-seat SUV that rivals the likes of the Dacia Bigster and MG HS.
It’s available with a choice of two powertrains. The first is a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that develops 145bhp and 275Nm of torque. All cars come equipped with a seven-speed automatic gearbox and the manufacturer claims the car with this setup can achieve up to 40.3mpg on the combined cycle.
There is also a plug-in hybrid model, which is named the ‘Super Hybrid’ and it’s equipped with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to an electric motor and 18.4kWh battery pack. In terms of numbers, the car can travel a claimed 56 miles on electric power and can achieve 235mpg.
Next up is the Tiggo 8, which is a seven-seat SUV that competes against the Hyundai Santa Fe and Skoda Kodiaq. It is also equipped with a choice of petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The petrol is the same unit found in the Tiggo 7, which means it produces 145bhp and 275Nm of torque, while Chery claims the car can achieve 36.2mpg. The plug-in hybrid is also the same found in its smaller brother, featuring a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol mated to an electric motor and 18.4kWh battery which can take the car a claimed 56 miles on electric power.
Sitting at the top of the firm’s model line-up is the Tiggo 9 which is a seven-seat plug-in hybrid-only SUV that will be launched later this year.
It comes fitted with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine coupled with an electric motor and 34.46kWh battery, which produces a total of 422bhp and 580Nm of torque, while the car can manage a claimed 91 miles on electric power alone.
What other companies fall under the Chery name?
As part of Chery’s ‘multi-brand’ strategy, the company currently has nine other active car brands selling vehicles across the globe including the Chery brand itself, Exeed, Lepas, Luxeed, Jetour, iCar, Karry, Omoda and Jaecoo.
For British buyers, though, Omoda and Jaecoo are the most important as they fall under Chery’s ‘export strategy’, which allows the firm to sell Chery vehicles outside of China under different names in Europe.
Omoda and Jaecoo launched in the UK last year. Omoda focuses on offering sporty coupe-esque SUVs at affordable prices, while Jaecoo is the more premium side, offering luxurious SUVs that still represent great value for money.
Omoda sells the 5 and E5 SUVs, with the 5 fitted with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, while the E5 is the electric model and comes equipped with a 61kWh battery and an electric motor that can travel a claimed 257 miles on a single charge.
Then, there is the Omoda 9 SUV, which is the firm’s flagship model. It’s fitted as standard with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, benefitting from a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to an electric motor and 34.46kWh battery pack, which Omoda claims can take the car up to 93 miles on electric power.
You’ve then got Jaecoo’s 5 and 7 models, which both offer a high level of standard equipment for a price which undercuts many key rivals.
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