2026 Chery ute confirmed for Aussie launch

Chery will launch its first ute in Australia in the second half of next year, and while multiple powertrain options remain on the table – including a plug-in hybrid diesel – a more capable off-road focused version could arrive soon after.

But it won’t offer a performance-based derivative as capable or as “wild” as the 292kW twin-turbo V6 Ford Ranger Raptor.

According to Chery officials, a sportier ute may come fitted with select off-road goodies like all-terrain rubber and higher suspension, but probably won’t get any powertrain upgrades or be as “extreme” as the Blue Oval brand’s road-going desert racer.

“It's no secret that we’ve got a ute coming in the second half of next year,” Chery Australia’s chief operating officer Lucas Harris told carsales.

“It might be, maybe not as wild as a Raptor, but it might be, you know, potentially having a specification that has slightly higher suspension and slightly more off-road orientated tyres, and some more off-road orientated features and having that sort of sporty feel to it.

“And sporty, not necessarily like a Porsche, but sporty like off-road, like how Australians kind of like to use their utes.”

Describing how quickly Chery can move – courtesy of close to 10,000 engineers in China – the brand’s engineering boss, Dr David Xianqiang Lu, told carsales the Raptor-rivalling pick up is under study.

“The [Ford Ranger] Raptor truck, we’re definitely studying now; I don’t know whether you’d say developing, but we’re studying,” he said.

“Don’t be surprised if you see that in the market in the next year or year and a half.”

Crucially, the Chery Himla ute that was unveiled at the Shanghai auto show earlier this year in left-hand drive won’t form the basis for the Aussie-bound truck which will likely launch with more than one powertrain option when it arrives next year, however, Harris said it was too early to say exactly what Australia will get.

“I would be surprised if we end up with only one powertrain option. I think it would be more.”

So far, an unusual diesel plug-in hybrid system is looking like a major contender.

“The one that sounds really interesting to me personally, is diesel PHEV,” Harris said.

“You know, if it can deliver the torque, performance for that off-road ability of a diesel, and all of the benefits of having the Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid system, I think it would be, very exciting.” 

The exec then all but confirmed the Chinese ute would come with dual-cab ute class-expectant capabilities of 3.5-tonne towing and a 1000kg payload, and that some of Chery’s most senior engineers had recently spent time in Australia to better understand why, how and where Australians use their utes.

“We were on beaches and camp trails and forests and dirt tracks; we had some vehicles under water and really gave them the opportunity to see why Australians are so crazy about utes what do they do with them,” he said.

“The main message when they left was ‘wow, now we understand the why’.

“And so, the capability and the information that’s been shared about the ute with me so far [from China], I’m really excited about.”

Harris added that a range of accessories were also on the agenda, including both factory-backed and aftermarket options, with Chery designing the ute “to ensure it works well with aftermarket products” from local 4x4 accessory specialists like ARB.

Digital images generated by AI

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