Chery's 20 Million Milestone: From "Grass Hut" to a Global Ecosystem Fleet

On July 25, 2026, Chengdu Science Fiction Hall. Chery Group's global cumulative total vehicle sales broke through 20 million units, and this 20 millionth unit delivered was exactly Chery's "First-generation IP" — Fengyun. From the first "Fengyun" coming off the line in Wuhu in December 1999 to the delivery of the Fengyun A9 as the 20 millionth unit in 2026, Chery completed a highly symbolic loop over 29 years.

"After 20 million units, we will no longer participate in involution." The weight of this statement by Chery Automobile Chairman Yin Tongyue can only be truly understood when placed within Chery's 29-year entrepreneurial coordinate system.

 

· From "Grass Hut" to 20 Million: A Turnaround Curve of Independent R&D

In March 1997, Chery's "Engine Plant No. 1" broke ground on a barren beach north of Wuhu City, driving the first stake. At that time, two sentences circulated in the Chinese auto industry: "Without joint ventures, there is no way out; without a scale of over a million units, do not talk about independent R&D."

 

Chery simply refused to believe this. In May 1999, the first independently developed engine fired successfully on the first attempt, breaking the prejudice that "Chinese people cannot make independent engines"; in December 1999, the No. 000001 "Fengyun" sedan rolled off the line, starting the "from 0 to 1" of independent car making; in October 2001, the first batch of 10 Fengyuns were exported to Syria via Tianjin Port, starting the precedent of mass export of Chinese sedans; in August 2007, the 1 millionth vehicle came off the line, becoming the first independent brand to cross the "million-unit threshold"; in December 2015, the 5 millionth vehicle came off the line; in 2025, Chery listed on the HKEX; on July 25, 2026, global cumulative sales exceeded 20 million units.

From taking 16 years for the first 5 million units to less than 3 years for the third 5 million units—the steepening of the sales curve reflects a trajectory of the technical system leaping from following to leading. Nowadays, Chery's technical reserves extend to multiple cutting-edge fields such as cells, chips, intelligent driving, solid-state batteries, flying cars, and humanoid robots; the "joint venture fate theory" and "scale threshold theory" crumble before tangible development results.

 

· Whole Vehicles and Parts: A Global Competitiveness Sample of Wuhu's "Auto City"

In 2001, the first batch of 10 Fengyun sedans from Chery were exported to the Middle East. 25 years later today, Chery's cumulative exports have approached 7 million units, ranking first in China for 23 consecutive years in passenger car brand exports, with overseas users exceeding 6.23 million.

 

But Chery's "whole vehicle" story has never been fighting alone. In Wuhu, Anhui, Chery has driven nearly 4,000 parts supporting enterprises to form an automotive industry cluster with global competitiveness. From the ACTECO series engines to Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT), from the "Kunpeng Power CHERY POWER" full-domain power architecture to the full-function hybrid configuration DHT, Chery possesses production capabilities for powertrains with fully independent intellectual property rights.

 

More worthy of mention is that Chery is also at the forefront of parts exports — in March 2006, the first batch of Chery engines were exported to the United States, pioneering the reverse entry of China's core auto parts into the European and American markets. This dual-line export path of "whole vehicles + parts" is the key background distinguishing Chery from other independent brands.

 

· Finance and Capital: "Ammunition Restructuring" After HKEX Listing

In 2025, Chery listed on the HKEX, a key leap in Chery's development history. From independent entrepreneurship to an industrial financial group ringing the bell at the HKEX, Chery's capital operation capabilities themselves are a sample of the maturity of China's automotive industry.

 

Yin Tongyue clearly stated that the funds raised from the HKEX listing are mainly used for R&D, overseas business, and investment layouts targeting future mobility, focusing on four major sectors: electrification, intelligence, AI, and lightweighting. This marks Chery's shift from "self-sustaining" to a new stage of dual-wheel drive of "industrial capital + financial capital".

 

· Intelligent Technology and Humanoid Robots: Chery's "Second Stake"

On March 18, 2025, at the Chery Intelligent Strategy Conference, Yin Tongyue made a statement repeatedly quoted in the industry: "28 years ago we drove the first stake for building the factory; today we must drive the second stake — the stake for AI intelligence."

 

Eagle Intelligent Driving achieved full brand and model coverage in 2025; the first mass-produced end-to-end L4 intelligent driving system "Eagle Robocar" has been unveiled; Mo-Jia Humanoid Robots, Chery layouts in the humanoid robot field, extending from making cars to making robots; during the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, deep strategic cooperation was reached with NVIDIA (Intelligent Driving Computing Power), Bosch (Electrical Architecture), Qualcomm (Cockpit Chips), Volcengine (Cloud Large Model), CATL (Energy Supplement Network), shifting from "Client-Contractor" to "Joint Definition".

 

· Ecosystem Export: From "Selling Cars" to "Becoming a Local Member"

In the first half of 2026, Chery Group exported 943,800 units, a year-on-year surge of 71.5%, breaking China's car company monthly export records for four consecutive months, with one Chery vehicle shipping overseas every 17 seconds on average. But behind the numbers, what deserves to be written is the iteration of Chery's export philosophy — "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere" (Wherever, For wherever, Be a local member).

 

First is R&D localization. Building a global "1+7+N" collaborative innovation network, 8 major global R&D centers; in April 2026, the first overseas regional operation center in Barcelona, Spain was launched, with the Spanish Research Institute started simultaneously. Second is manufacturing localization. Cooperation with Spanish EV MOTORS to revive the EBRO brand; South Africa localization production project expected to launch the first model in 2027. Then is talent localization. International talent employees exceed 20,000, localization staff ratio reaches 85%. Finally is market premiumization. Chery has entered 18 European national markets, Q1 2026 European export volume 90,579 units, year-on-year growth 170%; Jaecoo brand became the fastest-growing car brand in the UK in 2025 over the past ten years.

 

True globalization is by no means simply product export, but the full ecosystem integration of "R&D, Manufacturing, Brand, Culture". Chery is moving from "Trade Export" to "Ecosystem Rooting" — this is the latest footnote Yin Tongyue wrote for globalization.

 

· Social Responsibility: Treating ESG as a "Required Course" for Globalization

In the "Chery Automobile 2025 ESG Report", Chery clearly proposed the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2037 and carbon neutrality in the entire value chain by 2047. Currently, the proportion of green electricity in Chery's vehicle base exceeds 52%, and independently developed recycled low-carbon aluminum alloy technology can significantly reduce carbon emissions over the full life cycle.

 

Even warmer is Chery's "Business for Good". Renewed global cooperation with UNICEF, pledging to continue investing $6 million to promote global education progress; previous cooperation has helped nearly 40 million teenagers worldwide access quality education; Cooperated with IUCN to carry out Spain Marine Ecological Restoration and Malaysia Mangrove Protection projects; In 2024, partnered with 10 core suppliers to release the "Chery Automobile Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative", included in "Fortune" "China ESG Impact List" for two consecutive years, and became the only automotive enterprise selected in the "2024-2025 Forbes China Sustainable Development Industrial Enterprise" selection.

 

As Yin Tongyue said, Chery's globalization insight is — "Go to places others cannot go, dare not go, and are unwilling to go". And this long-termism has also earned the two-way rush of "Going wherever, creating value for the locals".

 

In 2027, Chery will welcome its "30th Anniversary". From the first Fengyun coming off the line in 1999 to the delivery of the Fengyun A9 as the 20 millionth unit in 2026 — this "Long-range smart and beautiful pure electric coupe" carries Chery's first-generation global model iteration upgrade results, and is also the new starting point for Chery's "Setting off towards beauty". It completely completes the Fengyun New Energy Series Plug-in Hybrid, Extended Range, Pure Electric three major power routes, marking the full implementation of Chery Electrification 2.0.

 

29 years, Chery stepped precisely on the two major historical turning points of China's automotive industry from "Market for Technology" to "Technology Export", from "Product Export" to "Ecosystem Export". 20 million units is not the end, but a brand new starting line for Chery to move from "China's Automobiles" to "Global Automobiles".