Chery New Energy

Brand Overview

"Chery New Energy" is not strictly an independent brand name, but rather a collective term for Chery Holding Group's new energy vehicle business segment—most commonly referring to the complete vehicle manufacturing operations centred on Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. in the new energy mobility space. Nevertheless, since it began operating as an independent company in 2010, Chery New Energy can still be regarded as a business unit that carried Chery's initial foray into new energy vehicles, and it continues to maintain a lineup of small pure electric products to this day.

Chery New Energy was founded in 2010, with its headquarters in Wuhu, Anhui, and is affiliated with Chery Holding Group. Within the Chery Group, it is the earliest new energy vehicle unit, primarily responsible for the development and sales of micro pure electric vehicles and pure electric sedans. Its market positioning focuses on the pure electric commuter car segment below 100,000 RMB, targeting urban short‑distance commuters. Key models include the eQ1 and QQ Ice Cream.

In April 2010, Chery New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd. was officially established, held by Chery Automobile Co., Ltd., serving as the leading enterprise for the new energy vehicle industry cluster in Anhui Province and Wuhu City. The company has an annual production capacity of 100,000 new energy passenger cars and has been recognised as a "National Torch Plan Key High‑tech Enterprise" and an "Anhui Province Specialised, Refined, Differential, and Innovation Enterprise." It also hosts the "Anhui Province New Energy Vehicle Engineering Technology Research Centre." At its inception, the brand undertook the national "863" Programme energy conservation and new energy vehicle major special project, exploring NEV development and breakthroughs in three‑electric core technologies. In terms of brand identity and communication, Chery New Energy also established an independent website and set up dedicated model pages for the "Chery eQ1" and "QQ Ice Cream Youth Edition."

Over the years, Chery New Energy's direct product line has focused on small two‑door four‑seat and four‑door four‑seat pure electric passenger cars. It coexists with other differently positioned NEV units such as iCAR, Fulwin, and Exeed New Energy, sharing the cutting‑edge technology and manufacturing capabilities of Chery Holding Group under the "Yaoguang 2025" strategy. The eQ1 and QQ Ice Cream series represent Chery's earliest urban commuter EV offerings for consumers. In recent years, to adapt to market demand for consumption upgrades, Chery New Energy has been diversifying its product range, leveraging its original strengths to expand into A0‑class and above pure electric categories, aligning with increasingly varied electric mobility scenarios.

On the leadership front, Bao Siyu replaced Yin Tongyue as Chairman of Chery New Energy Vehicle Co., Ltd. in November 2023. Zhang Hongyu previously served as legal representative and general manager, overseeing the QQ platform and small NEV products. In 2025, Zhang Hongyu was transferred to Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. as deputy general manager and general manager of the Chery Brand Domestic Business Division, primarily focusing on the QQ series and small car business.

Development History

The development history of Chery New Energy can be roughly divided into three stages: Early exploration and technology accumulation period, Independent company operation and micro-car explosion period, Multi-brand matrix strategic positioning differentiation period.

Early Exploration (1999–2010)

In 1999, when there was not even a market for new energy vehicles in China, Chery established the first "Clean Energy Vehicle Special Project Group", which was one of the earliest new energy special R&D organizations established among Chinese car companies. At the end of 2001, Chery's new energy R&D project was successfully selected for the national "863" Program. In 2003, the first new energy vehicle independently developed by Chery officially went off the production line. In 2008, Chery provided 58 hybrid sedans to the Beijing Olympic Games as service vehicles, and the energy-saving performance stood out under the technical conditions at that time. This stage's Chery was far ahead of the vast majority of Chinese independent brands in the new energy field, accumulating very early technical cognition and talent reserves for subsequent industrialization and productization. Therefore, Yin Tongyue later frankly evaluated that Chery in the new energy field was "getting up early but arriving late"..

Company Operation and Micro Pure Electric Explosion Period (2010–2018)

In April 2010, Chery New Energy Vehicle Technology Co., Ltd. was officially listed, marking that Chery New Energy officially stepped from the R&D project stage into the enterprise operation stage. The company successively built new energy vehicle exclusive production bases covering four major processes: stamping, welding, painting, and final assembly, and began launching mass-produced new energy models for the user side. In 2017, Chery New Energy launched the first forward-developed two-door four-seat pure electric car eQ1, positioned for city commuting and shared travel and other usage scenarios. Relying on product selling points such as lightweight all-aluminum body and four-wheel independent suspension, it quickly gained market recognition. Since its listing, eQ1 quickly became a popular product in the domestic pure electric car market, not only consolidating Chery's market position in the new energy micro-car field, but also contributing the most important ballast cornerstone for Chery New Energy's production and sales in the following years.

Multi-Brand Differentiation and New Energy Strategic Expansion Period (2019–2026)

Around 2020, with the full explosion of China's new energy vehicle market, Chery began to transform from a single business to a multi-brand matrix. In April 2023, Chery Group officially released a new new energy sub-brand positioned as a "Scenario Intelligent Electric Vehicle Leading Brand" — iCAR, taking the intelligent and trendy new route for young people. At the same time, "Fengyun" under Chery was upgraded from a series to an independent brand, positioning mid-to-high-end hybrid and pure electric products; Exeed brand launched "Exeed Exlantix" new energy product line; collaborated with Huawei to launch Luxeed brand. Under this multi-brand pattern, the connotation of the original "Chery New Energy" business was gradually gathered into the "Small Pure Electric Product Line" directly attributed to Chery Brand — with eQ1, QQ Ice Cream, and subsequent QQ series as the core of commuting car models. According to internal overall division of labor, after March 2025, Zhang Hongyu, originally from Xiaomi ecosystem supply chain, led by iCAR business unit of original Zhimi Technology, was transferred back and mainly responsible for Chery New Energy business segment, that is, full plan of QQ and small cars. At this point, "Chery New Energy" was clearly positioned as the commuting new energy vehicle business segment under Chery Main Brand in management and categories.

Product Lineup

Since 2023, Chery Group has comprehensively sorted out and adjusted its brands, and the new energy business has formed a "Large New Energy Matrix" structure centered on brands. The matrix focuses on multi-level battery power products and target audience coverage, mainly including: Chery Brand series with "Value" as the brand core contains Fengyun series (original Fengyun New Energy Brand) and Chery New Energy (original small pure electric car line); Jetour New Energy spectrum with "Wild" as the core tone; Exeed Brand new energy product line with "Luxury" as the tag; iCAR Brand new energy line with "Trend" as the core product concept, and Zhongheng Brand high-end luxury transverse technology route new energy models positioned for "Control" scenarios, thereby forming a complete multi-level market coverage strategy.

As the new energy passenger car segment under Chery Main Brand, "Chery New Energy" product line itself is currently centered on eQ1, QQ Ice Cream, and the new QQ series, comprehensively covering the pure electric micro-car market segment. This positioning was very clear in the early days — to create "small and refined" "small and beautiful" market categories, and explore the serialization, functional upgrade and light electric improvement of commuting electric cars. However, with competitors such as Wuling Hongguang MINI EV, Geely Panda, BYD Seagull entering the market with lower prices or higher quality-price ratio, Chery New Energy's main models have faced increasingly fierce squeeze competition in recent years.

eQ1: One of the iconic models of Chery New Energy, officially launched to the market in early 2017, it is one of the early micro pure electric cars in China to achieve full aluminum body and four-wheel independent suspension. It adopts a three-door four-seat design overall, uses rear-mounted rear-drive drive layout, and driving feedback is better than ordinary cheap commuting car models. By around 2018, eQ1 was widely used as shared cars and leasing platforms' supply cars nationwide. According to Chery public data, eQ1 had won the single product sales championship in the new energy female market for consecutive years, becoming an important leader in the process of popularizing the micro pure electric car concept. However, in 2024–2025, the micro electric car market reshaped with consumption upgrade, and eQ1's market share declined significantly, monthly sales gradually shrunk to less than two thousand units or even lower..

QQ Ice Cream: Released around Q4 2021, the design style inherits the rounded shape of the classic Chery QQ and incorporates electric design language, divided into two-door four-seat layout. QQ Ice Cream takes the route of "personalized commuting small car", and also tries to maintain product heat through youthful colors, interactive elements, and KOL-style custom visual settings, but also faced huge impact from same-level competitors after 2024, and market heat significantly declined..

QQ Dormi: An early small pure electric car located in the early derived area of "New QQ Series", due to accelerated replacement rhythm and insufficient market feedback, currently only can be queried in fewer details of the brand's on-sale, sales contribution is rather meager.

New QQ3: The New QQ3 is a product of Chery Automobile mobilizing top-level complete vehicle design capability to revitalize the QQ IP, built with pure electric drive to create an advanced version of classic design. It was exhibited at major auto shows in the second half of 2025 in concept and pre-production status, adopting internal and external design blending nostalgia and technology, striving to absorb the attention of 70s, 80s users and young consumption groups buying cars for the first time..

Market Performance

In 2025, Chery Holding Group's total new energy sales reached approximately 903,800 units, a year‑on‑year increase of 54.9%. New energy models launched during the year accounted for over 90% of total NEV sales, pushing the group's new energy business into the industry's top tier.

Chery Automobile Co., Ltd.'s new energy passenger vehicle sales in 2025 stood at 826,500 units, up 72.5% year‑on‑year. New energy revenue reached 9.8023 billion RMB, increasing its share of group total revenue from 21.9% to 32.6%, while new energy gross margin jumped to 8.8%—marking a leap from "scale expansion" to "profit growth."

However, beneath these headline numbers, the small pure electric segment—represented by "Chery New Energy" in the narrower sense—did not enjoy the same level of growth. In 2025, the eQ1 sold approximately 21,900 units for the year, while the QQ Ice Cream sold about 29,800 units. Together, they accounted for roughly 51,700 units—just 5% of the group's total NEV sales of over 900,000 units.

This contrast reflects the intense saturation and competition in the current micro EV market. Between 2019 and 2022, the eQ1 and QQ Ice Cream were once "cash cows" and the sales backbone of Chery New Energy. However, amid consumption upgrades, the emergence of upward‑positioned A0‑class and small crossover EV products—such as the Wuling Bingo, BYD Seagull, and Geely Star Wish—alongside shrinking profit margins and user stickiness in the micro‑car segment, have eroded the eQ1's standing. The eQ1 had advantages around 2022 with its all‑aluminium body and four‑wheel independent suspension, but as time passed and cost pressures tightened, its pricing relative to mainstream competitors became less favourable. Combined with a weak brand image and lacklustre intelligent features, the eQ1 and Ice Cream series have continued to lose market share. In January 2026, Chery New Energy's total brand sales stood at just 849 units, a year‑on‑year decline of 78.9%. The eQ1 alone sold only 192 units in January 2026—a sharp drop from its 2025 monthly average of one to two thousand units.

The QQ Ice Cream also struggled. In November 2025, even with local policy promotions, it managed only around 2,322 units. Against the class leader, the Hongguang MINI EV—which moves tens of thousands of units per month—the QQ Ice Cream's volume of less than 20% of its rival's reflects a clear disadvantage in pricing and marketing.

To reverse the downturn, Chery launched a facelifted QQ Ice Cream on January 10, 2026, with new design modifications and four new variants: Queen Edition, Racing Edition, Sweet Interest Edition, and British Edition. The CLTC pure electric range increased from 205 km to 220 km, with the addition of 22 kW AC fast charging and multiple comfort features. The full‑lineup selling price was lowered to a range of 43,900–49,900 RMB.

These product improvements are expected to somewhat rebuild the QQ Ice Cream's appeal in the entry‑level commuter market in 2026.

Core Competitiveness

Chery New Energy's competitive foundation is closely tied to the R&D platforms and systems of the broader Chery Holding Group. Since the launch of the "Yaoguang 2025" strategy in 2022, Chery has built five core technology pillars—Mars Architecture, Kunpeng Power, Lingxi Intelligent Cockpit, Falcon Smart Driving, and Galaxy Ecology—with plans to invest 100 billion RMB in new energy and intelligent technology R&D over five years.

For Chery New Energy's pure electric micro‑car lineup, the most direct technological empowerment comes from Kunpeng Power and Chery's independently developed battery systems.

In battery technology, Chery New Energy's mainstream models are generally equipped with LFP battery packs from suppliers such as FinDreams Battery, and have fully adopted the battery safety standards of Chery's latest self‑developed "Rhinoceros Battery" technology. The Rhinoceros Battery represents Chery's core breakthrough in cell safety, energy density, and full‑lifecycle health management. According to technical indicators released at the 2026 Chery Battery Night, the Rhinoceros Battery supports fast replenishment under a maximum charging power of 1,200 kW, delivering 500 km or more of range in just eight minutes of charging, with a cycle life of up to 5,000 cycles—far exceeding vehicle lifecycle requirements.

Combined with the Rhinoceros Battery 360‑degree safety defence system—including positive/negative electrode and separator module thermal protection, plus high‑spec chassis intrusion protection—the entire vehicle meets extreme scenario test conditions such as high temperatures of 55°C, low temperatures of -40°C, high‑speed collisions, and water immersion.

In addition, semi‑solid lithium‑ion batteries have completed pre‑mass‑production verification within the Chery system, while all‑solid‑state batteries with energy density as high as 600 Wh/kg are undergoing continuous vehicle‑level testing. Fast‑charging validation prototypes are expected to be developed in 2027, with gradual market introduction in subsequent stages. The micro‑car line is benefiting from shared technology dividends in battery safety and overall vehicle reliability.

In the electric drive system and vehicle integration space, Chery New Energy is exploring a strategy of miniaturisation and lightweighting for front‑mounted drive motors, combined with all‑aluminium space architecture and lightweight fastening patents, effectively reducing overall vehicle weight to improve energy efficiency. While Chery's Kunpeng Power hybrid and electric drive technologies are currently more widely used in mid‑to‑high‑end models such as the Fulwin and Exeed, their underlying high‑integration design, thermal management algorithms, and domain control features will also gradually enter the new energy micro‑car segment through small‑batch technology iteration, further improving energy consumption control and driving smoothness.

In the intelligent cockpit and smart driving space, Chery New Energy started later than some traditional competitors, but has gradually increased its configuration intensity on facelifted models. The eQ1 Smart Driving Edition and other 2025 models introduced active safety assistance features to the 60,000‑yuan‑class micro‑EV segment for the first time.

In addition, the Falcon Smart Driving multi‑modal large model and end‑to‑end AI driving decision system have been validated with extensive real‑world data. Among its features, the Level 2+ defensive driving function can intervene early to avoid potential hazards, reacting approximately 42% faster than the average driver.

Meanwhile, the Lingxi Intelligent Cockpit's multi‑modal perception assistant has been partially equipped on Chery New Energy facelift models and the new QQ series. These technological advances not only reinforce Chery New Energy's user base in commuting scenarios but also help the brand gradually move from low‑level EVs toward more intelligent and personalised directions, continually expanding the product white space for mid‑range family EVs above entry‑level commuter models.

Global Footprint

While Chery New Energy's overseas sales are primarily counted within Chery Group's overall export figures, the group's export scale and global market penetration by 2025 form the solid foundation supporting "Chery New Energy's" technology iteration and systematic internationalisation.

In 2025, Chery Automobile exported approximately 1.2944 million units for the full year, a year‑on‑year increase of 33.2%, marking the 23rd consecutive year as China's top passenger vehicle exporter. Overseas revenue reached 157.42 billion RMB, accounting for 52.4% of total revenue—exceeding domestic share for the first time. In other words, Chery has not only cemented its position as an export leader but has also become a passenger car group where overseas income surpasses local revenue.

Among these, new energy model exports grew by over 500% year‑on‑year.

By the end of 2025, Chery products had successfully entered 16 European markets, including the UK, Spain, and Italy, with full‑year sales growth in the European region exceeding 200% year‑on‑year.

These internationalisation achievements were largely accomplished through the collaborative efforts of the Fulwin series, Exeed, Jetour, iCAR, and other brands within the Chery system. Chery New Energy itself did not directly bear primary responsibility for overseas retail development.

On the vehicle manufacturing localisation and cooperation front, Chery's EBRO project in Spain has drawn widespread praise globally as a model of "Sino‑Spanish cooperation." Meanwhile, Chery South Africa has reached an agreement with Nissan to acquire the latter's Pretoria Rosslyn manufacturing plant assets, accelerating local production plans.

As of the end of 2025, Chery's overseas non‑current assets surged more than 40% year‑on‑year, reflecting the deepening integration of the group's global production and supply chain back end, which will continue to drive further expansion. Additionally, new energy products such as the all‑electric OMODA 5 and the hybrid JAECOO 7 have been launched for Southeast Asian and European markets. New energy brands like iCAR are also expected to leverage the core competitive advantage of right‑hand drive markets to unlock further growth. While Chery New Energy does not play a prominent direct export role, its micro‑EV product line is gradually participating in the group's overseas technology output and market exploration strategy through brand, technology, quality, and fleet management synergies.