RIICH

From 2005 to 2009, Chery initially achieved success in the sedan field, with the Chery QQ becoming popular nationwide. To break through the "cheap transportation" perception ceiling, Chery invested significant funds in technology and R&D to build momentum for its upward climb, planning to enter the mid-to-high-end market. On 19 March 2009, Chery officially launched the mid-to-high-end passenger car brand "RIICH" in Wuhu, Anhui, with the versatile commercial vehicle brand "Rely" launched simultaneously. Thus, Chery Automobile formed four major brands: the sedan brand Chery, the mid-to-high-end brands RIICH and Rely, and the micro-car brand Karry.

In April of the same year, RIICH's first micro-car, the M1, officially launched at the Shanghai Auto Show, priced from 38,800 to 66,800 RMB, entering the public eye for the first time through an independent sales channel. In June 2009, RIICH announced the hiring of international star Messi as its global brand ambassador. On 13 October of the same year, Chery held extreme pre-launch tests for the RIICH G5 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany, finishing with a lap time of 8 minutes 56.81 seconds, becoming the first Chinese B-segment car to challenge the Nürburgring circuit and obtain official lap-time recognition. The G5 officially launched in the Chinese market at the end of that year, equipped with Chery's first 2.0T turbocharged engine, priced from 142,800 to 179,800 RMB. At the end of the same year, the city mini SUV RIICH X1 officially launched, priced from 52,800 to 67,800 RMB.

In April 2010, the RIICH M5 launched, positioned as a micro MPV, priced from 48,800 to 62,800 RMB. In August 2010, the RIICH brand flagship model, the G6, was originally planned for launch, with the overall body exterior designed by Italdesign, chassis tuned by Britain's Lotus, a body length of over 4.9 metres, and a wheelbase of up to 2,820 mm, with target competitors being the Passat, Camry, and Accord. However, owing to slow progress in the product line, the G6 was repeatedly delayed and did not officially launch until 2011, equipped with a 2.0T engine. In July, the economy sedan RIICH G3 launched, priced from 69,800 to 96,800 RMB.

Product Lineup

The RIICH brand product system was centred on sedans and Cross small crossover cars, covering the full range of the passenger car market, from A00 micro-cars to B-segment mid-to-large sedans.

M Series – Compact Car Family. The RIICH M1 was the brand's first launch model, debuting at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2009, positioned as an A00 micro-car, with body dimensions of 3601×1587×1527 mm, equipped with 1.0L and 1.3L engines, priced from 38,800 to 66,800 RMB. The M1 took intelligent digital driving control as its key selling point, equipped with an intelligent driving information integrated display system "DSS," with higher configurations in the micro-car market. The RIICH M5 launched in April 2010, positioned as a micro MPV, with a guide price of 48,800 to 62,800 RMB, all series equipped with 1.3L engines, with a lengthened wheelbase compared to the M1. The RIICH M1 Pure Electric Version was one of Chery's early electrification vehicle development plans, displayed in limited quantities, equipped with a 336V high-voltage battery pack and a permanent magnet synchronous motor, with a range of approximately 80 km.

X Series – Crossover Models. The RIICH X1 was the most representative small SUV of the RIICH brand, launched in November 2009, positioned as a city mini SUV, with body dimensions of 3866×1622×1638 mm, a wheelbase of 2,330 mm, and a minimum ground clearance of 180 mm. The powertrain was successively equipped with ACTECO 1.3L and 1.5L engines, among which the 2012 1.5L model won the national "Top Ten Engines" title. It once served as a core sales pillar under the RIICH brand.

G Series – Mid-to-High-End Sedan Family. The RIICH G3 was the compact three-box sedan of the RIICH brand, launched in July 2011, sharing a platform with the Chery E5, with a wheelbase of 2,610 mm, equipped with a 1.6L DVVT second-generation ACTECO engine, priced from 69,800 to 96,800 RMB. The RIICH G5 was one of the brand's most classic sedans, launched at the end of 2009, positioned as a mid-size car, with body dimensions of 4717×1794×1473 mm and a wheelbase of 2,700 mm. It was equipped with Chery's first 2.0T turbocharged engine (ACTECO 2.0TCI), with maximum power of 125kW/5500rpm and maximum torque of 235 N·m, mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. The G5's chassis was tuned by Britain's Lotus, priced from 142,800 to 179,800 RMB. The RIICH G6 was the highest-end sedan positioned by the RIICH brand, developed in co-operation between Chery and US Quantum Company at the beginning of product development, with a body length of over 4.9 metres and a wheelbase of 2,820 mm. All series were equipped with Chery's self-developed 2.0T engine (the planned 3.0L V6 version for 2022 was not mass-produced), priced from 220,000 to 260,000 RMB, and was delayed until 2011 before finally launching.

Market Performance

The RIICH brand experienced long-term low sales from its establishment, surviving for fewer than four years. At the brand's launch, Chery set a target of starting at 80,000 units annually for RIICH. However, in actual operation, RIICH only had low-priced micro-cars like the M1 and X1 contributing a very small number of monthly sales over 1,000 units. Although M1 sales were relatively the highest, its unit price was far from sufficient to support the brand positioning. After mid-2010, RIICH brand monthly total sales once dropped to only 200 to 300 units; in H1 2011, Chery Company's total sales were only 25,000 units, and the highest monthly sales never exceeded 5,000 units. Among these, the flagship G5 series sold extremely poorly, with only 536 units sold from January to April 2012, and only slightly over 1,200 units sold in the two years since launch. The first batch of RIICH G6 owners were mostly procured through marketing to government and group customers, with only slightly over 200 units sold in the first batch of the first year, failing to fulfil Chery's fundamental goal of opening up the high-end market.

Core Technologies

The RIICH brand demonstrated its technical investment in powertrain and chassis handling early after its establishment. In terms of powertrain technology, all RIICH series models were equipped with ACTECO series engines jointly developed by Chery and Austria's AVL company—the first high-performance engine brand in China with complete independent intellectual property rights. The G5 was equipped with the 2.0TCI engine, Chery's first turbocharged model, with maximum power of 125kW; the G3 was equipped with the 1.6L DVVT second-generation ACTECO model; and the ACTECO 1.5L engine equipped on the X1 once won the national "Top Ten Engines" title, with maximum power of 80kW. In terms of chassis and handling technology, the G5 adopted a front double-wishbone independent + rear multi-link independent structure, with the chassis professionally tuned by Britain's Lotus. The CDC adaptive suspension system was applied for the first time on the flagship model G6, greatly improving comfort and driving stability. In terms of vehicle design and development, the G6's exterior was completed by Italy's Italdesign, and its air conditioning system was developed by Korea's Mando. In addition, RIICH had already laid out pre-research for pure electric powertrains, releasing concept models such as the M1 Pure Electric Version with a range of approximately 80 km, providing early technical accumulation for Chery's subsequent new energy vehicle development. Chery invested over a decade of technical reserves and forward R&D within the RIICH brand lifecycle, but, constrained by market acceptance at the time, its advanced configurations failed to translate into influence.

Global Footprint

At the beginning of the RIICH brand's establishment, it not only completed the first batch of export orders to China, the Middle East, South America, and other emerging markets but also shouldered the primary task of Chinese brands selling overseas. The RIICH G6 was initially developed in co-operation between Chery and US Quantum Company, setting the model positioning for European export from the beginning of R&D. The RIICH G5 successfully challenged the European Nürburgring circuit, raising hopes for expansion in the overseas market. At the terminal retail level, the RIICH M5, X1, and other models were exported to Southeast Asia, South America, and other regions early on, also entering the African market. However, owing to brand positioning and channel construction being unable to form stable demand within the global market, overseas business shrank rapidly. As of December 2012, RIICH G5 sales in the overseas market had only accumulated to slightly over 3,500 units, with the overseas sales share falling far below Chery's internal expectations. The last batch of RIICH overseas export business ceased sales in sync with the brand, and the overseas sales team specialising in RIICH export business shrank significantly.

Future Outlook

Since the RIICH brand faded out, Chery Automobile has successively launched two major brands, Qoros and Exeed. RIICH has long become a historical symbol of Chery's exploration of brand upward movement, but no longer has any possibility of returning to the market. As of early 2026, Chery has invested all its high-end resources into the Exeed brand and its high-end sub-brand Sterra, and has co-operated with Huawei to create the Luxeed brand, collaborating and developing in multiple fields such as extended-range, pure electric, and high-level intelligent driving. RIICH's significance in Chinese automotive history lies not only in its being the first systematic attempt by an independent brand to break out upwards, but also in the fact that it revealed the volatility and challenges of the market environment for early independent brands seeking to move upmarket—with relatively conservative price positioning, insufficient brand premium, and the absence of the key period of new energy transformation—providing extremely valuable early technical and brand-operation samples for domestic cars striving towards the high end.