1. "Golden September" Loses Luster, Passenger Car Retail Decline Widens Further

Latest data released by the China Passenger Car Association shows that passenger car retail sales nationwide reached 1.618 million units in September, down 28.0% year-on-year and up 5.0% month-on-month. Among them, the new energy vehicle market retail reached 1.084 million units, down 16.7% year-on-year and up 7.8% month-on-month. Among the top 10 retailers in September, BYD remained at the top with 247,000 units. Geely and Chery ranked second and third with 177,000 units and 86,000 units respectively. Following in order were Changan (82,000 units), Leapmotor (78,000 units), FAW-Volkswagen (77,000 units), Tesla China (65,000 units), SAIC-GM-Wuling (61,000 units), FAW-Toyota (61,000 units), and SAIC-Volkswagen (59,000 units). Among the top 10, Leapmotor had the largest year-on-year increase at 30.8%, and was the only manufacturer to achieve positive growth; FAW-Volkswagen had the largest decline, down 44.6% year-on-year.

The China Passenger Car Association stated that the September passenger car market exhibited five characteristics: First, total volume faced deep year-on-year pressure with limited month-on-month recovery, structural differentiation reached an extreme, and "accelerated shrinkage of fuel vehicles, resilient leadership of new energy" became the main line, with high oil prices accelerating "fuel-electric substitution"; Second, the entire line of fuel vehicles contracted, pure fuel vehicle retail nearly halved, while plug-in hybrid models were relatively resilient; Third, new energy penetration rate reached a new high, with retail penetration rate at 67.0% and wholesale penetration rate at 65.4%, both setting historical records, but growth rate slowed significantly compared to earlier periods; Fourth, exports surpassed domestic demand, with some automakers exporting over 50%, and manufacturers with exports accounting for 70% of their total volume are increasing rapidly, becoming the core driver for automaker growth; Fifth, industry inventory continued to remain low, dealers became more cautious in stocking up, and generally reported that the "Golden September, Silver October" peak season effect was weaker than in previous years. However, the China Passenger Car Association emphasized that the current downturn is a phased phenomenon caused by the superposition of short-term policy disturbance and high base, not the peak of the basic situation of automotive popularization, and there is still broad space for first-purchase demand in lower-tier county areas.

2. Large 3-Row SUVs Start to Clear Out

The fierce battle in the large 3-row SUV market has lasted two years and is gradually nearing its end. Starting from 2025, "5326" SUVs (vehicle length approx. 5 meters, wheelbase approx. 3 meters, width approx. 2 meters, 6-seat/7-seat) began to emerge in clusters, including several large flagship SUVs with lengths exceeding 5.2 meters. The result of gathering updates must be cruel homogenized competition; Nio Li Bin once explicitly stated: "The supply of large 3-row definitely must be oversupplied." China Automobile Dealers Association expert Li Yanwei judged that the real annual demand for this market is about 300,000 to 500,000 units, but the potential total supply capacity has already easily exceeded 1 million units, and those that can build a stable monthly sales scale of over 3,000 units within 12 months of launch are expected not to exceed 8 models. The market will enter a clearing cycle from the second half of 2026 to the first half of 2027. The intensity of competition at present can already validate this. According to incomplete statistics, at least 36 large 3-row SUVs have been launched or updated so far in 2025, with price ranges extending from the 100,000 level to the 600,000 level, and new energy proportion exceeding 90%.

Data shows that in the first half of 2026, mid-to-large SUV sales reached 880,000 units, up 28% year-on-year; large SUV sales were 350,000 units, up 97% year-on-year, becoming a rare incremental highland in the stock market. But the dividends were not universal. Taking August 2026 as an example, Nio ES8 (10,991 units) and AITO M9 (10,098 units) were the only large SUVs with monthly sales over 10,000; the second tier dropped to the 6,000 unit level, including BYD Tang (7,796 units), Huajing S (7,306 units), Xpeng GX (7,002 units), Nio ES9 (6,474 units), Leapmotor D19 (6,034 units), etc. Most other models were below 3,000 units, with more 10 models with monthly sales under 1,000, such as Volkswagen Teramont Pro (454 units), IM LS9 (625 units), Voyah Taishan (274 units), Hyundai Palisade (34 units), Cadillac KeWeide (13 units), etc. More worth paying attention to than single-month rankings are the sales curves after new product launch. Currently, only Nio ES8, AITO M9, Galaxy M9 and a few other models have maintained relatively stable long-term output. The vast majority of 6-seater vehicle lifecycles present a "high start, low walk" feature. Many models have halved their sales 3-6 months after launch, deeply trapped in the "New Car Effect Death Valley".

3. Chinese Brands Turn the Tables at Paris Motor Show

The Paris Motor Show, which has been shrouded in a century of gasoline scent, is now becoming a transfer desk for two generations of automobile kingdoms. Before the curtain of the 91st Paris Motor Show opened, a set of exhibition data already shook the global automotive industry. 22 Chinese complete vehicle brands took the stage of this motor show. This number is more than double that of last year's 2024 motor show, even exceeding the sum of French domestic 10 and German 7 exhibiting brands. Old veterans like BYD, Chery, Leapmotor, and Xpeng who have already established a foothold in the European market held the fort. New faces like Changan, Avatr, and Li Auto who had never appeared publicly in Europe before placed their exhibition stands in front of Paris audiences for the first time. Chinese automakers have already become one of the unquestionable protagonists of this motor show.

On one side, traditional automotive players like BMW, Porsche, and Nissan announced their absence one after another. On the other side, 20+ Chinese brands with completely new models appeared densely, turning the motor show into their own main stage to display globalized results. Between this entry and that retreat, it reflects the alternation of old and new orders in the global automotive industry. The latest data from research institutions shows that in the second quarter of 2026, the share of Chinese brands in the entire European automotive market reached 10.7%, almost doubling from 5.7% a year ago. The market penetration rate that Toyota and Honda took nearly a decade to get in previous years, Chinese automakers completed the leap in less than half the time. In the fastest-growing plug-in hybrid track, the advantage of Chinese brands is more obvious. They have already taken more than 26% of the Western Europe PHEV market share. Just two years ago, this number was only 2.2%.

4. Avatr T09 Global Debut

Avatr's new flagship model T09 Concept version completed its global debut in Paris, France. The mass-produced version is planned to launch this year, with an expected price exceeding 500,000 Yuan. In terms of appearance, the square body and straight lines completely abandon the fastback coupe style of the 11 and 12 series. The front grille adopts a 3D embossed structure, formed by 362 brand identifier elements of different 3D heights; the clamshell hood with an area of 2.1 square meters retains the "island-style uplift" shape, balancing power and spirit. The rear end is equipped with integrated crystal diamond taillights, which can present differentiated light and shadow under different angles.

The cockpit is equipped with an integrated triple screen, consisting of a 10.25-inch instrument cluster screen and two 17.2-inch screens, supporting NFC tap-to-connect function; the adjustable "Vortex Emotional Vortex" interaction device above the center console is embedded with 118 RGB LED light sources, which can link with the whole vehicle ambient light. In terms of technology, the new car integrates the resources of Changan, Huawei, and CATL, equipping Huawei Qiankun Driving Intelligence, HarmonyOS Cockpit, and Taihang Intelligent Control technology. The power adopts a 2.0T hybrid engine plus tri-motor distributed electric drive, with a total system power exceeding 1,000 horsepower. The CLTC pure electric range is highest over 400km.

5. Over 60 Tire Companies Issue Price Hike Letters

The tire industry welcomes a new round of price hike tide. Since the beginning of this year, rubber prices have continued to rise. As of the close of October 9, the Shanghai rubber futures main contract closed at 20,600 Yuan/ton, creating a nine-year high; the spot average price was about 19,700 Yuan/ton, up more than 30% year-on-year. Tires are the largest downstream product of natural rubber. The rise in rubber raw material prices directly affects the cost and revenue of the tire industry. According to statistics, since September, over 60 tire companies have concentrated on issuing more than 70 price hike letters, covering all categories of all-steel tires, semi-steel tires, and engineering tires. The price adjustment amplitude is generally between 2% and 5%, with some categories reaching up to 6%.

This is the fourth round of concentrated price hikes this year. Since March, more than 80 tire companies have issued price hike letters, with increases mostly between 2% and 5%, with some categories reaching up to 10% at most. Several tire companies stated that natural rubber, synthetic rubber, carbon black, and other core raw materials have risen to varying degrees this year. Coupled with crude oil price fluctuations pushing up petrochemical raw material costs, company pressure has increased. According to statistics from the China Rubber Industry Association, the sales revenue of 386 member enterprises increased by 5.64% in the first half of the year, but the total profit decreased by nearly 24% year-on-year. The situation of "revenue increases but profit does not" is quite typical.

6. Chery Automobile Apologizes

Recently, a 2023 OMODA 5 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, tore the rear axle longitudinal arm while driving, and the rear axle along with two rear wheels detached directly from the body. Fortunately, no casualties were caused. After the incident attracted attention locally, the Malaysian Land Transport Authority (JPJ) announced a temporary freeze on the vehicle type approval (VTA) for the OMODA 5. Before the technical investigation was completed, this model could not be registered or sold as a new vehicle.

On the evening of October 11, Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. issued an apology statement. After investigation, this batch of vehicles may have insufficient weld strength at partial weld locations of the rear axle longitudinal arm, and there is a risk of weld seam tearing in extreme cases. This structure model had been discontinued prior to this. Chery Malaysia subsidiary cooperated with JPJ's relevant arrangements, and has initiated a recall for the affected 8,878 OMODA 5 models, inspected relevant parts, and replaced them for free depending on the situation. In the spirit of prudence, the company has initiated a risk special investigation for the same batch of OMODA 5 models in the domestic and related markets, and maintains positive communication with regulatory agencies. This investigation is a preventive active arrangement. Chery will announce it to society in a timely manner in a responsible manner based on the investigation results.

7. Musk Apologizes to Indian Super Tycoon

Recently, Elon Musk suddenly apologized to Indian super tycoon Mukesh Ambani on social media platforms, even respectfully calling Ambani "Indian Prime Minister". It turns out that Musk was using satire to mock Ambani, the head of India's largest private enterprise Reliance Industries. According to previous reports by US Bloomberg and other media, Musk has always longed to let his satellite communication product "Starlink" enter the Indian market, but has never been able to succeed. Musk therefore believes that industry oligopolists who monopolize the Indian telecommunications field are jointly blocking him, and thus points the finger at Ambani and Reliance Industries.

"Dear Prime Minister Ambani, please forgive my poor eyesight before, I didn't realize you are the true power holder of India." Musk satirized in his post released on the 10th: "I guess you prefer to maintain monopolistic exploitation of the vast Indian public, but can you consider allowing Starlink to participate in market competition?"

8. McLaren 750S to Discontinue Next Year

McLaren officially confirmed that its V8-powered supercar 750S will end production next year to pave the way for a new product matrix. The car debuted in 2023 and is a deep facelift successor to the legendary 720S. At the time of launch, it was the lightest version among McLaren production series cars. Currently, McLaren has opened the final order channel for the 750S. Counting from the debut of the 720S, this platform has completed nearly a decade of product cycle. According to plans, 750S will be phased out along with Artura and GTS in the next few years to make room for a new product lineup, which includes the highly anticipated SUV model.

This series of product adjustments occurred after the Abu Dhabi investment agency took control of McLaren, and is viewed as part of the brand's major expansion strategy. Earlier this year, the McLaren Special Operations (MSO) custom department has already launched the ultimate limited version 788HS of this platform, with the entire vehicle limited to 100 hardtop versions. There is also information stating that 200 units in total for hardtop and convertible versions combined, with a starting price of 450,000 GBP, as a finale work of this chassis.

Click to enter image description (max 30 characters)

Source | Yuan Auto

Author | Pan Zhuolun

At 23:00 on October 11, Chery Motors Weibo official account released a statement, stating that its Malaysia subsidiary will launch a recall for 8,878 OMODA 5 vehicles.

"This batch of vehicles may have insufficient welding strength at local welding positions of the rear axle longitudinal arm, with a risk of weld seam tearing in extreme situations." Chery Motors stated in the statement.

Click to enter image description (max 30 characters)

At the same time, Chery Motors also stated that it will conduct risk checks on domestic and related market batches of OMODA 5 vehicles. Domestically, the corresponding model for OMODA 5 is Chery OMODA, which was first launched in 2022, but is currently in a halted sales state. Data shows that the cumulative sales of this car domestically are within 50,000 units.

This time, Chery Motors' response speed after encountering the automotive quality "black swan" event was so rapid, it can be called industry "ceiling" level. After all, the rumored OMODA 5 "wheel loss" incident occurred on October 6, and the car company official apologized and launched a recall in less than a week, which can be considered fulfilling the "big factory responsibility" that car companies always hang on their lips.

But in this, there is a key "plot", which Chery Motors did not mention, but should not be ignored.

Click to enter image description (max 30 characters)

According to reports by authoritative Malaysian media, right on the 5th day when OMODA 5 was exposed to have quality problems locally, at noon on October 11, the Malaysian Land Transport Authority stated through a spokesperson that it would suspend new car registration for Chery OMODA 5.

"All vehicles identified to have risks must be recalled, inspected, and necessary remedial measures taken. JPJ will conduct a technical review of Chery OMODA 5's production line, including relevant parts suppliers." Malaysian Land Transport Authority spokesperson Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli stated.

Of course, it is not that without supervision from relevant Malaysian departments, Chery Motors would "lie flat", but the former suspension of OMODA 5 new car registration and a series of operations obviously will still bring stronger urgency to Chery Motors and its Malaysia subsidiary.

However, it needs to be noted that it is not excluded that the treatment plan of relevant Malaysian departments on Chery Motors this time has a certain "making an example" component. According to public data, the Malaysian Land Transport Authority rarely suspends new car registration for a certain car model due to passenger car safety accidents, and local media also stated that this handling plan for OMODA 5, "is a rare action of JPJ".

Click to enter image description (max 30 characters)

According to data from the Malaysian Automotive Association, Chery as a Chinese brand has currently become a sales dark horse in the local car market. Starting from July 2023 when it returned to the Malaysian market, Chery's sales steadily increased, achieving over 30,000 units by 2025, ranking high in the overall passenger car market, while OMODA 5 is the main vehicle for Chery to fight for sales against the two local brands Proton and Perodua.

Regardless, from regulatory bodies to producing car companies, if they can explain the situation to consumers efficiently, transparently, and comprehensively after vehicle quality problems appear, regardless of where in the world, it is worth a fierce thumbs up. After all, each car is composed of tens of thousands or even over 100,000 parts, requiring car companies to guarantee that no quality issues occur in all vehicles leaving the factory is not realistic.

And from the consumer's point of view, car companies should at least respond quickly and disclose relevant specific details when vehicles are identified to have potential quality problems, especially those large-scale common quality problems, recall if it needs to be recalled, OTA if it needs to be OTA. Unfortunately, the reality is that car companies that can achieve the above level are few and far between, some even with an attitude of "not shedding tears until seeing the coffin".

To change this state, perhaps it is a method for relevant departments to vigorously increase supervision intensity.

Some images quoted from the network. If there is infringement, please inform for deletion.

[Chery Automobile Apologizes for Rear Axle Welding Hazards in Overseas Models] Recently, Chery Automobile released an "Explanation Regarding Issues with Malaysia OMODA 5 Vehicles," explaining the relevant issues and expressing apologies.

Regarding this rear axle welding hazard incident concerning Malaysia's OMODA 5, Chery's response was relatively timely. It was identified that the rear axle trailing arm weld strength was insufficient, carrying a risk of tearing in extreme situations. Nearly 8,900 vehicles were recalled locally at the first opportunity to cooperate with local regulatory handling; fortunately, no personnel were injured in this incident.

What is worth noting is that Chery simultaneously launched a special inspection for the same batch of Omoda in the domestic market. Although the involved model has been discontinued, proactively carrying out preventive inspection and not avoiding the issue is commendable.

In fact, quality issues in overseas markets can easily affect brand reputation, but proactively recalling and admitting problems turns the passive into the active, which is commendable. Of course, subsequent results depend on domestic inspection. If hazards are found, it is hoped that corresponding disposal plans can be provided quickly, giving a clear explanation to domestic car owners and safeguarding the product safety bottom line.

Recap:

Malaysia, an OMODA 5 SUV with the Chery brand suffered an axle breakage accident; specifically the 2023 OMODA 5 model, after official investigation, it was determined that this batch of vehicles may have insufficient welding strength at partial locations of the rear axle longitudinal arm, under extreme conditions there is a risk of weld seam tearing, which could lead to detachment.

This model variant has already been discontinued, Chery Malaysia subsidiary has cooperated with the relevant arrangements of the Malaysian Road Transport Department to recall 8,878 OMODA 5 vehicles with issues; the solution is to inspect relevant components, decide whether replacement is needed based on specific circumstances, replacement is free. Meanwhile Chery Automobile stated, adhering to the principle of prudence, the company has initiated a special risk investigation for the same batch of OMODA 5 vehicles in the domestic and relevant markets, maintaining active communication with regulatory authorities; subsequently Chery will announce results to the society in a timely manner in a responsible attitude based on the investigation results.

At the same time, we express apologies for the inconvenience caused to users.

And in 2024, there were already complaints from owners regarding OMODA 5 rear axle breakage during driving, namely adopting torsion beam non-independent suspension; Chery recalled 600 vehicles in Malaysia at that time, after confirming the issue originated from improper calibration of rear axle welding equipment, rear axles were replaced for 60 affected vehicles.

The domestic model corresponding to the OMODA 5 SUV is the Chery OMODA, this vehicle is currently discontinued, the last batch is the 2025 model. Its body dimensions are 4,400*1,830*1,588 mm, wheelbase is 2,630 mm, it is a compact SUV with smaller dimensions; adopts front MacPherson independent suspension, rear torsion beam non-independent suspension, it is a front-engine front-wheel drive vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a 1.5T turbocharged engine, power parameters are 115 kW/230 N·m, 2025 model matched with Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Chery Automobile's attitude towards facing product issues is still commendable, under necessary premises, discontinued models will also be recalled.

Author | Janson

Editor | Zhihao

A Chery SUV was driving on the road when its two rear wheels fell off on their own.

Car Thing news on October 12, recently, a 2023 model Chery OMODA 5 in Malaysia experienced a rear axle detachment event, the vehicle's two rear wheels fell off together with the rear axle assembly directly, the car also lay across the road, fortunately no casualties were caused.

▲ Online circulating video from the rear-facing dashcam of the involved vehicle

In the evening of October 11, Chery Automobile publicly apologized for the vehicle rear axle detachment event. The explanation showed that the involved batch of vehicles might have insufficient welding strength at partial welding positions of the rear axle beam, and in extreme cases there is a risk of weld seam tearing.

▲ Chery releases issue statement

Currently, Chery Malaysia subsidiary has initiated a recall, involving 8,878 OMODA 5 vehicles, relevant parts will be inspected, and replaced free of charge depending on the situation, domestic same-batch models have also initiated risk inspection.

Chery also confirmed that models using this structure were previously discontinued. The company has initiated a special risk inspection for domestic and relevant market same-batch models, will publish follow-up progress in a timely manner based on the inspection results, and publicly apologize for this matter.

After the incident, Malaysia Land Transport Authority (JPJ) has temporarily suspended the certification and new car registration of the affected OMODA 5 models, and required Chery to investigate the relevant vehicles and production processes.

▲ Online circulating bystander perspective of the accident

Public information shows, Malaysia 2023 model Chery OMODA 5, launched in July 2023, adopts 1.5T engine, matched with CVT transmission, rear suspension is torsion beam non-independent suspension.

From public information, this model may correspond to Chery OMODA (OMODA 5) domestically, launched in China in July 2022.

According to public terminal sales data statistics, from 2022 to 2024, OMODA accumulated sales of about 17,200 units domestically, respectively versions adopting 1.6T engine + multi-link architecture and 1.5T engine + torsion beam suspension.

Among them, domestic 2023 model OMODA 1.5T model also adopts torsion beam rear suspension, similar to the chassis structure of the Malaysia involved model.

This is not the first time Chery OMODA 5 has had a similar incident in Malaysia.

In April 2024, an OMODA 5 rear axle breakage incident occurred locally. Chery subsequently investigated and found that after parts supplier changed the welding head of the automatic welding equipment, equipment calibration deviated.

▲ 2024 axle breakage incident announcement

At that time, Chery recalled 600 OMODA 5 vehicles in Malaysia for inspection, among which 60 units were equipped with affected parts.

Two years later, the same model appeared rear axle detachment event again. However, currently it cannot be confirmed whether the two incidents were caused by the same manufacturing defect.

When the domestic car market is deeply stuck in stock competition, the incremental logic of Chinese car companies is being rewritten. Chery Group's "double breakthrough" report card for September, not only refreshes the single-month export record of China's automotive industry, but also unusually received capital endorsement from international investment banks.

Data shows, Chery Group's single-month export volume reached 207,814 vehicles in September, a year-on-year increase of 51%. This means, in the just passed month, on average every 15 seconds, a car bearing a Chery badge drives overseas. What is more worth noting is, cumulative exports from January to September reached 1,551,178 vehicles, this figure has surpassed its total export volume for the whole year of 2025, a cumulative growth rate of 65.6% appears particularly noticeable in the current macro environment.

At the end of September, JPMorgan released a research report, covered Chery Automobile for the first time and issued an overweight rating, listing it as the preferred target for Chinese passenger cars. In the capital market, ratings backed by real money are often more persuasive than companies talking to themselves. The core reason given by JPMorgan is, Chery's overseas business has evolved from pure trade exports to the local operation stage, and formed a scale-based profitability platform.

A qualitative leap from going out to rooting down

For a long period in the past, the outside world's impression of Chinese car going overseas often stayed at cost-effectiveness and Asia-Africa-Latin America markets. But Chery's September report card is breaking this stereotype.

A representative one is the UK market. In September, Chery's single-month sales volume in the UK reached 32,823 vehicles, taking the UK monthly brand sales champion for the second consecutive month. In such a strict regulation, traditional automotive industry extremely mature European core market, JAECOO 7 topped the sales list of all models, JAECOO 5, OMODA 5 also made it into the top 10. In other words, for every 10 new cars sold in the UK, 1 comes from Chery.

This breakthrough is not an isolated case. Jan-Aug, Chery cumulative sales in 24 European countries reached 234,000 vehicles, year-on-year growth of 193%, among which new energy models account for nearly half and growth rate exceeded 3 times. Being able to achieve scale breakthrough in a high regulatory threshold market like Europe, indicates China car's competitiveness is no longer limited to price dimension, but truly touches the comprehensive competition of product power, brand power, and compliance capability.

New Energy: From Overflow to Engine

Another change worth deep thought for the industry is the role conversion of new energy going overseas. Data shows, Jan-Sept Chery exports new energy vehicles 529,337 vehicles, year-on-year increase 136%. Currently, for every 7 new energy vehicles exported by China, 1 comes from Chery. Behind this proportion, is the collaborative overseas expansion of multiple new energy brand matrices such as OMODA & JAECOO, iCAR, Zhongheng. From Thailand, Malaysia to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Chery's new energy products are establishing segment advantages in markets at different levels.

JPMorgan specifically mentioned in the report, it is expected that Chery's new energy penetration rate and gross margin will increase significantly. This actually points out a breakthrough trend in the industry, new energy going overseas is turning from a channel for domestic capacity overflow, into the core engine for Chinese car brands to achieve high-end and intelligent image output.

Industry Implications Behind Capital Favoritism

Looking at Chery's recent global actions, whether it is brand topping in the UK market, or 3 car models winning the Turin Design Award, or the investment in global top 10 styling centers and thousands of design teams, all point to the same direction: Chinese car overseas logic is upgrading from selling products to outputting brands and systems.

The positive ratings given by JPMorgan and other institutions, are essentially pricing this systematic overseas capability. When overseas business can contribute continuously growing revenue and profit, the valuation model of Chinese car enterprises needs to be re-examined.

From cumulative export volume first breaking 7 million vehicles, to single-month exports reaching a new high again, to obtaining preferred target certification from international capital, Chery's globalization path provides a new sample. In the big exam of globalization, the real moat is not a certain hit model, but the depth of local operations, the breadth of product matrices, and the adaptability to cross different market cycles.

In September, the situation in the Chinese auto market was more severe than expected. Although accurate September sales data hasn't been received yet, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data for September 1-27, passenger car sales declined by 29%, with no hot sales scene similar to previous years' 'Golden September and Silver October'. Of course, the reason could also be that September last year was rushing to end subsidies, so sales were at a high level, so in the same period of 2026, it became a significant decline.

However, the good news is that although the domestic market performance was poor, car companies' sales in overseas markets continued to grow, especially the export sales of Chery, BYD, Geely, SAIC Group, Leapmotor, etc. continued to hit new highs, largely filling the domestic gap.

At least from the sales figures, the Chinese automotive industry maintained resilience.

01

BYD continues to sprint, can a monthly scale of 500,000 be achieved?

In September, the number one spot in the Chinese auto market was still held by BYD, with performance leading by a significant margin.

BYD's September sales reached 463,600 units, creating a monthly new high for 2026, with year-on-year growth of nearly 17%, data quite exaggerated. This also shows BYD's sales momentum is still robust, having formed a head effect, and this robustness mainly comes from exports to overseas markets. BYD's September export volume has reached 180,000 units, exceeding one-third of total sales, so overseas sales are an important strategic pivot for BYD.

From a structural perspective, BYD passenger car sales were 456,700 units, continuing the growth trend; among them, pure electric vehicle models were 273,000 units, plug-in hybrid 183,500 units. This data also reflects that 'selling more pure electric vehicles' is indeed a trend in 2026.

At the brand level, the Dynasty Series and Ocean Series totaled 395,000 units, mainly driven by the growth in Yuan UP and Yuan PLUS sales of the Dynasty Series. Regarding the Ocean Series, because the Seagull faces a generational change, the overall scale is slightly smaller. However, considering the all-new Seagull will become a five-seater model, body dimensions are fully increased, and fast charging is supported, it is expected that after listing it will put considerable pressure on Geely Galaxy Xingyuan, and may even allow the Ocean Series to gain growth of over 20,000 units.

Fangchengbao sales in September reached 43,200 units, this doesn't include Fangcheng S series. It is expected that Fangchengbao will move towards 50,000 units afterwards. Denza stabilized at 18,200 units, there was no previous Denza D9 one-time surge. Later N8L pure electric, all-new N8 listing, is also able to continue upward. Yangwang brand sales 389 units. It is said that Yangwang will also launch a flagship model similar to Rolls-Royce Ghost, 2 million level, worth looking forward to.

Clearly, BYD's current strategic focus is twofold: on the one hand to accelerate overseas market growth, on the other hand to push overall sales further up in the domestic market through new cars like Seagull, Fangcheng S, etc., and the popularization of fast charging technology. Currently, BYD is likely to make a push for monthly sales of 500,000 at the end of the year, with annual sales expected to be around 4.3 million units, which is quite difficult in such a tough year of 2026.

02

Geely and Chery: Who will break 300,000 first?

The battle for second place between Chery and Geely is still ongoing. The September sales data released by the two car companies differs by only 140 units. This data can even be ignored, because selling 300,000 units a month by a car company is equivalent to 10,000 units a day. Getting 140 units could be the difference of 10 minutes in working time.

Chery Group September sales reached 292,308 units, but Chery's absolute main force in sales is exports. Chery Group September single-month exports were 207,814 units, up 51% year-on-year, creating a new record for Chinese car single-month exports, data is quite exaggerated. Overall, Chery's January-September cumulative sales reached 2.2068 million units, export sales were 1.5512 million units. Among them, new energy vehicle sales also exceeded 858,000 units. Based on this, Chery is expected to exceed about 3.1 million units this year, with quite excellent performance.

But the problem is also here, over 70% of Chery Group's single-month sales share comes from exports, domestic less than 90,000 units. Once the overseas market changes, such as insufficient transport ship capacity, or certain regions introduce restrictive measures, Chery's sales may fluctuate.

In Chery's brand structure, the Chery brand is the absolute main chunk, sales 198,681 units, mainly relying on Tiggo series and Arrizo series to support, and both domestic and overseas performance are relatively stable. Chery's hard-core off-road and personalized Jetour brand, September sales were 57,497 units, overall relatively stable, but should soon be caught up by BYD Fangchengbao. iCAR brand maintained at the 10,000 level, was 10,858 units, after launching V27 it at least stabilized the state of over 10,000, later there is iCAR V25 to see if it can advance further.

Exeed only has 4,905 units, basically ignorable domestically, this scale is even insufficient to support a press conference or new car R&D. The Luxeed brand September wholesale sales were 5,008 units. This may be related to the delivery rhythm shifting to Luxeed R7 and RX after the bulk delivery of Luxeed V9. As for whether Luxeed can return to the 10,000 level later still needs observation.

Regarding Geely, September sales were 292,200 units, also creating a new high for the year. Actually Geely Auto overall was only 140 units less than Chery Group, can be fully understood as a subtle difference in declaration scope. Such a gap is indeed fierce, but the sales structure of the two is completely different.

Geely Auto's domestic and overseas sales structure is relatively balanced. September domestic sales were about 180,000 units, and exports were 106,685 units. Export sales increased by 162% year-on-year, standing firm on the 100,000 unit stage for four consecutive months. Overall export scale is still only half of Chery's, you can also understand that Geely Auto has a lot of growth space overseas.

Looking by brand, Geely Galaxy sales were around 130,000 units, mainly benefiting from export growth, returned to the growth channel. And Geely fuel vehicle sales also maintained at a high monthly average of 106,000 units. Later there will be Xingyue L PLUS, Xingrui L PLUS and other new cars, estimated to further grow.

Zeekr brand sales 37,216 units, achieved year-on-year doubled growth, has stabilized in the second tier of New Forces, almost on the same line as NIO, Xpeng, Li Auto, and Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance. Compared to these brands exceeding 40,000 units, the gap between Zeekr and them is already very small, and Zeekr currently has no new models launched, perhaps in 2027 there will be further changes.

Lynk & Co brand sales 18,493 units, mainly still in the painful period of product transformation, needs to balance gasoline cars and PHEV, naturally not as focused as Zeekr.

Overall, Geely's development momentum is quite balanced and stable. Geely Auto's monthly sales scale this year has not yet broken through 300,000 units, but always can stabilize in the interval of 250,000 to 290,000 units moving upwards, unaffected by external environment, then the probability of breaking through 300,000 units in the fourth quarter is very high. If calculated by monthly average exceeding 300,000 units for the last three months, annual cumulative sales are expected to reach around 3.4 million units, overall on par with Chery, but better in balance. If overseas exports can continue to rise, the result will be more ideal.

It is worth mentioning that both Chery and Geely have recently adjusted their sales management. For example, Geely uses executive vice president level management to manage Lynk & Co brand sales, which may have a positive effect on Lynk & Co brand sales recovery.

Chery's adjustment is even more radical, overseas person-in-charge directly came to unify Chery domestic sales and marketing business. Previously responsible sales executive vice president then fully in charge of Jetour brand. This means Chery now is domestic and overseas one board game, Jetour wants to open a piece of market separately, also can see Chery's craving for the domestic market.

03

New Forces Leapmotor leads by a significant margin, 30,000 units scale to qualify for the list

Regarding New Forces, the number one sales position in September still belongs to Leapmotor Auto, monthly sales maintained at 100,000 level, belongs to leading by a significant margin.

Leapmotor's specific September sales figure was 105,656 units, up 59% year-on-year. This number is already at the same level as Toyota and Volkswagen in the domestic market sales, of course this data also includes export sales. Can also see Leapmotor pushing forward simultaneously on domestic and overseas two lines. As long as it can stabilize the 100,000 unit monthly sales, this year has a chance to impact 1 million units scale, can say Leapmotor's early layout won itself the first ticket on board for New Forces.

Second place is very unexpected - from the data perspective it is Changan Qiyuan. This brand has always been quite low-key, but September sales reached 46,507 units. If no unexpected sales best will still be Qiyuan Q05. This car's performance far exceeded expectations, already rushed up in the 70,000 to 100,000 yuan market interval, can even grab a part of Xingyuan's sales. There is also part of sales from overseas market, so Qiyuan's volume rise speed is quite fast.

Third place is Fangchengbao, September sold 43,181 units total, up nearly 80% year-on-year, data still considerable. After Titanium 7 launched Fast Charging version, pure electric vehicle sales increased very fast, next will launch Titanium 9, overall sales have further space. The information currently known is, Fangcheng S and Fangcheng S GT two car order situations are quite good, price interval in 180,000 to 240,000 yuan, aiming exactly at Xiaomi SU7 price belt. If monthly sales of these two cars can rush up to 8,000 to 10,000 units, it will help Fangchengbao overall sales stable at 50,000 units scale.

Fourth place is Xpeng Auto, September sales were 41,256 units. Currently Xpeng model data has not been released yet, but Xpeng MONA L03 sales are about 14,000 units, accounted for 1/3 of Xpeng's sales.

Xiaomi Auto September sales exceeded 40,000 units, specific data disclosure is limited. Known is Xiaomi Peng Cheng first month delivery exceeded 10,000 units. Actually Xiaomi Peng Cheng's first sales period sales are not as optimistic as expected, it is said Xiaomi internal has already positioned Peng Cheng as slow heating model. But overall, Xiaomi Peng Cheng two new cars still pushed Xiaomi 2026 since first time back to above 40,000, indicating Xiaomi sales still in upward channel.

September Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance sales were 37,490 units, among which includes Aito sales. In the fourth quarter Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance new car launch will obviously increase, including Luxeed New R7, Luxeed RX, as well as Stelato V8, and Aito M7, M8 new models will also be pushed to market. For Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance price is high problem in market feedback, at least Seres has already started for Aito M6 launch three-year interest free, perhaps next Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance will also have a volume selling strategy.

NIO company September delivery 37,408 units, only difference dozens of units with Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance. Among them NIO brand 21,318 units, Onvo 8,763 units, Firefly created high sales, reached 7,327 units. Now external expectations for NIO are all on end-of-year release of all-new generation ET5 and ES6.

Zeekr September sales 37,216 units, huge increase year-on-year, also narrowed the gap with NIO. However Zeekr quite a part of sales comes from overseas exports. Currently can see, Zeekr in overseas market sales share is very high, including in Malaysia, Thailand etc. all have very high visibility, this mainly benefits from Zeekr priority going overseas, priority develop right-hand drive models strategy.

Hyper Aion September sales 35,494 units. Aion after launching i60, N60 overall performance still quite stable. Later there will be Ray 7 such young car, perhaps can rush a wave again.

Li Auto 31,817 units, down 6.3% year-on-year, main reason is Li Auto i6 is about to switch new car, currently in clearing inventory stage, intermediate will have two months gap. In addition Li Auto i9 is said order situation quite good, almost has filled up Li Auto i8 market demand, expect subsequent Li Auto pure electric models有望 exceed 30,000 units.

Regarding other brands, Deepal Auto sales 30,185 units, MG sales 30,000 units, BAIC New Energy sales 24,080 units, performance stable.

Some brands are still at monthly sales 10,000-20,000 unit level, including Denza sales 18,198 units, Voyah sales 13,025 units, Avatr sales 8,183 units, still not over 10,000.

Overall, September New Forces performance was better than expected, this also squeezed traditional joint venture brand market. Need to note, on this New Forces list, if sales cannot exceed 30,000 units, actually pressure will be very big, including now Changan Auto aspect has started to integrate Deepal and Avatr, just hoping to pull through internal efficiency.

(END)

On October 7, Chery Automobile announced, integrating the main brand into the global market system, with the Jetour brand accelerating its premiumization. This is the second move in the organizational layout of Chery's Globalization 3.0, following the executive adjustments on September 23. Many view this as ordinary personnel news, but in my opinion, Chery is using organizational restructuring to answer a key proposition for Chinese automakers going global: What does Globalization 3.0 rely on for implementation?

It's Not About Changing People, It's About Changing Tactics

Let's look at the logic behind the two adjustments first. On September 23, Zhang Guozhong was appointed Executive Vice President of Chery Holding Group, and Zhang Guibing became Executive Vice President of Chery Automobile. The core of this adjustment is "Big Chery" system synergy, where Zhang Guozhong integrated financial, trade, and diversified industrial resources from the holding group to provide ammunition for globalization. In contrast, the adjustment on October 7 clarified the two main lines of battle on the front line.

The first line involves integrating the Chery main brand into the global market system. Zhang Guibing not only manages the domestic business group of the Chery brand but also simultaneously manages the Global Styling Design Center, Global Human Resources Center, Global Legal Center, Global Spare Parts Ecosystem Division, etc., and concurrently holds the positions of General Manager of the International Business Group and Director of the Market and Marketing Management Committee. The intention of this arrangement is very clear: to thoroughly connect the domestic and international marketing, human resources, legal, spare parts, and other systems, solving the most headache-inducing problem for Chinese automakers going overseas, which is the separation of domestic and overseas operations.

The second line involves accelerating the premiumization of the Jetour brand. Executive Vice President Li Xueyong manages the Jetour Brand Division, focusing on promoting the premium development of the Jetour brand, building a more globally competitive off-road brand, while also managing the Corporate Publicity Department and concurrently serving as Executive Deputy Director of the Market and Marketing Management Committee.

One focuses on global system synergy, the other on pushing a distinctive brand upwards. These two main lines, one defending and one attacking, constitute the organizational skeleton of Chery Globalization 3.0.

The Connotation of Globalization 3.0 Has Changed

Why is Chery making such large-scale organizational adjustments at this time node? The answer lies in the strategic connotation of Globalization 3.0.

The concept proposed by Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue is "In somewhere, For somewhere, Be somewhere", meaning "Wherever, For Whom, Become a Local". If "In somewhere" is the past, selling cars to over 130 countries and regions; "For somewhere" is the ongoing task, developing adapted products according to local needs; then "Be somewhere" is the true core of Globalization 3.0, where the entire system of manufacturing, services, operations, partners, etc., goes in and integrates in.

This means Chery's goal is no longer to pursue growth in export numbers, but to replicate the models of Toyota and Volkswagen, promoting the global implementation of an entire system including manufacturing, supply chain, brand, and localization. Organizational adjustments are precisely to support this strategic transformation.

How Strong Are the Export Figures? The Confidence Behind Organizational Adjustments

In the first three quarters, Chery Group sold 2.2068 million vehicles cumulatively, up 9.9% year-on-year, creating a historical high for the same period. Cumulative exports reached 1.5512 million vehicles, up 65.6% year-on-year, surpassing the total export volume of the previous year. In September alone, exports reached 207,814 vehicles, setting a new record for monthly car exports by Chinese automakers.

Exports account for 70.3% of total sales, the highest proportion among domestic independent brands. Chery has ranked first in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years, with products sold in over 130 countries and regions, possessing 16 overseas factories covering countries and regions such as Brazil, Spain, and Thailand.

It is precisely this volume that makes organizational adjustments a necessity. A scale of exports exceeding 1.5 million vehicles a year can no longer run on the model of separated domestic and overseas operations.

Jetour Premiumization: Competing for Mindshare in the Global Off-Road Track

Looking at the Jetour line again. Currently, the hardcore off-road and "box-style" track is a global hotspot. Official data shows that in September 2026, 57,497 vehicles were sold, with cumulative global sales breaking 2.56 million. Products are sold in 100 countries and regions, ranking first in domestic brand SUV sales in 15 overseas markets, and topping the box-style category sales in 9 markets.

Li Xueyong once led Jetour to accurately position "Travel+", growing from a blank sheet of paper to a dark horse in the car market. This adjustment in division of labor aims to further build up and strengthen this distinctive Jetour brand,抢占 global off-road mindshare. More worthy of attention is that Li Xueyong also manages the Corporate Publicity Department and concurrently serves as Executive Deputy Director of the Market and Marketing Management Committee, indicating that Jetour premiumization is not just a product issue, but a brand narrative and global image issue.

Implementation is Accelerating, From Europe to Africa

Strategy and organization are set, the key now is implementation. In April this year, Chery activated its Europe Operating Center in Barcelona, Spain, and simultaneously launched the Spain Research Institute, undertaking central platform functions such as operations, compliance, supply chain coordination, finance, and public affairs. This is Chery's first overseas regional operating center. Yin Tongyue positioned it as "Building a system that understands Europe better and serves the European market better".

In South Africa, Chery officially commissioned the Rosslyn plant in July, fully retaining the original 692 employees, driving nearly 3,000 upstream and downstream jobs. Production is scheduled for mid-2027, with an annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles per shift, striving for a 40% localization rate before 2028. In Rayong Province, Thailand, an 80,000-vehicle annual capacity new energy factory was put into production in April 2026, directly entering the traditional advantage market of Japanese fuel cars with pure electric models.

These layouts share a common characteristic: not going to sell cars, but to root down. Retaining local employees, increasing localization rates, and establishing R&D centers are the true meaning of "Be somewhere".

Challenges Remain, Bridging the Gap from 'Volume' to 'Profit'

But we must clearly see that a high export ratio implies high risk exposure. EU anti-subsidy investigations, import tariff increases in some markets, overseas price wars, shipping cost fluctuations叠加 exchange rate fluctuations, these are the realistic challenges Chery must face. Export volume does not equal profit. Whether Chery can convert its globalization first-mover advantage into sustainable profitable growth will be the most worthy proposition to watch.

Returning to this announcement on October 7. The signal conveyed is clear: Chery Globalization 3.0 has moved from strategic slogans to organizational fulfillment. The main brand secures the global baseline, Jetour pushes for high-end incremental growth, Zhang Guibing coordinates the global system synergy, and Li Xueyong strengthens Jetour brand and public relations marketing. This chess game is not a single-point breakthrough, but a systematic promotion. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, it is the critical window to sprint towards annual goals and plan the next year's operational plan. Chery is accelerating the transformation of Globalization 3.0 from strategic blueprint to organizational layout. Future results in the global market implementation deserve continued attention.

On September 22, Chery held a press conference at Wuhu Jiuzi Square in Anhui, named "QQ Show and Friends". The QQ3 Modern Edition was officially unveiled.

Regarding price, the official guide price is 88,900 Yuan; for existing car owners purchasing a second vehicle, the final price is 86,900 Yuan; for limited-time trade-ins, the lowest is 83,900 Yuan.

There are four tiers of car-buying benefits. Note that the second-purchase subsidy of 2,000 Yuan and the trade-in subsidy of 5,000 Yuan cannot be enjoyed simultaneously. Financial plans can go up to 70,000 Yuan, 36 months interest-free, supporting 0% down payment. For data traffic, base traffic is free for life, entertainment traffic is provided for 2 years, 10GB per month, and OTA vehicle upgrades are also free for life.

Regarding warranty, the first non-commercial owner gets a lifetime warranty for the whole vehicle. The battery warranty includes an 8-year or 150,000 km degradation guarantee, plus lifetime free roadside assistance. Place an order now, and you can choose small gifts like Sun Li signed car models or factory original racing decals. However, subsidy eligibility, price differences by region, and trade-in audits still depend on real-time policies from Chery and local dealers.

Simply put on positioning: This is considered the QQ3 version with factory original modification effects, not a new car developed on a new platform. It is a retro-style factory upgrade based on the current QQ3, featuring a Neo-Retro retro style. Modifications focus on paint colors, exterior kits, interior materials, and some comfort features. Specifically targeted at users who want a unique and stylish car but find subsequent color changes and accessory installation troublesome, eliminating the need to handle modification registration themselves.

The exterior comes with two exclusive colors: Modern Era and Annie Pearl. It also comes with exclusive time emblem wheels, factory original racing decals, retro white front and rear bumpers, shiny chrome trim strips, with wheel arches and side skirts matching the body color. The paint uses a 6-layer 2K process, with paint suppliers being big brands like Kansai and PPG. It essentially turns popular modification styles like national trends, urban retro, and holiday camping directly into factory configurations, saving users the hassle of modification filing and incompatible parts.

The body is an A0-class pure electric compact car, with overall vehicle dimensions of 4229/1812/1573mm and a wheelbase of 2700mm. There are quite a few storage places inside, rear seats can be folded down to expand space, and actual trunk loading capacity depends on the official specification list.

The key point is it features a 70-liter drainable electric front trunk, with a total of 8 ways to open, including voice from outside the car and mobile APP. Usually for putting sundries when shopping, or dirty/wet items when camping, it is much more practical than ordinary commuter small cars.

The interior main color is called "Cloud Velvet Beige", the ceiling, A/B pillars, and sun visors are all wrapped in velvet. The center console and door panels feature houndstooth patterns, and the armrest box has contrast-color webbing, creating a fully immersive atmosphere.

Configurations include dual soft-light makeup mirrors, 50W wireless fast charging, 256-color ambient lighting, steering wheel heating, and front seat heating and ventilation are all included. Compared to commuter cars in the same price range, the interior quality is noticeably more exquisite.

Regarding intelligence, the infotainment system uses a Qualcomm 8155 chip, paired with a 15.6-inch 2.5K center screen. It comes with the Carmind AI intelligent assistant; speaking can control the car, checking car status, and voice control work well. It also supports smartphone connectivity like CarPlay and HiCar.

Driving assistance configurations are also ample: 540-degree panoramic view, 12 ultrasonic radars, supporting hundreds of scenarios for automatic parking; plus a full L2 assistance suite including adaptive cruise control, lane keeping, AEB emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, collision warning, and door opening warning. It supports vehicle exterior callout and voice opening of front trunk and trunk. The mobile APP also supports remote vehicle pre-conditioning, turning on AC and seats in advance.

Regarding safety and battery, the body features a five-vertical, eight-horizontal cage structure. High-strength steel makes up 82%, hot-formed steel accounts for 16%, with 1300MPa integrated hot-formed door rings, and standard 6 airbags across the full lineup.

The battery is named Rhino Battery, using CATL cells, achieving IP68 waterproof and dustproof, and passing the CATARC NESTA 6D electric safety certification. Active safety configurations such as active braking and blind spot monitoring are also fully equipped.

Power is divided into two versions:

• 58kW motor, torque 90N·m, 29.48kWh battery, CLTC range 310km
• 90kW motor, torque 115N·m, 41.28kWh battery, CLTC range 420km

The full series features rear-wheel drive, front MacPherson independent suspension, and rear multi-link independent suspension. The minimum turning radius is 5.2 meters, making city U-turns very flexible. Fast charging from 30% to 80% takes as little as 16 minutes and 30 seconds, and it includes 6.6kW vehicle-to-load discharge, making camping electricity convenient. In A0-class pure electric compact cars, rear-wheel drive with independent rear suspension is rare, so city lane changing and vibration damping performance will be better.

Let's discuss the market situation: The QQ series has cumulatively sold over 1.6 million units over the years, reaching over 100 countries and regions globally. The current QQ3 has broken sales of 10,000 units for 5 consecutive months. In August, single-month delivery reached 19,103 units, a month-over-month surge of 64.07%. Domestic and international orders have exceeded 100,000, with overseas pre-sales in Thailand and Indonesia alone exceeding 20,000.

The positioning of the Modern Edition is not to chase maximum volume. It targets the 80,000 Yuan price bracket pure electric market, creating differentiation through factory retro exterior, upgraded interior, front trunk, and external discharge features. Compared to competitors like Seagull, Bingo, Star Wish, and Nano 01, it places more emphasis on personalized exterior and diverse usage scenarios, rather than simply competing on low price.

Overall, the Modern Edition's chassis and powertrain hardware remain unchanged. It directly handles the exterior colors, decals, and interior upgrades that enthusiasts like to tinker with, done by the factory. Paired with the 8155 infotainment system, 70L front trunk, and rear-wheel drive independent suspension, at the trade-in price of 83,900 Yuan, it is indeed quite attractive.

When talking about classic domestic small cars in China, Chery QQ cannot be avoided. In 2003, Chery QQ entered public life with bright colors and smiley face designs, becoming the leader of China's fashion small car trends. Over more than 20 years, QQ series cumulative sales exceeded 1.6 million units, selling well in over 100 countries and regions, becoming a life memory for a generation of users. Entering the smart electric era, the new QQ3 inherits classic genes, with higher quality, stronger intelligence and more global expression, continuously releasing premium small car value.

On September 22, the new QQ3 Modern Edition officially launched. Official guide price 88,900 Yuan, additional purchase price 86,900 Yuan, trade-in price 83,900 Yuan. As a new member of the QQ3 family, the Modern Edition is not simply adding configurations, but around design, texture, intelligence and safety, carried out a refresh closer to contemporary aesthetics for the "Citizen Car".

Appearance is the most intuitive change of the new QQ3 Modern Edition. The new car takes Neo Retro design concept as the core, integrating retro-futurist language on the basis of new QQ3 square-round aesthetics, combining classic car elements with smart electric era craftsmanship naturally.

Modern Era, Anne Pearl two exclusive colors, respectively presenting retro green film texture and pearl luster between milk apricot and rice pink. Full-cover same color paint surface, 6-layer 2K high texture car paint, Time Badge wheel hubs, Wind Track Racing Stripes, Golden Age Grille, Flowing Light Chrome Trim and Retro White front and rear bumpers and other details, collectively strengthened the whole car's modern identification. Car paint actual aging luster loss controlled within 5%, far lower than industry 20% standard, can achieve 10-year body no fading.

In terms of design, the Chery new QQ won the Red Dot Design Award four consecutive times from 2025 to 2026. Among them, the new QQ3 won the "2026 Red Dot Product Design Award", its smart cockpit interaction interface won the "2026 Red Dot Brand & Communication Design Award", providing strong backing for the new car's appearance and design system.

The interior also continues the exquisite self-pleasing idea. Cloud Velvet Beige interior sets a soft and bright background, control panel decoration and door inset trim panels integrate Houndstooth high-end custom textures, seats and central armrest box adopt Modern contrasting color webbing accents. Ceiling, A/B pillars, driver and co-driver sun visors upgraded with Velvet cover, touch is finer.

10-layer Cloud Comfort seats support front row electric adjustment and heating, driver seat cushion and backrest ventilation, combined with steering wheel heating, dual smart soft-light vanity mirrors, 50W wireless charging and 256-color ambient light, making daily car use more comfortable and textured. In terms of space, 2700mm wheelbase and 85% effective occupant cabin space utilization, bring passenger performance rarely seen in its class; 38 storage spaces, 70L drainable smart electric front trunk and second-row seat under storage space, then enhanced the practicality of commuting, pickup, camping and other scenarios.

Intelligent configuration is the important selling point of the Modern Edition. The new car is equipped with high-pass vehicle-grade 8155 chip and 15.6-inch 2.5K ultra-high-definition central control screen, combined with Carmind large model, supporting AI natural language chat, vehicle status data real-time acquisition, fault intelligent answer, smart car control, surrounding recommendation and route planning and other functions. Hand-car interconnection covers CarPlay, HiCar, CarLink, AutoNavi Map 810 supports traffic light countdown, destination planning charging, WeChat location sharing navigation and group travel.

540° panoramic image, 12 ultrasonic radars, 100+ full-scenario automatic parking and L2-level assisted driving, cover cruising, collision warning, lane assist, blind spot monitoring, door opening warning and other 15 functions. Rest, Baby, Pet, Karaoke, Sentry, Camping 6 major intelligent scenarios, then allow the vehicle to switch quickly according to different life states.

In terms of power and handling, the new QQ3 Modern Edition is built based on native intelligent pure electric platform, adopting rear-motor rear-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and 50:50 front and rear axle load ratio, forming a rare handling foundation for premium small cars. 10-in-1 electric drive system volume reduced by 10%, power increased by 8%, C-EPS brushless motor steering system assist efficiency reaches above 90%, combined with 5.2-meter turning radius, making city shuttle, U-turn and parking easier. In terms of energy replenishment, 2.11C fast charging can achieve 30% to 80% fastest 16.5 minutes, combined with liquid cooling management system and wide-temperature domain cells, further guaranteeing daily use convenience.

In terms of safety, the Modern Edition continues the new QQ3 system strength. Rock-solid body adopts 5 vertical 8 horizontal cage structure, high-strength steel ratio 82%, hot-formed steel ratio 16%, 1300MPa integrated hot-formed door ring significantly improves side collision safety.

Rhinoceros battery equipped with CATL cells, battery box adopts high-strength steel DP780 made, reaching IP68 highest waterproof grade, each cell equipped with separate explosion-proof valve, single cell failure does not occur thermal runaway, and can provide power output in -35°C to 60°C wide temperature domain.

Whole vehicle passes China Automotive Technology and Research Center NESTA six-dimensional electric safety certification, equipped with 6 airbags, equipped with AEB active braking, BSD blind spot monitoring, front and rear collision warning, door opening warning and other functions, ONEBOX integrated brake brings 100km shortest braking distance 38m, CN95 air conditioner filter, water-based damping material and other configurations then further strengthen health quality.

Editor's Comment: This August, new QQ3 sales reached 19,103 units, month-on-month growth 64.07%, has exceeded 10,000 units in sales for consecutive 5 months. At the same time in Thailand, Indonesia pre-sale order volume quickly broke through 20,000 cumulative, on sale so far domestic and foreign orders broken 100,000. QQ series users, female users proportion reached 56%, self-pleasing, trend, love expression characteristics obvious. Modern Edition arrival, just strengthened design personality, cockpit texture and intelligent configuration, highly fit with this part of user needs.

Comprehensive look, new QQ3 Modern Edition with lowest 83,900 Yuan trade-in price enters the market, in premium pure electric small cars provided relatively complete design, intelligence, safety and space value. It both inherits QQ brand historical reputation, also strengthens new QQ3 Modern personality expression.

Current premium small car market is turning from simple commuting to self-pleasing life carrier, user requirements for appearance, configuration, safety and emotional value rise synchronously. Relying on QQ3 consecutive monthly sales over 10,000 market momentum, and Modern Edition appearance interior and intelligent experience differentiation, new QQ3 Modern Edition expected to attract first purchase, additional purchase, family second car and female user groups, further consolidate QQ3 position in premium pure electric small car market.

August 2026, Chery Group sold 280,128 cars, up 15.4% year-over-year. Among them, new energy vehicles reached 120,909, up 69.8%, breaking through 100,000 units for 5 consecutive months; exports were 196,984, up 52.1% year-over-year. Cumulative sales from January to August totaled 1,914,481, up 10.8% year-over-year.

The automotive market is fiercely competitive this year, with price wars lasting years showing no signs of fading. Joint ventures are retreating or shrinking, while some new entrants are still burning money to boost volume. In such an environment, Chery maintaining double-digit growth with both export and new energy lines performing well is indeed impressive.

However, looking closely, the core driving force behind these results lies not in marketing or price wars, but on the product side – it is the depth of the product matrix that supports synchronized growth in both domestic and overseas markets.

Stable output from the new energy series relies on "full price coverage"

In August, Chery New Energy sold 120,909 units, a 69.8% year-over-year increase, standing at the 100,000-unit milestone for the 5th consecutive month. Behind this number is not a breakout single model, but stable output from the entire new energy series.

Let's look at a few specific products.

Fengyun T7, a global quality pure electric SUV launched in August. After 2 years of planning, 3 years of R&D, and over 6 million kilometers of global testing and validation, orders surpassed 23,000 within 24 hours of launch. As is well known, pure electric SUVs are currently the most competitive niche market, without a doubt. Being able to win in this red ocean to some extent proves that Fengyun T7's product positioning fits the needs of the target market.

All-new QQ, with sales breaking 10,000 for 5 consecutive months, locking in a spot as a star product in the A0 class. What does A0 class mean? Low unit price, thin margins, many competitors; it is the price segment that best tests cost control and product foundation. The fact that the All-new QQ can stand firm shows that Chery's system capability has been verified in the entry-level market.

Looking upwards, the Luxeed V9 cumulative deliveries exceeded 20,000 units, refreshing the fastest delivery record for the 500,000 RMB new energy MPV segment. The 500,000 RMB tier is a price band domestic brands once didn't dare to touch.

Putting these cars together, you will find: from the tens-of-thousands QQ, to the Fengyun series for mainstream families, to the 500,000 RMB Luxeed, Chery's new energy products cover different price segments, with family users, young users, and high-end users finding what they need. This is how the monthly domestic new energy penetration rate continuously breaks through 60%.

This is the difference between "series-based operations" and "single product blockbusters." Single product blockbusters rely on luck, while series output relies on the system.

Fuel and New Energy, Supporting Overseas Markets

Exports are Chery's real trump card. In August, Chery exported 196,984 units, up 52.1% year-over-year. From January to August this year, cumulative was 1,343,334 units, up 68.1% year-over-year. As of August this year, Chery Automobile cumulative exports have surpassed 7 million units, the first Chinese automaker to achieve this.

Why Chery? I think the answer comes down to two words: pragmatism.

1. Recognized the actual pace of the overseas market. European media constantly shout about electrification, but the electrification pace in most global markets — the Middle East, South America, Southeast Asia, Africa — is much slower than imagined; fuel cars are still an absolute necessity. In recent years, many domestic automakers radically cut fuel car product lines, betting all resources on pure electric. Chery did not follow the trend, continuing to cultivate its fuel product line and steadily advancing new energy. The result is fuel eats the current volume, new energy earns future potential, walking on two legs, not fearing wind from either side.

Second, product matrix layered, adapting to local conditions. Consumers in different countries have different road conditions, usage habits, and purchasing budgets. Chery's approach is not to simply move domestic products abroad, but to perform localization adaptation, using a rich vehicle matrix to match market demands in different regions. Low-cost markets have economic products, mature markets have quality products, interconnected.

How is the effect? We can look at Chery's performance in the European market. Data shows, from January to July this year, Chery sold over 208,000 units in 24 European countries, up 201% year-over-year; among them new energy exceeded 101,000 units, up over 3.3 times. In the UK market, JAECOO 7, JAECOO 5, OMODA 5 three models broke into the UK top 10 best-selling vehicle list. According to China Passenger Car Association data, from January to July, Chery New Energy cumulative exports ranked second in the industry.

It is worth noting that Europe is one of the markets with the highest thresholds and most competition globally. This 201% growth rate indicates that Chery's product strength has passed the test of the most picky users.

Additionally, JAECOO 5 became the sales champion in the Australian niche market, and pure electric markets in Indonesia and Thailand; iCAUR V23 ranked first in niche markets in Thailand, South Africa, etc. This shows Chery's products have been validated by the market in multiple countries globally.

Product strength is the true moat

In the end, sales growth is essentially product strength being recognized by global users. Where does product strength come from? From R&D.

Chery is willing to spend on R&D. In 2025, Chery R&D investment was 14.715 billion yuan, up 39.6% year-over-year. This number ranks third among Chinese automakers, second only to BYD and SAIC.

Where was the money spent? Kunpeng Power, fuel, hybrid, pure electric, hydrogen energy four-in-one. Kunpeng Super Power Hybrid C-DM, thermal efficiency greater than 44.5%, fuel consumption per 100km with depleted battery as low as 4.2L, comprehensive range over 1,400 kilometers. On the intelligent level, Chery has Falcon Assist Drive, Lingxi Smart Cockpit, Flying Fish Digital Smart Chassis, etc., and these advanced technologies are already installed on mass-produced cars.

The effect is also visible. In full year 2025, Chery sold 903,847 new energy vehicles, up 54.9% year-over-year. Moreover, among all new products launched in 2025, new energy accounted for over 90%. Looking at Chery's August data again: new energy broke 100,000 for 5 consecutive months, exports up 52.1% year-over-year. This shows Chery's product matrix has continuous ability to generate vitality.

On the other hand, Chery New Energy is currently transitioning from scale expansion to a new stage of value growth. In the first half of 2026, Chery Automobile new energy business revenue reached 59.284 billion yuan, up 63.8% year-over-year, accounting for a share of total revenue rising from 25.6% to 41.4%.

R&D investment turns into technology, technology turns into products, products turn into sales. This closed loop is operational.

In the future, Chery will use intelligent electrification technology to stand firm in the global market. Domestically relying on new energy matrix to hold the position, overseas relying on fuel and new energy walking on two legs to expand the territory.

Product-oriented, let products speak. This sounds simple, but in today's automotive market relying on traffic, buzz, and subsidies, it turns out to be the most solid path. Chery's August scorecard proves one thing: Do products well, and the market will give you the answer.

In the most competitive A-class fuel SUV sub-segment ranging from 70,000 to 120,000 yuan, where real skill is most tested, buyers fear two things: first, a specification sheet looks full but minor issues arise after two years; second, domestic pricing and standards differ from export standards, where the term "global car" is just marketing. The Tiggo 7 series' market feedback over the past few years happens to address these two pain points. Since its launch in 2016, the Tiggo 7 has entered over 100 countries and regions globally, with cumulative series users breaking one million. Recently, official communication mentioned a global user scale of 1.93 million, consistently ranking among the top for Chinese brand A-class SUV exports. More importantly, its reputation wasn't built by single hit models but is driven by both domestic commuting families and overseas users in multiple climates.

Global Quality: Standards aren't made just for export, but for home use by global standards

The Tiggo 7's "global car" attribute is reflected in standards rather than slogans. Chery's public data states the Tiggo 7 series R&D phase covered regulations and usage scenarios in multiple regions including China, ASEAN, Australia, and Europe, with targeted verification in environments like complex roads in Brazil, high temperature and humidity in Indonesia, and high temperature/dust storms in the Middle East. Tiggo 7 PLUS related communication also emphasized passive safety configurations like high-strength body, 6 pieces of Benteler hot-formed steel in key areas, and 6 airbags with wraparound protection. Regarding safety certification, series communication frequently mentioned multiple 5-star safety evaluations including China, ASEAN, Australia, and Europe. The Tiggo 7 PLUS official website and early global car materials involve international endorsements like Australia A-NCAP 5-star. On the design side, it won the German Red Dot Award, avoiding the stereotype that "cheap = shoddy".

Third-party reliability data added a second layer of credibility. In J.D. Power's "2026 China Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS)", Tiggo 7/Tiggo 7 PLUS ranked first in the mid-size economy SUV sub-segment. This study is based on feedback from real car owners 13–48 months after purchase, focusing on long-term use rather than the first test drive. For editors finalizing the article, this statement is harder than "lifetime warranty": lifetime warranty is what the manufacturer dares to promise, VDS is what owners are willing to rate.

User Reputation: 190,000 kilometers and 25,000 kilometers a year both say "worry-free"

A domestic Tiggo 7 owner shared a 190,000 kilometer mileage, concluding with just one phrase "never let us down", used for commuting, long-distance, and full-load family travel. In dealer-collected owner feedback in Shaanxi, Gansu and other places, the 1.5T version is often mentioned as "light and brisk in the city, enough for school runs, 7+ MPG on display", the second row is not cramped for a family of five, baby strollers, camping gear, and supermarket shopping fit in one car. Some first-time buyers mentioned the 1.5T Enjoyment version, priced over 80,000 yuan on the road, emphasizing "no decoration add-ons, transparent insurance and registration fees", such reviews are most relatable to 70k-90k level users.

Overseas reputation is even more direct. A South American owner drove a Tiggo 7 Sport for nine months and commented "only happiness"; another overseas user drove 25,000 kilometers a year, evaluating "maintenance doesn't hurt the wallet, insurance is cheap, must be full marks"; an experienced driver in Brazil with 50 years of driving experience described it as "comfortable, strong power, value far exceeds expectations" after trying it; European owners focus more on the whole vehicle warranty policy, believing manufacturers dare to offer long-term support, only then do they dare to buy Chinese brand fuel SUVs. From 190,000 km domestically to tens of thousands of kilometers overseas in a year, the keywords pieced together from cross-market samples are highly consistent: reliable, cheap to maintain, large space.

A-Class Body: 2670mm Wheelbase, 475—1500 Liters, 70k-Level Automatic

Back to the product itself, Tiggo 7 makes "A-Class Value" very tangible. Based on the new Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 7 PLUS on sale: body approx 4530x1862x1695mm, wheelbase 2670mm, positioning compact/A-class; rear legroom is approx two fists for a 175cm tester, floor is nearly flat, a family of five won't feel knee-bumping on long trips; trunk is standard 475L, expands to 1500L with seats folded, baby strollers, folding bikes, camping boxes can all fit, PLUS higher version also provides 24.6-inch curved surround screen, Lion car internet, 8155 chip, CarPlay/HiCar, 360°or 540°camera view.

The Tiggo 7's low trim isn't just "enough is good", but defines a new entry-level comfort standard with solid hardware—multi-link chassis, zero-gravity seats, remote temperature control, and flat rear seat are the four pillars, allowing an 80,000 yuan budget to experience crossover-level driving quality. If you value daily commuting and family travel comfort sensation, it truly achieves "low trim without compromise".

Power and Cost of Use: 1.5T for Commuting, 1.6T for Long Distance

Tiggo 7 power splits into two lines by scenario. When the whole family departs fully loaded, the golden combination of 1.5T high-efficiency turbo engine and 9-speed CVT transmission is enough for use, max power 115kW, max torque 230N·m, light start, stable high-speed cruise, smooth shifting without jerking. Meanwhile, the boulder-like body built by global 5-star safety standards protects family safety.

To let users completely eliminate worries, Tiggo 7 launched that the first non-operating owner can enjoy a whole vehicle lifetime warranty. This means, compared to the common 3 years or 100,000 kilometers warranty on the market, Tiggo 7 extends this guarantee to the vehicle's entire lifecycle. Discounts at purchase time are visible benefits, while lifetime warranty is real money saved in the vehicle use life of the next ten years or even longer.

Why it Deserves the Name A-Class Value Benchmark

The benchmark for A-class SUVs is not about how many screens are piled up, but whether "price, space, reliability, safety, ownership volume" are all balanced. Tiggo 7, through a "low price, high spec" strategy and global technology endorsement, precisely meets family users' needs for comfort, safety, and intelligence. Its sales performance of consecutively reigning as the A-class SUV export champion of Chinese brands for three years further confirms its market recognition as a "value benchmark". It may not be the most aggressive in every individual item, but it does everything family SUVs care most about: "don't break, don't be expensive, don't be cramped, don't cut specs".

For young families, the first car often determines trust in the brand for the next ten years. The A-Class Value Benchmark shouldn't be defined by joint venture brands, nor by individual parameters, but should be defined by long-term real-world user reputation.

Conclusion

A-Class family SUV users have never wanted the flashiest, but the most stable; global quality plus local reputation is the truly irreplaceable benchmark at this price point. In one sentence: Tiggo 7's reputation is not that a certain parameter explodes, but making "upgrade specs + global verification + lifetime warranty" a long-term account for family use.

The continuous "price war" intensifies market involution, while also prompting Chinese automakers to expand into overseas markets. However, as the scale of China's automotive exports continues to grow, the competitive order and compliance in overseas markets are becoming the industry's focus.

Recently, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly released a document—"Guidelines for Overseas Competitive Behavior and Compliance Construction in the Automotive Industry". This document directly points to a series of controversies triggered by frequent price cuts by Chinese automakers in overseas markets in recent years, and for the first time at the official level, systematically set clear compliance requirements for automakers' overseas pricing, promotions, and localized operations, among other behaviors.

Among them, Chery Automotive's response was swift and steady, clearly stating it will establish a scientific pricing system in overseas markets and regulate terminal prices and promotional behaviors. GAC Group was not left behind, with its statement stating, "Integrating compliance concepts throughout the entire R&D, production, supply, sales, and service chain". Moreover, BYD, Great Wall Motor, and Geely Holding Group also issued statements in response in succession.

From the industry's top-level call to standardize benign competition and eliminate spillover involution, to automakers generally recognizing the ineffective competition of low-price killing, the whole industry has formed a unified consensus on breaking the deadlock. However, reaching a consensus does not mean risks automatically dissipate; the warning bell against "involution" spillover must still ring long.

1

Export Acceleration, Compliance Faces Challenges

The background for the release of the "Guidelines" is the explosive growth in the scale of Chinese automotive "going global". Data shows that in the first 7 months of this year, China exported 6.14 million automobiles, a year-on-year increase of 66.8%. The monthly export volume first broke through the 1 million mark in June of this year, and July continued this trend, achieving consecutive two months of over 1 million automobiles exported. Industry predictions suggest the full year may hit 10 million.

Against the background of intensified competition in the domestic market, overseas exports have become the core growth engine for numerous Chinese automakers. Taking August sales as an example, BYD's single-month overseas sales exceeded 180,000, setting a new historical high; Chery exported 197,000, a year-on-year increase of 52.1%, with cumulative exports exceeding 7.18 million; Geely's overseas exports in August reached 110,100, a significant increase of 205% year-on-year. Great Wall Motor's overseas sales of 289,000 in the first half of this year have surpassed its domestic sales of 286,700; this is the first time in Great Wall's history that overseas sales have exceeded domestic sales.

Behind rapid expansion, the hazards of extensive overseas expansion are gradually emerging. Some enterprises expanding overseas continue to use the domestic "trade price for volume" strategy, with frequent price cuts, channel channeling, and failure to fulfill promises to dealers occurring from time to time. This not only harms consumer interests but also impacts the overall brand image of Chinese automobiles.

2

Overseas Markets Can No Longer "Price Arbitrarily"

Pricing is the core focus of this guideline. It is reported that the document urges vehicle and component manufacturers to avoid fierce price wars and significant price-cut promotions in overseas markets. It requires enterprises to base pricing on costs and local market supply and demand, avoiding frequent and large price cuts. Different configurations must have clear price gradients and cannot rely on low prices to disrupt local market order. At the same time, dealer channels must be regulated, and a complete compliance system for overseas after-sales, quality, and data security must be improved.

The intent of "admonishing" in this section is obvious, referring precisely to the "involution" spillover that everyone has been very familiar with in recent years. Many automakers, after expanding overseas, adopted aggressive methods such as price cuts to quickly grab market share. Although this was due to market behavior, it did exert certain impacts on the stability of the local market. There are already some negative cases, for example, in the Thai market, some automakers made successive price cuts in Thailand, raising the dissatisfaction of users who had already purchased cars. Thai public institutions also launched investigations into this matter.

This scene inevitably recalls the past lessons of Chinese motorcycle exports to Southeast Asia. If Chinese auto enterprises continue to blindly "involute" and replicate the domestic price war tactics, it will only undermine the value of Chinese brands, and even trigger anti-dumping and trade protection investigations by local regulators. This is a very dangerous signal for Chinese automakers who are just beginning to emerge in overseas markets.

The purpose of the state issuing relevant guidelines this time is clear: no longer solely encouraging the expansion of export scale, but beginning to standardize and manage the increasingly complex global business layout. In other words, previously Chinese automobiles competed on "whether they could go out", but now they are competing on "whether they can stay".

Overseas markets are full of gold mines, automakers must not mess this up. Chinese automakers going overseas cannot just think about selling cars; they must also learn to do business long-term and in a compliant manner. After all, the outcome of long-term competition no longer depends on who has the lower price or faster shipment, but on the comprehensive ability of localized operations, global compliance governance, supply chain collaboration, and brand building.

Currently, China's automotive export faces dual pressures of intensifying trade barriers and the spillover of internal price wars. The joint release of compliance guidelines by the Ministry of Commerce and two other ministries is precisely to curb malicious competition. Of course, the guidelines are essentially guiding, non-mandatory regulations. To be implemented, it ultimately depends on whether enterprises can reach a true industry consensus and take concrete actions.

Auto Talk Industry | As the global automotive industry's electrification transition enters the deep-water zone, Chinese brands are continuously amplifying their voice on the world stage. Relying on the solid foundation of the domestic market, combined with high-speed expansion in overseas markets, Chery Group's new energy sector has delivered a report of scale and quality.

Latest sales data shows that Chery Group's new energy vehicles achieved a monthly sales volume exceeding 100,000 units for five consecutive months, securing the fifth position in the global new energy landscape, and becoming an important sample for China's automotive "overtaking by changing lanes".

In August, Chery Group's new energy vehicle sales reached 120,909 units, a year-on-year surge of 69.8%, with wholesale volume ranking in the top three of the industry for five consecutive months. From January to August 2026, Chery Group's new energy cumulative sales reached 725,214 units, a year-on-year increase of 46.2%, maintaining a strong upward growth curve on a high base.

According to statistics from CPCA's Cui Dongshu, from January to July 2026, Chery Group's new energy global market share reached 5.5%, ranking in the top five of global automotive groups in new energy vehicle sales.

It is worth noting that among the global new energy sales TOP 5 list, four slots are occupied by Chinese automotive companies, marking that China's new energy vehicles have upgraded from local rise to a global force, reshaping the global automotive industry competition landscape. From 100,300 units in April to 121,000 units in August, the monthly rising new energy sales volume verifies that Chery's electrification transition has shifted from phased explosion to normalized growth.

Behind the surge in total volume is a deep restructuring of the internal structure, with new energy becoming the core pillar of Chery's domestic market. In August, Chery Group's full-vehicle sales reached 280,128 units, a year-on-year increase of 15.4%. The new energy penetration rate in the domestic market soared to 61.9%, equivalent to two out of every three Chery cars sold domestically being new energy models.

High penetration means Chery's product structure has completed a fundamental switch. New energy is no longer a supplementary sector but the main force driving the brand's basic foundation. From traditional fuel vehicles to new energy carrying the national market banner, Chery has completed the iteration of internal tracks, laying product foundations for subsequent global output.

Export business is another major engine for Chery's growth. In August, Chery exports reached 196,984 units, a year-on-year increase of 52.1%, continuing to hold the number one spot for Chinese brand exports. New energy is becoming the core driver for going global; currently, one out of every seven new energy vehicles exported domestically comes from Chery.

In August, Chery's new energy exports approached 70,000 units, with a year-on-year increase as high as 124.2%, and the proportion of new energy in total monthly exports rose to 35.3%. New energy products are rewriting Chery's overseas sales composition, helping exports break away from the old pattern dominated by fuel vehicles.

Europe, as the mainstream automotive market with the strictest global regulations, has become the touchstone for testing Chery's global product power. From January to July 2026, Chery sold over 208,000 cars in 24 European countries, a year-on-year increase of 201%; among them, new energy vehicle sales were 102,000 units, a year-on-year surge of 332.5%, with the new energy proportion approaching 50%.

The high-speed growth in the European market proves that Chery's new energy products can adapt to mature markets with high safety and high emission standards, breaking the stereotype in overseas markets that Chinese new energy vehicles are "only suitable for emerging markets", and accumulating reputation and experience for further opening up developed markets.

Achieving flourishing growth both domestically and internationally stems from Chery's blockbuster product matrix covering different price ranges, different categories, and adapting to global diversified demands.

Domestically, new models continue to ignite the consumption market. On the launch day of the Fulid T7, orders exceeded 23,000, and the "Origin Global Car" concept received a warm market response; the FREELANDER Shenxingzhe 8, the first mass-production car of the Shenxingzhe series, opened pre-sales, with orders exceeding 10,000 in 48 hours, officially launching an attack on the high-end new energy track; the new QQ3 sales exceeded 10,000 for five consecutive months, stabilizing its star position in the A0-level pure electric market; the Luxeed V9 cumulative deliveries exceeded 20,000 units, refreshing the fastest delivery record for new energy MPVs at the 500,000 yuan level.

From small commuting cars to family SUVs, then to high-end MPVs, Chery has achieved comprehensive positioning in the segmented market, catering to both mass consumption and high-end upgrade demands.

On the overseas battlefield, multiple main models broke through strongly. The JAECOO 7, JAECOO 5, and OMODA 5 models entered the top ten best-selling car lists in the UK; the JAECOO 5 won the sales champion in the Australian segmented market, Indonesia, and Thailand pure electric markets; the iCAR V23 topped the segmented market榜首 in Thailand and South Africa.

The simultaneous success of multiple models in different continental markets shows that Chery is not simply selling domestic models overseas, but developing products based on global user demands, truly achieving one model adapting to multiple countries' road conditions, regulations, and consumption preferences.

While sales scale surged, Chery's new energy is moving away from the development model that relied solely on volume, stepping into the value growth stage of quality and quantity improvement. In the first half of 2026, Chery's new energy business revenue reached 59.284 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 63.8%, and the proportion of new energy business in the group's total revenue rose from 25.6% to 41.4%.

The significant increase in revenue proportion represents that new energy business is no longer just a tool for boosting sales but a core business unit that truly creates revenue value, with product premium capabilities continuously improving.

As of the end of August, Chery's global cumulative sales exceeded 20.44 million units, and overseas cumulative sales exceeded 7.18 million units. Decades of production and sales foundation, combined with the new momentum of new energy business, propelled Chery to a new development starting point.

From domestic penetration rate breaking through 60% to global ranking in the top five, from blooming everywhere in emerging markets to achieving more than triple growth in European developed markets, Chery's development trajectory is precisely a microcosm of China's automotive industry overtaking by changing lanes.

Under the wave of electrification, Chinese automotive companies bypassed the technical barriers of the traditional fuel vehicle era, relying on a complete industrial chain and rapid iterative product R&D capabilities, achieving a shift from following to running alongside, and leading in some areas. Chery solidifies its foundation with the domestic large cycle, leverages the global market with new energy products, and continuously writes the globalization story of China's automotive industry with one global model after another.

Market Commentary: 

Chery's new energy achieved dual drive through high domestic penetration and high-speed overseas expansion, with a 5.5% global share verifying its top tier status. The product matrix caters to both high and low-end markets, and the breakthrough in the European market proves product power withstands strict tests. However, overseas high-end brand building and profit level improvement remain the core themes for follow-up. Chery's growth path provides a highly valuable practical model for the globalization transformation of domestic brands.

Here is the new energy sales report from Chery Group for August. Sold 120,900 new energy vehicles in August, a year-on-year increase of 69.8%, with sales exceeding 100,000 units for five consecutive months. What does this signify? Domestic new energy wholesale volume ranked in the industry top three for five consecutive months. More noteworthy is the penetration rate—August domestic new energy penetration was 61.9%, meaning for every 3 cars sold, 2 are new energy. This is not the "wolf is coming" fable, but results achieved through fierce competition. From a global perspective, from January to July this year, Chery new energy sales accounted for 5.5% of the global share, ranking in the top five automotive groups worldwide. Chinese automotive groups occupy four of the TOP5 spots, and Chery is one of them. From quantitative to qualitative change, Chery's pace is accelerating.

According to statistical analysis by Cui Dongshu, head of the China Passenger Car Association, from January to July 2026, Chery Group's new energy sales world share reached 5.5%, ranking in the top five automotive groups globally. From 100,300 units in April to 121,000 units in August, Chery's rapid new energy growth propelled Chery's rise in the global new energy market position. On the global new energy sales share TOP5 list, Chinese automotive groups occupy four seats, showcasing a new brand image of Chinese cars in the global market. In August, Chery Group sold 280,128 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 15.4%, including exports of 196,984 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 52.1%, maintaining the No.1 position among Chinese car brands.

What is worth noting is the increase in new energy penetration rate behind Chery's scale growth: In August, Chery's domestic market new energy penetration rate again broke through 60%, reaching 61.9%. This means that for every 3 cars sold by Chery in the domestic market, 2 are new energy vehicles. New energy has become the absolute main force in Chery's domestic market.

New energy has also become a powerful engine for Chery's globalization. Currently, for every 7 new energy vehicles exported from China, 1 comes from Chery. In August, Chery Group's new energy exports were nearly 70,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 124.2%, accounting for 35.3% of total monthly exports.

The "new energy content" in the European market is higher. From January to July, Chery sold over 208,000 vehicles in 24 European countries, a year-on-year increase of 201%; of which new energy 102,000 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 332.5%. From the European sales structure perspective, new energy accounts for about 50%. Chery new energy products are accelerating entry into global high-regulation markets, and product strength has been verified and recognized by the world's most stringent markets.

Chery has formed a "blockbuster matrix" covering different markets, price points, and categories in the global market, driving continuous breakthroughs in Chery new energy sales and solid improvement in industry status.

Domestically, the Fengyun T7 broke 23,000 orders on the first day of launch, verifying the market explosive power of the "Native Global Car" concept; FREELANDER's first mass-production model, Freelander 8, opened pre-sales, breaking 10,000 orders in 48 hours, launching an attack on the high-end new energy market; The all-new QQ 3 sold over 10,000 units for 5 consecutive months, solidifying its status as a star A0-class pure electric product; The Zhijie V9 cumulative deliveries have exceeded 20,000 units, breaking the fastest delivery record for 500,000-level new energy MPVs.

Overseas, the three models JAECOO 7, JAECOO 5, and OMODA 5, featuring new energy characteristics, entered the UK top 10 best-selling models list; JAECOO 5 became the sales champion in the Australian sub-market, Indonesian and Thai pure electric markets, while iCAUR V23 ranked first in the sub-market in Thailand, South Africa, etc.

Chery New Energy has not only "quantitative growth", but also "qualitative leaps". Chery New Energy is moving from scale expansion to a new stage of value growth. In the first half of 2026, Chery Auto's new energy business revenue reached 59.284 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 63.8%, with the proportion of total revenue rising from 25.6% to 41.4%.

Chery New Energy's growth is not only a breakthrough in scale. Revenue from new energy business in the first half was 59.284 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 63.8%, with the proportion of total revenue rising from 25.6% to 41.4%. Revenue growth outpaced sales growth, indicating an increase in the proportion of higher-priced models and an optimization of structure. At the product level, Fengyun T7 broke 23,000 orders on launch day, Freelander 8 broke 10,000 orders in 48 hours pre-sale, Zhijie V9 cumulative deliveries exceeded 20,000, setting the fastest record for 500,000-level new energy MPVs. Both domestic and international legs are moving forward. By the end of August, Chery's cumulative global sales exceeded 20.44 million vehicles, with overseas cumulative sales exceeding 7.18 million vehicles—this is a new starting point, and new energy is injecting new connotations into this starting point. The story of Chinese automobiles overtaking by changing lanes, Chery is continuously writing on the global map.

While Chinese cars were "overtaking by changing lanes", Chery New Energy's explosive growth has entered a new normal. With the August sales release, Chery Group New Energy saw its sales exceed 100,000 units for the 5th consecutive month: In August, the group sold 120,909 new energy vehicles, up 69.8% year-over-year, ranking top three in wholesale volume in the industry for 5 consecutive months; From January to August, the group cumulatively sold 725,214 new energy vehicles, up 46.2% year-over-year.

Chery New Energy sales account for 5.5% of the world share

According to statistical analysis by CPCA Head Cui Dongshu, from January to July 2026, Chery Group's new energy vehicle sales world share reached 5.5%, ranking among the top five global auto groups. From 100,300 units in April to 121,000 units in August, Chery New Energy's rapid growth promoted Chery's leap in global new energy market status. On the global new energy sales share TOP5 list, Chinese car companies occupy four seats, showcasing a new brand image of Chinese cars in the global market.

New energy penetration rate continues to rise, European new energy growth exceeds 3 times

In August, Chery Group sold 280,128 cars, up 15.4% year-over-year, including 196,984 units in exports, up 52.1% year-over-year, maintaining the first position for Chinese brand cars.

What deserves attention is the improvement in new energy penetration rate behind Chery's scale growth: In August, Chery's domestic market new energy penetration rate broke through 60% again, reaching 61.9%. This means that for every 3 cars sold in Chery's domestic market, 2 are new energy. New energy has become the absolute main force in Chery's domestic market.

New energy has also become a powerful engine for Chery's globalization. Currently, for every 7 new energy vehicles exported from China, 1 comes from Chery. In August, Chery Group's new energy exports were nearly 70,000 units, up 124.2% year-over-year, accounting for 35.3% of total exports for that month.

Global Best-Selling Model JAECOO 7

The "New Energy Content" in the European market is higher. From January to July, Chery sold over 208,000 cars in 24 European countries, up 201%; among them 102,000 new energy vehicles, up 332.5%. From the European sales structure, new energy accounts for about 50%, Chery new energy products are accelerating entry into global high-regulation markets, and product capability has been verified and recognized by the world's strictest markets.

Hit Product Matrix: From Fengyun T7 to JAECOO 7

Chery has formed a "Hit Product Matrix" covering different markets, price points, and categories in the global market, promoting Chery New Energy sales to continuously break through and solidifying its industry status.

Domestically, Fengyun T7 exceeded 23,000 orders on its first day of launch, validating the market explosiveness of the "Native Global Car" concept; FREELANDER's first mass-produced Freeland 8 started pre-sale, with 48-hour orders exceeding 10,000 units, attacking the high-end new energy market; Brand new QQ3 sold over 10,000 units for 5 consecutive months, solidifying its status as a star A0-class pure electric product; Luxeed V9 cumulative delivery exceeded 20,000 units, breaking the fastest delivery record for 500,000-level new energy MPVs.

"Native Global Car" Fengyun T7

Overseas, three models featuring new energy, JAECOO 7, JAECOO 5, OMODA 5, entered the UK Top 10 Best-Selling Models list; JAECOO 5 became the sales champion in Australia's sub-segment, as well as in Indonesia and Thailand's pure electric market, iCAUR V23 ranked first in sub-segments in Thailand, South Africa, and other places.

iCAUR V23

Rise in Both Quantity and Quality: New Energy Revenue Share Rises to 41.4%

Chery New Energy not only has "quantity growth", but also "quality leap". Chery New Energy is moving from scale expansion to a new stage of value growth. In the first half of 2026, Chery's new energy vehicle business revenue reached 59.284 billion yuan, up 63.8% year-over-year, increasing the proportion of total revenue from 25.6% to 41.4%.

As of the end of August, Chery's global cumulative sales exceeded 20.44 million units, with overseas cumulative sales exceeding 7.18 million units. This is a new starting point, and new energy is injecting a new meaning into this new starting point. The story of Chinese cars "overtaking by changing lanes", Chery is continuously writing on the global map.

Author: Wang Shanshan

Braking is not admitting defeat; it is changing lanes. "Cannot live in past success," does not deny the past, but sees the future clearly.

Cars are not FMCG and should not chase short-term quick gains. But the reality is, the competition in the entire industry has degenerated into a racing game. Capital pressure, traffic frenzy, constantly squeezing automakers' development cycles. When everyone is accelerating, someone choosing to decelerate becomes an outlier.

Recently, the Chery Fengyun T7 went on sale. Chery Automobile Executive Vice President Li Xueyong went on stage and his first sentence silenced the venue for a few seconds: "Global cars, they can't be rushed."

In the current automotive industry, this sentence is almost going against everyone. Vehicle development cycles have been compressed from 48 months to 26 months, and bugs that should have been solved in the lab were directly handed over to owners for road testing. Chery took a completely opposite path. The Fengyun T7 underwent 2 years of planning and 3 years of R&D, completing 1.45 million kilometers in durability special testing. The homologous model Lepas L6 was launched in Thailand and pre-sold in South Africa first, refining the overseas market before returning to the domestic market, taking a non-mainstream "reverse listing" path.

This new car that chose to "make it slowly" tore open the most core proposition for Chery: When the entire industry is desperately stepping on the gas, why did Chery hit the brakes?

Why Step on the Brakes After 20 Million Units?

A month ago, on July 25, Chery's global cumulative sales broke through 20 million units. For any automaker, this is a moment worthy of a grand celebration. But Chery's celebration exuded abnormality from start to finish.

Not immersed in the number frenzy, Yin Tongyue said a paragraph of words publicly: "After 20 million, we will no longer participate in involution, no longer only pursue sales, but pursue brand moving upmarket, pursue more technical breakthroughs, and pursue greater improvement in customer satisfaction."

From an outsider's perspective, Chery which has been sprinting all the way seems to have no need to adjust. From 960,000 units in 2021 to 2.8 million units last year, the growth curve is pretty enough. But Yin Tongyue almost stepped on the brakes and turned the steering wheel.

Subsequently, Chery Automobile Executive Vice President Zhang Guozhong spoke even more transparently: "Chery cannot live in past success experiences. Facing rapid industry changes, some need minor adjustments, some even need restructuring, only in this way can we adapt to the development of the next cycle."

He gave an example. A few years ago, the industry mainstream judgment on future energy structure was hybrid 4, pure electric 3, fuel 3, but now pure electric growth speed and market share have long far exceeded initial expectations. "Such consumption trend changes come very fast and fierce. In the past, we thought Falcon 500 intelligent driving was enough, but starting from the second quarter, consumers want higher-order versions like Falcon 700 or even 900 more."

Changes come too fast. If Chery still clings to 20 years of past success experiences—continuing to rely on fuel vehicle dividends, continuing to prioritize sales, continuing to use past product definition logic to cope with the market—it is very likely to fall behind in the next cycle.

What Did We Do Right in the Past 20 Years?

To understand why Chery needs to "brake", we must first understand how Chery "ran" to today.

Chery's rise was itself a resistance to industry prejudices. In the 1990s, two phrases were popular in the Chinese automotive circle: Without joint ventures there is no way to live; do not talk about independent R&D until you reach the million unit scale. Chery simply did not believe it.

In 1999, the first independently developed engine ignited successfully. In December of the same year, the first "Fengyun" went off the line. Without joint venture endorsement and without existing systems, Chery hard-chewed core components like engines, transmissions, and chassis from scratch, becoming the first Chinese brand automaker to master core "three major components" technology. This persistence in independent technology R&D allowed Chery to dodge many automakers' "strangled throat" crises.

This road was walked correctly. In 2007, Chery became the first domestic brand to accumulate sales exceeding one million units. The QQ achieved a sales legend of 1.4 million units, allowing ordinary families to drive private cars. The Tiggo series, relying on high cost-performance and low maintenance costs, quickly expanded scale, accumulated massive users and a complete supply chain, completing the most critical initial accumulation for the enterprise.

The smartest move Chery made was stepping out of the country early. In 2001, the first batch of Fengyun exported to Syria, ranking first in Chinese brand passenger car exports continuously for 23 years. When all domestic brands squeezed in the domestic market for fierce close-quarters combat, Chery quietly paved global channels. Overseas markets have always been Chery's cornerstone; when domestic price wars don't make money, overseas markets provide stable financial support and hedge risks.

In summary, Chery's past success logic is not complicated: Use independent R&D to stabilize the chassis, use cost-performance to expand sales, use overseas to stabilize the core base.

This play style worked time and time again over the past 20 years. But now, the halo is dimmed.

Why Not Live in the Past?

The most fundamental change in the industry is: shifting from incremental expansion to stock competition. The extensive growth model of diluting costs by scale and exchanging price for volume has reached its end; industry profit margins dropped to 1.5%, even showing selling more means losing more. Desperately chasing sales is no longer making big and strong, but inefficient internal friction.

Another change is sector switching. What Chery is best at is hardware R&D and power technology in the fuel vehicle era. But the current competition core is electrification, intelligence, and software experience. In the past, we compared whether cars were durable enough and if power was strong enough; now we compare whether intelligent driving is easy to use and if the car system is smooth enough. Chery's steadily iterating pace was steady in the fuel vehicle era, but in the new energy era, it is slow.

There is another reality shortcoming: brand constraints. Relying on cost-performance to start is Chery's advantage, but also its biggest burden. In the minds of most consumers, Chery is "affordable family car", not associated with words like high-end, value, and premium. 20 million accumulated users are mostly affordable users, difficult to form brand premium. Without brand height, one can only be trapped in the low-end price band to fight.

What is harder to change than products and markets is organizational inertia. A play style successful for twenty years, enterprises will definitely form mental rigidity. Fuel vehicle experience, old project processes, sales-only evaluation methods, will be unconsciously applied to new energy and new models. This is the terrible thing about path dependency—experience that once led you to the peak will become walls trapping you. Zhang Guozhong said "some need minor changes, some need restructuring", the changes are not only cars, but the entire enterprise's thinking and system.

After Saying Goodbye to Shadows, Where Will Chery Go?

Restructuring has begun. The most intuitive signal is that in the past few years Chery did not shy away from holding many launches, 189 events were held in 2025, but since this year, media visits to Wuhu decreased by more than half.

Another manifestation is in sales. In the first half of the year, Chery issued 150,000 fewer cars domestically, actively squeezing out "water", significantly reducing dealer inventory, domestic retail about 412,800 units, down 36.4% year-on-year. This is growing pains, and also a necessary cost to repair the terminal price system. And overseas, 200,000 units monthly sales are becoming normal, July overseas sales share has quietly reached 70%.

Changes have begun to happen. On September 1, August sales data showed Chery single-month sales 280,128 units, among which exports 196,984 units, domestic sales 83,144 units. Compared to July exports first breaking 200,000 units, domestic sales about 74,000 units data, August domestic sales month-on-month rose by nearly 10,000 units. After continuous contraction for several months, the domestic core base showed signs of recovery.

Between one down and one up, Chery is completing a switch in development logic. In Zhang Guozhong's words, "No internal stability, no external strength", Chery is no longer solely reliant on the domestic fuel vehicle market, but has constructed two new growth curves: "Overseas + New Energy".

Internally, the brand matrix enters an integration period. Chery recently adjusted the reporting lines of the Exeed business unit, strategic center turning comprehensively to overseas; the Zhiji brand turned from pursuing single product explosion to "long-distance thinking". Although multi-brand same source overlap problems are not fundamentally resolved, actions to streamline SKUs and clarify positioning have been initiated. In new energy, gross margin in the first half of the year rose significantly from 5.2% to 12.8%, saying goodbye to low price volume, entering scale profitability cycle.

The listing path of the Fengyun T7 happens to illustrate this new logic. One car debuted first at Milan Design Week, then launched in South Africa and Thailand, accepted overseas consumer and market testing, refined and then returned to domestic—"Global cars, can't be rushed". Not competing with the industry on new speed, using product strength verified by the global market to speak.

Auto Times says:

The catch-up racing among Chinese brands continues to add intensity. BYD overseas sales in July reached 179,800 units, Geely raised export target to 920,000 units and impact million scale, Great Wall set 600,000 units target. Chery's first-mover advantage is being diluted, window of opportunity is narrowing.

Wanting to cross the cycle, Chery's path is already clear: Globalization shifting from "sell more" to "earn steady"; open both-way technical feedback channels between domestic and overseas; domestic market no longer blindly rush wholesale volume, focusing on product value competition. The core task of the domestic market is to become a test bed for intelligent new technologies, complete verification before feeding back global models.

For Chery, crossing 20 million units is not the destination, but a watershed. The braking Yin Tongyue stepped on is not admitting defeat, but changing lanes. Zhang Guozhong said "Cannot live in past success", not denying the past, but seeing the future clearly.

When noise subsides, this enterprise that walked out of Wuhu small huts, still uses near-stubborn simplicity ways, to walk a farther road.

If we draw a curve of the past 20-plus years of Chinese automotive overseas expansion, the earliest comparison was "whether there is one", later it was "how many", and by today, the real question separating the competition has become: Is a Chinese car first built domestically and then sold globally, or is it defined from the very first day of project initiation according to global users, global regulations, and global environments?

These are two completely different concepts. The former is exports, testing channel, cost, and product competitiveness; the latter is true globalization, testing whether a car manufacturer can build a cross-market operating system in R&D, design, testing, manufacturing, services, and even local operations.

At the newly opened 2026 Chengdu Auto Show, Chery once again took the theme "Chinese Cars, Global Champions", with Chery, Exeed, Zongheng, Jetour, and iCAR five major brands and 38 models collectively appearing. Compared to the massive product lineup, what is more noteworthy is that this time Chery repeatedly emphasized one keyword—"Global Car".

From Fengyun T7 and Fengyun A9 to the all-new QQ3 and Arrizo 7, the role these products bear is no longer just that of "export vehicles", but they are trying to answer a new question: After Chinese cars enter the deep waters of globalization, what kind of car deserves the three words "Global Car"? This question is important because Chinese car overseas expansion has reached a stage where standards must be redefined.

In the past few years, the scale of Chinese car exports grew rapidly, "how many countries to sell to" and "how many vehicles exported" were once the most intuitive indicators of globalization. But sales can prove market breakthroughs but not necessarily equal global capability.

A true global car, first of all, cannot just be "domestic version + overseas adaptation". The differences between different markets are far more complex than left-hand/right-hand drive conversion and language switching. European consumers are used to high-speed driving, the Middle East faces long-term high temperatures, Southeast Asia is humid and rainy, and the Nordic region has extreme cold, darkness, and icy environments; consumers in different countries have obvious differences in steering feel, physical buttons, interior materials, lighting methods, and even parking habits. That is to say, the real difficulty of a global car is not "selling the same car to more places", but how to use a product system to respond to the real needs of different markets simultaneously.

Fengyun T7 is a relatively typical example. According to the definition given by Chery, it does not modify for overseas markets after development is completed domestically, but unfolds according to global needs from the product project initiation phase. The project researched global regulations two years in advance, designed benchmarking the 2026 version E-NCAP standards, and conducted surveys around 15 typical countries and more than 5,000 global users, incorporating real needs from different regions into product definitions in advance.

Some details particularly explain the problem. For example, Thai users prefer a heavier steering feel, so the vehicle increases steering force accordingly; Indonesian road conditions have many bumps, so the steering wheel return feel is optimized; Southeast Asia, South Africa, and Australia/New Zealand regions have intense sunlight, so low-reflection materials are used in the steering wheel and center control area; Turkish and Israeli users are more used to physical operations, so physical buttons are retained for high-frequency functions; European users more often park nose-first, so the vehicle automatically displays the front camera when approaching obstacles.

Looking at these functions individually, it is hard to call them "showing off technology", and they might not even appear in a core parameter table. But it is precisely these seemingly insignificant differences that constitute the true threshold of a global car. Because the essence of globalization is not to require global users to adapt to a Chinese car, but for the product to actively understand users in different markets.

This logic also permeates the vehicle verification phase. Fengyun T7 accumulated test mileage exceeding 6 million kilometers, covering 100-plus types of environments and road conditions such as the EU, Australia/New Zealand, Middle East, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, and others. From Southeast Asian rainy seasons and Middle Eastern high temperatures to Siberian low temperatures, Brazilian gravel roads, and Mexican cobblestone roads, the meaning of testing has gone beyond simply proving whether a vehicle "is durable", but rather trying to move the real environments a vehicle might face in the future into the R&D cycle as much as possible.

This actually also indicates that Chinese automotive globalization is crossing a new threshold. In the past, Chinese brands overseas expansion relied on "product power + cost-effectiveness"; what will increasingly determine how far a brand can go in the future is global regulations, global quality, global verification, and global user understanding capabilities. In other words, sales prove whether you have entered a market, while system capability determines whether you can stay in that market long-term.

What Fengyun A9 represents is another dimension of globalization. For a long time, Chinese cars have faced a problem in design: how to establish their own cultural expression while avoiding falling into excessive symbolization; how to conform to global aesthetics without becoming followers of mature luxury brand design languages.

The "Oriental Originality, Global Aesthetics" emphasized by Fengyun A9 is exactly trying to answer this question. Taking Oriental aesthetics as a starting point, but not simply stacking so-called traditional elements, it attempts to translate the Oriental understanding of lines, proportions, and artistic conception into a more modern and universal automotive design language. Winning the 2026 German Red Dot Product Design Award, of course, is only an external certification, but the significance behind it lies in: Chinese brands beginning to attempt moving from "adapting to global aesthetics" to establishing their own global aesthetic expression.

This step is not easy. Technical parameters can be caught up, configurations can be downgraded, but design recognition and brand awareness require longer accumulation. A truly global brand must eventually not only have product output but also possess its own aesthetic and cultural expression.

Beyond this, the all-new QQ3 provides another observation sample. QQ was once one of the most representative products in the Chinese small car market. Today, the all-new QQ3 re-emphasizes personality, fashion, and user expression, and is gradually entering markets in Southeast Asia, South Asia, South Africa, etc., cumulatively winning global 1.6 million users, bearing a role beyond just a commuting tool.

Europe has MINI and Fiat 500, Japan has its own K-Car culture, and Chinese small cars were more often given the label of "economical and practical" in the past. Today, the QQ series is outputting personalized, youthful lifestyles to the global market again, which is in a certain sense also a microcosm of Chinese automotive culture beginning to go global. Because a truly mature automotive industry ultimately outputs not only vehicles but also the lifestyle and cultural identity formed around automobiles.

Arrizo 7 has taken the matter of "Global Car" to a more mainstream price range. This new car positioned for the 100,000 yuan tier market, developed according to global standards from the very beginning of project initiation, and simultaneously provides fuel and hybrid powertrains. The important signal it releases is: global standards should not belong only to high-end models, nor should it only be the value-added nature of export products. Only when global safety, global verification, global aesthetics, and global quality gradually enter the mainstream market accessible to ordinary consumers, can "Global Car" truly have the opportunity to change from a brand label to a common product capability.

And the fact that Chery can take "Global Car" as today's core proposition is also inseparable from more than 20 years of overseas accumulation.

As of the end of July 2026, Chery Group's cumulative global users have broken through 20.16 million, of which overseas users exceed 6.99 million; in July this year, the group's single-month exports exceeded 200,000 vehicles, January to July cumulative exports broke 1.14 million vehicles, products entered more than 130 countries and regions globally.

But what is more noteworthy than export scale is the change in Chery's globalization method. Currently, Chery's overseas employees exceed 20,000 people, of which local employees account for 85%. From Spain to South Africa, Chery is promoting local production, local employment, and local supply chain construction. This means that the relationship it has with overseas markets is gradually moving from the past simple "produced in China, sold overseas" to deep integration of R&D, manufacturing, talent, supply chain, and market operations.

This is also the real problem that Chinese automotive globalization's next stage must face. Export volume is still important, but it is increasingly like a result. What truly determines a company's global competitiveness is whether it can convert global user needs into product definitions, transform regulations of different countries into R&D standards, turn complex environments into verification systems, and then incorporate local manufacturing, local talent, and local operations into the same global system.

In this sense, "Global Car" has never been a model label, but the ultimate projection of a car manufacturer's global capabilities. In the past more than 20 years, Chinese automobiles have completed the transition from "going out" to "selling out"; but today, the real competition has become how to move from "selling globally" to "built for the globe".

Chery has ranked first in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years, giving it enough long-term global market experience. But what is more noteworthy than "exports first" is that it is trying to take the more than 20 years of globalization accumulation and re-settle it into a standard that can enter product definitions, R&D, and manufacturing systems.

So looking at "Chery is a Chinese car, but more importantly a global car" today, what it really wants to express might not be so simple as "Chinese cars have gone global". More importantly, Chinese cars are beginning to answer a question that long-term defined by multinational car companies in their own way: What kind of car can truly belong to the globe.

Chery was the first to break the traditional path of "domestic model modifications for export", establishing a new development model for "native global vehicles": From the very first day of product definition, it conducts forward development targeting global market user needs. Safety standards, durability verification, usage scenarios, etc., are based on the highest global requirements. No longer making "fast-moving consumer goods", but "durable goods, works of art".

This concept is being translated into solid market performance.

OMODA&JAECOO dual brands launched only three years ago, global cumulative sales broke 1 million vehicles; entered the UK market less than two years ago, cumulative sales immediately broke 100,000, with JAECOO 7, JAECOO 5, OMODA 5 three models entering the UK top 10 best-selling car list.

LEPAS L6 successfully launched in South Africa and Thailand, its domestic homologous model "native global vehicle" Fengyun T7 directly benchmarks 2026 version European 5-star safety standard, just launched in August, 24-hour orders broke 23,188 vehicles, verifying the "one platform, global blooming" R&D path.

Picture shows LEPAS L6

Energy Switch: For every 7 new energy vehicles exported from China, 1 is from Chery

While scale continues to climb, the export product structure of Chery is undergoing profound transformation, new energy vehicles have become the "powerful engine" driving growth.

January-August, Chery Group new energy exports exceeded 450,000 vehicles, year-on-year growth 136.8%, growth rate exceeding the overall market. According to China Passenger Car Association data, January-July, Chery New Energy cumulative export volume ranked second in the industry; since April, monthly new energy exports have continuously been firmly in the top two of the industry.

Picture shows global best-selling model JAECOO 7

A more convincing number: Currently, for every 5 cars exported from China, 1 is from Chery; for every 7 new energy vehicles exported, 1 is from Chery.

The explosion of new energy exports is not accidental. From LUXEED V9 refreshing the 500,000 level new energy MPV fastest delivery record, to Freelander 8 pre-sale 48-hour orders breaking 10,000, to Fengyun T7 exploding the pure electric SUV market with 24-hour 23,000 orders — Chery is using "hit new energy matrix" to cover all global niche tracks. New energy vehicles have become Chery's new business card for going global, also showing the new image of Chinese automotive technology brands in the global market.

Market Breakthrough: UK Overall Runner-up, Australia Top Three

Chery's export market layout has also achieved breakthrough from emerging markets to global high-regulation markets.

Europe as one of the most stringent automotive regulation markets globally, has become Chery's high-quality overseas export core position: January-July, Chery in Europe 24 countries cumulative sales exceeded 208,000 vehicles, year-on-year growth 201%; among them new energy sales reached 102,000 vehicles, year-on-year big increase 332.47%. In the UK, since March Chery has continuously firmly held the monthly car sales total list runner-up; in Australia, July single-month sales have already entered industry top three.

Picture shows Chery Group overseas vehicles about to board ship

High-regulation market breakthrough means Chery's product power is being verified in the world's pickiest markets, and also further promoted global weight improvement. According to China Passenger Car Association director Cui Dongshu's statistical analysis, January-July, Chery Group world sales share increased to 4.2%, ranked ninth globally. From "China Export Champion" to "Global Sales Share Top Ten", Chery has determined new coordinates in the global automotive industry pattern.

Beyond Business: Globalized "Chery Path"

Beyond business expansion, Chery simultaneously doing another thing: carving "long-termism" into every step of globalization.

August, Chery in partnership with World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Spain launched "Cherish Nature" second phase ocean ecological protection activity, focusing on Posidonia seagrass ecosystem restoration and protection — this is one of the UN-recognized global most important blue carbon ecosystems. Relying on recycled aluminum low-carbon material technology, multiple countries global biodiversity protection projects, social emergency rescue public welfare practices, etc., Chery also won 2026 Chinese Automotive Industry Sustainable Development Practice Cases "Green Development" "Smart Innovation Technology" "Harmony and Shared Benefit" three major honors.

Picture shows Chery Group working with IUCN to carry out Mediterranean Posidonia seagrass monitoring activities and seminars

At the same time "going out" "integrating in", embracing the world, contributing to the world — this is the true moat behind 7 million vehicles.

From 2001 to 2026, from 10 vehicles to 7.18 million vehicles, Chery 25 years of overseas journey is Chinese automotive speeding up globalization vivid microcosm. 7 million vehicles is milestone, even more so new starting point. Chinese automotive new overseas chapter, is writing in every global market.

At the moment the 7,000,000th “Chery-built” vehicle boarded the ship at the port, a new chapter was added to the history of Chinese automobiles "going global".

In August 2026, Chery Group's single-month exports reached 196,984 units, a year-on-year increase of 52.1%, continuing to firmly rank first in Chinese automobile exports; cumulative exports from January to August totaled 1,343,334 units, a year-on-year increase of 68.1%. Calculating down, on average, one “Chery-built” vehicle heads overseas every 16 seconds. Thus, Chery Group's global cumulative sales surpassed 20.44 million units, among which overseas cumulative sales exceeded 7.18 million units, becoming the first Chinese auto manufacturer to cumulatively break through exports of 7 million units.

From 2025 to the present, Chery has successively claimed the three "firsts" records of cumulative Chinese auto manufacturer exports reaching 5 million, 6 million, and 7 million units, completing three million-level leaps in just 14 months. Behind ranking first in Chinese brand passenger car exports for 23 consecutive years, lies Chery's systemic breakthroughs in dimensions such as product development, business structure, market layout, and overseas expansion concepts, exploring a globalization path for Chinese enterprises from "going out" to "integrating in".

Product Evolution: From "Revised Models for Export" to "Native Global Cars"

What Chery first broke was the traditional path of "domestic models revised for export", establishing a new development model of "Native Global Cars": from the first day of product definition, it conducts positive development facing global market user needs, with safety standards, durability verification, usage scenarios, etc., benchmarking the highest global requirements ———— not making "fast-moving consumer goods", but making "durables, artworks".

This concept is being converted into solid market performance.

OMODA&JAECOO dual brand launch was only three years ago, global cumulative sales exceeded 1 million units; having entered the UK market for less than two years, cumulative sales broke 100,000 units, with the three models JAECOO 7, JAECOO 5, OMODA 5 joining the top 10 best-selling models in the UK.

LEPAS L6 was successfully launched in South Africa and Thailand, its domestic homologous model "Native Global Car" Fengyun T7 directly benchmarks the 2026 European 5-Star Safety Standards, launched in August, 24-hour orders broke 23,188 units, validating the R&D path of "One Platform, Global Success".

Image shows LEPAS L6

Power Switch: For Every 7 New Energy Vehicles Exported from China, 1 Comes from Chery

While scale continues to climb, the product structure of Chery's exports is undergoing profound changes, New Energy Vehicles have become the "powerful engine" driving growth.

January to August, Chery Group New Energy Vehicle exports exceeded 450,000 units, year-on-year growth 136.8%, growth rate exceeded the overall market. According to China Passenger Car Association data, January to July, Chery New Energy Vehicle cumulative export volume ranked in the top two in the industry; since April, monthly New Energy Vehicle exports have continuously maintained the top two in the industry.

Image shows Global Best-Selling Model JAECOO 7

A more convincing number: Currently, for every 5 cars exported from China, 1 comes from Chery; for every 7 New Energy Vehicles exported, 1 comes from Chery.

The explosion of New Energy Vehicle exports is not accidental. From Luxeed V9 breaking the 500,000-level New Energy Vehicle MPV fastest delivery record, to Freelander 8 pre-sale 48-hour orders breaking 10,000, to Fengyun T7 exploding the pure electric SUV market with 23,000 orders in 24 hours — Chery is using a "Blockbuster New Energy Vehicle Matrix" to cover all global niche tracks. New Energy Vehicles have become Chery's new card for going global, also showcasing a new technical brand image for Chinese automobiles in the global market.

Market Breakthrough: UK Overall Rank 2nd, Top 3 in Australia

Chery's export market layout has also achieved a breakthrough from emerging markets to global high-regulation markets.

Europe, as one of the markets with the strictest global automotive regulations, has become the core position for Chery's high-quality global expansion: January to July, Chery's cumulative sales in 24 European countries exceeded 208,000 units, year-on-year growth 201%; among which New Energy Vehicle sales reached 102,000 units, year-on-year increase 332.47%. In the UK, since March Chery has continuously maintained the second place in the monthly car sales total ranking; in Australia, July's single-month sales have entered the top 3 in the industry.

Image shows Chery Group export vehicles about to board ship

The breakthrough in high-regulation markets means Chery's product power is being verified in the world's most picky markets, and further promotes the increase of global weight. According to Cui Dongshu, head of the China Passenger Car Association, January to July, Chery Group's world sales share increased to 4.2%, ranking ninth globally. From "Chinese Export Champion" to "Top 10 Global Sales Share", Chery has established new coordinates in the global automotive industry landscape.

More Than Business: The "Chery Path" of Globalization

Beyond business expansion, Chery is synchronously doing another thing: engraving "long-termism" into every step of globalization.

In August, Chery in conjunction with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched the second phase of "Cherish Nature" marine ecological protection activity in Spain, focusing on the restoration and protection of the Posidonia seagrass ecosystem — this is one of the globally most important blue carbon ecosystems recognized by the UN. Relying on recycled aluminum low-carbon material technology, biodiversity protection projects in multiple countries globally, socialized emergency rescue public welfare practices, etc., Chery also won the 2026 China Automotive Industry Sustainable Development Practice Cases "Green Development", "Innovative Technology", "Harmonious Benefit" three major honors.

Image shows Chery Group working with IUCN to carry out Mediterranean Posidonia seagrass monitoring activities and seminars

Integrating in while going out, embracing the world, contributing to the world — this is the true moat behind 7 million units.

From 2001 to 2026, from 10 units to 7.18 million units, Chery's 25-year journey of going global is a vivid microcosm of Chinese automobiles accelerating globalization. 7 million units is a milestone, more so a new starting point. The new chapter of Chinese automobiles going global is being written in every market globally.