As a leading domestic automotive export enterprise, Chery has recently been deeply scrutinized by public opinion regarding quality and safety standards. The trigger was the poor performance of its models in the crash tests of the latest Latin America New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP).

Latin NCAP: Tiggo 2 Receives Zero-Star Rating

On October 28, 2026, the Latin America and Caribbean New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP) released the first batch of crash test reports adopting the 2026 version of the new testing protocol. Chery Tiggo 2 (corresponding to the Chery Tiggo 3x in the domestic market, named Tiggo 2 Pro, Tiggo 2 Pro Max, and Chery Tiggo 2 in the Mexican market) received a zero-star (0 star) rating.

The vehicle comes standard with four airbags and an Electronic Stability Control System (ESC), but still failed to meet basic safety requirements. The report shows that Tiggo 2 scored 0% for adult occupant protection, 0% for child occupant protection; pedestrian protection scored 49%, and safety assistance system scored 45%.

Latin NCAP pointed out several key safety defects:

Body structure instability: During the frontal collision, the vehicle body and footwell area deformed and became unstable, causing severe crushing injury to the driver's chest;

Fire risk: Fire hazards were detected during the frontal collision test, posing a major threat to occupants inside the vehicle and rescuers;

Lack of safety features: The vehicle does not come standard with side curtain airbags for head protection; rear seat belts are not equipped with pretensioners and load limiters; simultaneously, the vehicle is not equipped with any Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

Latin NCAP Secretary-General Alejandro Fulas stated that the test results have pushed Chery into the spotlight — the safety performance of products launched by the brand for hot-segment markets is worrisome.

Another quality incident occurred in Malaysia: On October 6, a Chery Omoda 5 suffered an accident where the entire rear suspension assembly detached while driving. The Malaysian Land Transport Authority (JPJ) immediately suspended the model certification (VTA) for this model and stopped new vehicle registration and licensing services.

In response, Chery initiated a recall, involving 8,878 Omoda 5 C and H version vehicles. On October 21, Chery Chairman and General Manager Yin Tongyue publicly apologized at the World Intelligent Connected Vehicles Conference (WICV) regarding this quality incident. Yin Tongyue emphasized that Chery is committed to "deeply rooted" in overseas markets, rather than pursuing short-term windfall profits; at the same time, he called on Chinese automakers going overseas to maintain humility and respect local regulations and systems.

Since the Chery Tiggo series was launched in 2005, products have been exported to more than 80 countries and regions. The Tiggo 2 series is the entry-level model with the lowest price threshold in this product line, focusing on practicality and high cost-performance ratio. In the first half of 2026 alone, Chery exported more than 115,028 vehicles to the Central and South American market.

The four tensions are not yet closed; the speed of execution determines the next thirty years.

Author: Song Jiating

"30 years old can be the beginning of aging, or the eve of an innovation explosion."

Yin Tongyue, Chairman of Chery Holding Group Co., Ltd., said this at the opening of the 2026 Chery Global Innovation Conference. He also said that today Chery is much like the horse keepers and carriage workshop owners of the past facing the first Mercedes-Benz car—many companies fall before 30, while some deliver works that change the world around the age of 30.

A chairman who sells over 2 million units annually and has been the export leader among Chinese brands for 23 consecutive years, calls himself a "horse keeper." What is frightening is not a specific rival, but that the capabilities relied upon for the past thirty years may no longer be valuable in the next thirty years. This is also the fundamental reason why Chery chose "change".

From the current perspective, the transformation at Chery is four sets of tensions pulling simultaneously from inside to outside. Each layer relies on the one above as a premise, and each layer is not yet closed—where all tensions finally intersect stands ordinary families. This is the ultimate mission of an automotive manufacturer, or rather, a technology company.

Technology: 126 Days vs. 3 Days for a Simulation Engineer

Chery simulation engineers previously used to optimize the aerodynamics of one car with six rounds of solutions, 100 per round. The traditional process took 126 days.

After integrating CheryMind, the same work was completed in 3 days, efficiency improved 42 times, drag coefficient compressed from 0.32 to 0.26, and range directly increased by 40 kilometers. The 123 days saved allowed engineers to think about "more creative things".

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Chery did not take the general large model route, but self-developed the vertical model CheryMind with a much narrower goal: only doing inference and decision-making for vehicle-side and physical scenarios.

For this narrow goal, it simultaneously self-developed three things—the model itself, the automotive-grade chip Ziwei C100, and the World Engine CHERYAWE, forming a vehicle-side closed loop of "Model — Computing Power — Decision".

Behind CheryMind are 700 TB levels of enterprise knowledge and PB levels of engineering data. Ziwei C100 is customized for the deployment of 10 billion parameter models on vehicles and will be mass-produced in 2027.

Hard constraints of Physical AI determine the necessity of the closed loop: latency compressed to millisecond level, data cannot leave the vehicle arbitrarily, and automotive-grade reliability does not allow any link to be outsourced or fail. The cost is heavy assets, slow returns, and limited generality; the return is certainty in industrial scenarios.

Whether the closed loop holds is not looked at in launch events, but in the performance after C100 is installed on vehicles in 2027. This layer is the premise of the latter three layers—without a reusable foundation, boundary expansion is impossible to discuss, organizational adjustments lose direction, and identity manifestos degenerate into slogans.

Boundaries: A Rainforest Starting from a Field

In Northeast farmland, a pure electric intelligent agricultural machine is operating unmanned. Previously one person one machine daily handled 150 mu, now one person multiple machines daily handles 800 mu; in a potato farm test, energy cost reduced by 74%, maintenance reduced by 59%, carbon emissions reduced by 56%. On the same land, corn yield per mu increased from 1600 jin to 2000 jin.

No one would have thought the team doing this comes from an automotive company. Nineteen years ago, it also entered the shipbuilding industry.

Chery's cross-bordering is not starting from zero, but reusing outward from the three capability lines of automobiles. Electrification foundation reused to agri-machinery, energy storage, eVTOL power; intelligent brain reused to smart cockpit, smart driving, robots, agri-machinery OS; manufacturing and supply chain reused to robot mass production and global spare parts ecosystem.

The three lines have different radii: electrification migration cost is lowest, intelligence needs scenario data feedback, manufacturing and supply chain rely on economies of scale. The longer the radius, the more it relies on blood transfusion from the core auto business.

Chery's core business is not easy. In the first three quarters of this year, 1.551 million units were exported, with exports accounting for over 70% of total sales. High overseas margins support R&D confidence, but domestic pressure means the blood transfusion pipeline is not infinitely thick. Yin Tongyue drew a red line: output capabilities externally, but do not take involution.

From passenger cars to agri-machinery, energy storage is reuse, to complete robots and eVTOL complete machines is a further leap. Which are extensions, which are overdrafts, Chery has not given a clear answer—this is exactly where it is not yet closed. Yin Tongyue said Chery hopes to turn from one tree into a rainforest, but undoubtedly, growth needs thick roots and requires a long time.

Organization: 14 Days, Two Rounds of Moves

From September to October, two adjustments in 14 days. Zhang Guibing promoted from Head of International Business to Executive Vice President of the Joint Stock Company. Subsequently, the Chery main brand was included in the global market system under his direct management, simultaneously coordinating global styling, HR, legal, spare parts, and robot business; Jetour managed by Li Xueyong, focusing on the global off-road brand.

The sudden adjustment is full of deep meaning. Exports are Chery's trump card; in the new round of competition, Chery must fully play this card, build high barriers, and not give any rivals any chance to surpass.

True global integrated operations require overseas regional teams to have corresponding decision-making power on product configuration, pricing, channels, and services. Chery centralized all power to Wuhu HQ; efficiency might improve, but localization depth might be limited, "Be somewhere" is just a slogan.

From another angle, the result-orientation, monthly assessment, and flattening of the international system are accelerating a transfer to the domestic side. This logic works in high-margin overseas markets, but under the reality of domestic sales pressure and a large team scale, whether the same incentive intensity can cover all staff is an unknown in cost structure. Staff allocation adopts planting genes first then covering all; middle management has moved, frontline perception lags.

Organizational changes do not decide who sits in which office, but whether anyone can handle the capability and ambition of the first two layers.

Identity: A Welding Point and an Apology

Yin Tongyue said Chery is a "high-tech company wearing an auto company's vest", saying he was happy to hear others say Chery is less and less like an auto company. These words can be said in one big meeting, communication efficiency is high, but identity is not declared.

In the same month, he publicly apologized in Beijing for Malaysia product quality issues—Omoda 5 rear axle detachment, recalling over 8,000 vehicles. This event with the "High Tech Company" manifesto in the same time window points to a simple fact: no matter how advanced the technology foundation, how vast the cross-industry map, if one welding point has an issue, the global narrative must step back.

The identity layer can only close by the accumulation of the first three layers of facts: closed loop delivery not there, reusability sustainability not there, organization holding not there. 20.73 million global users is a scale fact, six overseas families standing on the Brand Night stage is an emotional fact, but neither can replace quality fact. Manifesto runs faster than delivery; this is the biggest risk for a company's 30th transition.

Family: Technology Circles Back, Landing on People

On October 21, Wuhu Grand Theater, Chery Brand Night announced its theme: "Together, For Family". Six real families from Ecuador, Poland, UK, Romania, South Africa, Brazil walked on stage, a four-act family theater, from "Fireworks · Urban Guardian Daily" to "Party · Family Portrait".

Dutch football legend Van der Sar appeared as a super user, interpreting safety with "Guard the last bottom line"—a goalkeeper's duty, and a car guarding family, met in the same scene.

Same day, ALL-NEW TIGGO7 and TIGGO X7 completed their global premiere. Tiggo 7 series global users over 2 million, sold in over 100 countries, 4 consecutive years Champion of Class A Fuel SUV Export among Chinese brands, gathered China, Europe, Australia, ASEAN four regions Five-Star Safety Certifications—the meaning of these numbers is not in the numbers themselves, but that they are evidence of "Global Same Model, Global Same Standard, Global Same Source Verification"—domestic users don't need to leave the country, can possess global car quality verified by worldwide markets.

Technology went around a big circle, landing point is still people. Chery global users have broken 20 million scale, overseas users over 7.39 million, on average one Chery vehicle delivered every 17 seconds to global users. But Yin Tongyue still emphasized: "AI can replace skills, impossible to replace humanity, insight on future, and strategic layout on future. AI can improve efficiency, but cannot replace human responsibility, human judgment, and human warmth."

This layer answers not "Who Chery wants to become", but "What Chery is considered to be in users' minds". Identity is external recognition after accumulation of Tech, Boundary, Org three layers of facts, and family is the simplest and harshest scale of this recognition—before a family hands the car to family members, they first confirm it can protect them. Family users from different countries and regions globally are a public accounting between "Manifesto Speed" and "Delivery Speed".

Renqi Conclusion:

Tech layer decides confidence, boundary layer decides radius, org layer decides execution, identity layer decides whether outside world recognizes. Any layer broken, whole chain loses stability. And all this finally answers is whether the family standing on the stage is willing to hand keys to the next generation.

Apple 30th published iPhone, Toyota 29th launched Corolla, none suddenly became strong on the birthday. Before 30, core competence already grown; at 30 just delivered accumulated works. Chery's situation is: core competence being rewritten, delivery clock already running, hands not yet on scale.

30 years old can be start of aging, or eve of innovation explosion. Chery chose the latter, but choice doesn't constitute answer. The speed of delivery is it.

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.

On average, 17 seconds. In the time it takes you to read this pause, another Chery-made vehicle roars toward a port on the other side of the Earth.

To be honest, half-year exports nearing 950,000 units, single month nearing the 200,000 unit mark, these numbers are indeed substantial. But if you only look at sales volume, you fall into a data trap. What we see is not how many cars Chery sold, but how this enterprise is forcibly rooting the car manufacturing roots into the soil of the global market. This is no longer simple trade export, but a fundamental restructuring of the globalization survival model.

From Product Transit to Industrial Rooting

In the past, when we talked about going global, the essence was door-to-door delivery. Domestic production, ocean shipping, terminal sales, short chains, weak stickiness. Chery's current approach has clearly changed the logic.

Spain's European Operation Center, UK Liverpool Commercial Vehicle Headquarters, are not simply offices, but have moved the decision-making brain of market operations, compliance management, supply chain coordination, and financial control to the local level. Even more significant is the South Africa Rosslyn Plant, fully taken over from foreign enterprises, retaining all 692 original employees, and driving 3,000 supply chain jobs in the surrounding area.

It can be said that this deep cultivation of the whole value chain is more penetrating than spending heavily on advertising. You place manufacturing on their land, taxes into their treasury, employment links to locals. This "In somewhere, For somewhere" (Here, For Here, Becoming a Local Member) deep binding is the true moat for going global.

From Single Product Breakout to Group Strategy

Look at the product side again. Early Chinese brand global expansion often relied on one or two cost-performance models to open the market, concentrated risk, insufficient follow-up. Chery has now formed a blockbuster matrix with multiple lines advancing together.

Tiggo 7 monthly overseas sales broke 30,000 units, Tiggo 4 took the runner-up spot in South Africa monthly rankings; JAECOO 7 topped the UK full market monthly leader, JAECOO 5 led in three lines: Australia small pure electric SUV, Indonesia pure electric, Thailand markets; JETOUR T2 even secured the South Africa Car of the Year award, an authoritative award with a 40-year history. Also, OMODA 5 and iCAR V23 continue to sell well in the UK and Thailand respectively.

Yes, this is the true meaning of the matrix. From fuel to pure electric, from entry-level home to light off-road, every segment has a capable main product. This multi-point supported product structure is the true portrayal of capacity and demand behind one car every 17 seconds.

From Compliance Adaptation to Rule Participation

The European market is a benchmark-level arena for the global auto industry, with strict regulations and dense barriers. Chery has not only achieved sales breakthroughs but also completed advancements at the standards level.

Jan-May Europe cumulative sales 138,800 units, year-on-year growth 216.69%; in the UK for three consecutive months ranked second overall brand, second only to Volkswagen. More critically, Chery became one of the Chinese car companies to obtain the China-Europe Automotive Carbon Footprint Mutual Recognition Report, and officially entered the IATF (International Automotive Task Force) Board of Directors, directly participating in the formulation and revision of global automotive quality standards.

From Trade Going Global to System Export

In the end, Chery's over 940,000 unit export volume in these half years marks that China's automotive global expansion has entered a new stage.

In the past it was trade going global, revenue counted per car sold; now it is system going global, while exporting products, synchronously exporting technical standards, manufacturing systems, brand culture, and localized operational capabilities. New energy export grew 1.6 times, in the European market for every 2 Chery cars sold, 1 is new energy; commercial vehicle sector June export year-on-year growth 146%, 1000 Mojia robots also opened up commercial service tracks in over 50 countries and regions.

Zhang Guan's Comment: One car every 17 seconds, sounds very fast. But for Chinese brands aspiring to become global car companies, this rhythm perhaps has just entered the stable zone. True globalization has never been as simple as shipping cars out, but rather making oneself truly a local enterprise in every local market.