Chine
Chery
Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. is a Chinese automaker founded on January 8, 1997, in Wuhu, in Anhui province, at the initiative of local authorities. The company began production with an engine line purchased from Ford (Dagenham plant) and launched its first car, the Fengyun, in 1999. The real takeoff came in 2003 with the QQ, an affordable small city car that became a national phenomenon in China thanks to its low cost and frugality; this success firmly established the Chery name in the Chinese automotive landscape. Yin Tongyue, present from the very beginning as technical director, is today the group's chairman. Through the 2000s and 2010s, Chery industrialized, structured its research, and developed its own engines and platforms, gradually moving away from the copycat image that clung to early Chinese automakers. The group diversified by launching several sub-brands, notably Omoda and Jaecoo, focused on design and electrification, as well as Jetour. In 2025, Chery is the third-largest Chinese automotive group, with roughly 2.8 million vehicles sold over the year and more than 1.3 million exported, making it China's top automotive exporter, a position it has claimed for more than 20 years. The group is present in more than 100 countries, owns plants outside China (including one in Brazil, operational since 2014, and a site in Spain), as well as R&D centers in Germany, the United States, and Brazil. In North America, Chery is not distributed in the United States or Canada under its own name; the company entered Mexico in 2022 under the Chirey name, the Chery name having been previously registered there by American businessman Malcolm Bricklin, who had once considered importing these cars to North America.
ActiveÉlectrique / hybridePopulairesChinoises
History
History of Chery
Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. is a Chinese automaker founded on January 8, 1997, in Wuhu, in Anhui province, at the initiative of local authorities. The company began production with an engine line purchased from Ford (Dagenham plant) and launched its first car, the Fengyun, in 1999. The real takeoff came in 2003 with the QQ, an affordable small city car that became a national phenomenon in China thanks to its low cost and frugality; this success firmly established the Chery name in the Chinese automotive landscape. Yin Tongyue, present from the very beginning as technical director, is today the group's chairman. Through the 2000s and 2010s, Chery industrialized, structured its research, and developed its own engines and platforms, gradually moving away from the copycat image that clung to early Chinese automakers. The group diversified by launching several sub-brands, notably Omoda and Jaecoo, focused on design and electrification, as well as Jetour. In 2025, Chery is the third-largest Chinese automotive group, with roughly 2.8 million vehicles sold over the year and more than 1.3 million exported, making it China's top automotive exporter, a position it has claimed for more than 20 years. The group is present in more than 100 countries, owns plants outside China (including one in Brazil, operational since 2014, and a site in Spain), as well as R&D centers in Germany, the United States, and Brazil. In North America, Chery is not distributed in the United States or Canada under its own name; the company entered Mexico in 2022 under the Chirey name, the Chery name having been previously registered there by American businessman Malcolm Bricklin, who had once considered importing these cars to North America.
Public founding or origin of Chery.
Arrizo: launch or first listed period.
Omoda 5: launch or first listed period.
QQ: launch or first listed period.
Tiggo: launch or first listed period.
Technologies
Technologies, innovations and platforms
Chery designs its own powertrains and showcases a range of modern internal-combustion engines: turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engines (TGDI) from 1.5 to 2.0 liters, paired with dual-clutch transmissions (DCT), automatics (6AT), or continuously variable transmissions (CVT). The automaker has aggressively accelerated on electrification, with plug-in hybrid versions powered by its hybrid system (the Super Hybrid System type on the Omoda and Jaecoo brands), combining a gasoline engine with a battery to deliver long combined ranges, as well as fully electric models. Several vehicles are built on in-house modular platforms such as the T1X. On the safety and driver-assistance side, the recent lineup integrates Level 2 driver-assistance systems, surround-view cameras, and reinforced body structures; certain recent models have earned five stars in Euro NCAP, ANCAP (Australia), and ASEAN NCAP tests.
Brand image
Identity, reputation, strengths and weaknesses
Positioning
A Chinese mass-market automaker and the country's top exporter, betting on affordable, well-equipped SUVs and hybrids, but absent from the Canadian market under its own name.
Reputation
Long seen as an entry-level automaker, Chery has markedly improved its image, notably thanks to recent models that have won international awards and earned high safety ratings in several regions. In its mature export markets, reliability and perceived quality are improving, supported by generous warranties. The brand nonetheless remains recent in many Western markets, so that its long-term reliability track record and resale value there are still not well established compared with long-entrenched automakers. Absent from the Canadian market under its own name, Chery is mainly known there indirectly; its network and parts ecosystem are therefore not developed in the country.
Strengths
Chery stands out for an aggressive equipment-to-price ratio, an extensive lineup of SUVs and sedans, and a rapid rise in expertise on turbocharged engines and long-range plug-in hybrids. The group has solid in-house R&D capability, more than 20 years of export experience, and recent models that earn high safety ratings, all signs of growing international credibility.
Points to watch
In Quebec and Canada, the brand is not officially distributed: no dealerships, no service network, and no established parts supply chain, which complicates maintenance and resale. The long-term reliability track record and residual values remain poorly documented in Western markets. Its image, though improving, is still young, and perception varies widely from one country to another.
Models
Chery models
Current or active models by market
Notable past models
Production and compatibility
Plants, tires and wheels
Production
Chery's headquarters and industrial heart are located in Wuhu, China. The group operates about a dozen plants outside China and owns R&D centers in Germany, the United States, and Brazil. Its first fully owned plant abroad, in Jacareí, Brazil, has been operational since 2014; the automaker has also inaugurated localized production in Spain, presented as the first manufacturing footprint of a Chinese automotive brand in Europe. In North America, Chery has no plant in Canada or the United States. It is Mexico that concentrates its regional ambitions: a commercial presence since 2022 under the Chirey name, with plant projects floated for the group and its sub-brands. No North American production destined for Canada has been established to date.
Tires and wheels
Like most modern Chinese brands, the Chery lineup favors SUVs, which commonly run 17- to 19-inch wheels, while sedans often sit around 16 to 18 inches; the common bolt pattern on compact models is the 5x114.3 mm type. As an example, the Omoda 5 comes with 215/55 R18 tires on 18-inch wheels. In these widespread sizes, the supply of replacement tires and wheels is broad. In Quebec, certified winter tires (mountain-snowflake symbol) are mandatory; a second set mounted on steel wheels in a common diameter makes the seasonal changeover easier and protects the original wheels from salt and potholes.