More than 20,000 Australians have offered up a name for Chery’s world-first diesel plug-in hybrid ute, launching locally in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Last month, Chery invited the Australian public to submit a name for the ute, which has thus far only been shown off in pre-production guise under the working title KP31.
The competition was only open for two weeks but in that time more than 20,000 names and rationales for them were put forward, though Chery isn’t yet saying what ones are on the shortlist, due to be announced this month.
Name that ute! Australians invited to give world-first dual-cab a name
“We knew Aussies would have a strong view on what makes a great ute, and the response to this competition has absolutely reflected that,” said Chery Australia chief operating officer, Lucas Harris.
“To receive this many entries is a tremendous result, but just as importantly, entrants took the brief seriously and explained why their name belonged on the ute, making the shortlisting process both exciting and difficult.”
While the winner of the competition doesn’t get a new set of steak knives, they will receive the first Chery ute to arrive in Australia, adorned with their chosen name.
Revealed in February, the KP31 features the first diesel plug-in hybrid system used in a ute globally.
Its 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine is paired with at least one electric motor and a high-voltage battery pack, with reports from China suggesting it can drive on EV power only for about 170km.
Chery is yet to reveal full technical specifications, however it has already confirmed it’ll feature a 3500kg braked towing capacity and a 1000kg payload.
According to Chery, the concept KP31 measures 5610mm long, 1920mm wide and 1925mm in height. That’s slightly larger than the production version, which Chery has confirmed will be 5450mm long, which is still longer than either the Ranger or Toyota HiLux.
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