Chinese giant adds seventh brand to Australia
Chery has taken the unprecedented step of announcing the launch of its seventh brand on sale in Australia by the end of 2027.
The onslaught of car brands arriving in Australia under the control of Chery has somehow found another gear to continue accelerating, as the Chinese automotive giant announces plans to add a seventh marque to local showrooms.
In 2027, Exlantix – known as Exceed in China – will come to Australia, joining the four existing Chery brands already operating here: Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo and Lepas.
Next year, Chery will add iCaur (or iCar as it’s called in China) and Freelander to its local roster, with Exlantix becoming its seventh brand.
While owned by Chery globally, another brand in Jetour is coming in 2027, though this will not be operated by Chery, and will instead be a standalone operation.
Exlantix’s first two vehicles on sale in Australia will be the ES GT wagon and the ET SUV, both of which offer plug-in hybrid power overseas, though only the latter is available as an EV.
The announcement of Exlantix coming to Australia coincides with a rapid rise in the number of Chinese-built vehicles being sold locally.
China is now the undisputed leader in Australia’s source of new-car imports, with 42,358 vehicles registered here last month coming from Chinese production lines, a huge increase of 63.8 per cent on the same month a year ago.
While Japan was traditionally the leading source of imports, it was overtaken by China in February, and has not regained its lead – and now likely won’t again.
Though this includes non-Chinese brands which produce vehicles in China – such as Tesla’s Model Y and 3 – the sheer number of marques from the nation is accelerating at a rapid rate.
This year alone, Forthing, Lepas, Denza, and GAC have joined the local ranks, while the growth of the market is continuing in 2017, however most of the expansion is coming from the aforementioned Chery brands.
Chery is also pushing the Exeed brand hard globally, last year announcing it had signed an agreement with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) - the organisers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship - to enter a ‘five-year strategic partnership’, with the hope of one day racing at the famed endurance event.
As a part of the plan, Exeed will first establish an endurance racing series in China with a view to “build technical capability and talent”, operating as an unrelated entity to the TCR China championship which serves as the nation’s top tin-top category.
Following this, Exeed wants to compete in the Asian Le Mans Series, though it hasn’t detailed which class it’ll enter or with what car.
Finally, the ultimate aim for the brand is to create a factory team to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Given it hasn’t signalled an intention to compete in the wider World Endurance Championship, it’s likely this would consist of a Garage 56 invitational entry.
Jordan Mulach
