Chery is set to have a total of three brands in Australia by the end of 2025, and it has admitted cannibalisation between its models will be “unavoidable”.
In addition to the core Chery brand, which relaunched in the Australian market in 2023, it’ll soon be bolstered by the adventurous Jaecoo brand in May, as well as the “fashionable and youth-oriented” Omoda brand in the second half of 2025.
Speaking with CarExpert, Chery Australia chief commercial officer Roy Munoz said, “cannibalisation at some level is always a risk”.
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Chery Omoda E5 (soon to be Chery E5)
“That’s where the models [like] Jaecoo takes steps up in terms of that premium level. It sits at a different price point, and it’s targeted at different customers to try and sort of mitigate that cannibalisation,” said Mr Munoz.
“Cannibalisation is real. It is unavoidable.
“Obviously, we want to take from other parts of the market rather than our own.
“But there is a real risk … but that’s for us to manage our product portfolios across brands, and I think that speaking to a different segment of [the] market and having the vehicle … appointed quite differently will appeal to varying customers.”
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Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
As it currently stands, Chery only offers SUVs of differing sizes and powertrain types in Australia. These include the Tiggo 4 Pro, Tiggo 7 Pro, Tiggo 8 Pro Max, Omoda 5, and Omoda E5.
The latter two Chery SUVs are set to be rebranded “shortly” as the Chery C5 and E5, respectively. They won’t be Omoda models in Australia despite them technically being the first Omoda models to be launched globally.
Chery is also set to introduce the plug-in hybrid versions of the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro Max, as well as a hybrid version of the Tiggo 4 Pro, around mid-year.
Timing for the flagship Tiggo 9 is still being locked in, but it’s expected to launch in the second half of this year.
Jaecoo is launching in Australia with the J7 mid-sized SUV, which is available with petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains. It’s based on the same T1X platform as the Chery Omoda 5, Tiggo 7 Pro, and Tiggo 8 Pro Max.
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Jaecoo J7
Additionally, Jaecoo is launching the larger J8 SUV in June. It’s worth noting that this car is a rebadged Chery Tiggo 9. This means two versions of the same Chery SUV will be sold in Australia by two different brands.
Only petrol versions of the Jaecoo J8 will be offered in Australia at launch, though there’s a plug-in hybrid offered in other markets. It’s still being investigated for a local launch.
Lastly, Chery Australia hasn’t confirmed what models the Omoda brand will launch locally when it arrives during the second half of 2025.
The Omoda lineup in other markets is predominantly SUVs, but in some markets, it offers rebadged versions of Chery sedans.
MORE: Everything Chery
