Chery has a sprawling array of brands, and it has filed a trademark in Australia for arguably its quirkiest.
iCar, established in 2023, wears a name that sounds like it could have been used for Apple’s aborted vehicle project, but is instead a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand that specialises in boxy SUVs.
A trademark was filed with IP Australia on December 23, 2024 for the iCar brand, specified for use on new vehicles.
“We are always interested in exploring models across the exciting Chery product range, however currently there are no plans for either vehicle for the Australian market,” said a Chery Australia spokesperson when asked about the chances of either the iCar line or the Omoda C9.
The latter was a vehicle both spied locally and approved for sale in our market.
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iCar 03T
It remains to be seen whether Chery will deviate from its previously announced strategy of selling vehicles across its namesake brand and Jaecoo, which will launch here later this year.
Chery is intended to be the mass-market brand, with Jaecoo having a more premium positioning – perhaps suggesting why the Omoda C9 has yet to go on sale here, as it’s a product from the premium Exeed brand which doesn’t quite fit under either the Chery or Jaecoo nameplates.
Manufacturers often file to protect nameplates that may not be offered here.
For example, Chery also filed to protect the Jaecoo, Jetour, Exlantix and Luxeed brand names between 2022 and 2024, but only one of these has been confirmed for a local launch.
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V23
Chery’s marketing strategies can also be very regional. In some markets, for example, it sells its Omoda 5 under a separate Omoda brand; in China, Jaecoo models are sold as Cherys; and in Russia, certain Exeed models are sold under the Exlantix brand.
iCar’s debut product, the 03, is also sold as the Jaecoo J6 in certain markets including another right-hand drive market, Thailand.
It measures 4406mm long, 1910mm wide and 1715mm tall on a 2715mm wheelbase. That makes it 169mm shorter, 65mm narrower and 35mm taller than a Mazda CX-5 on a 15mm longer wheelbase.
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03
Available with either a 50.63kWh, 65.69 or 69.77kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, it offers between 401km and 501km of range on the CLTC cycle.
In China, it’s offered with a choice of 135kW/220Nm single-motor or 165kW/385Nm dual-motor powertrains.
The 03 was followed last year by the V23, which measures 4220mm long, 1915mm wide and 1845mm tall on a 2735mm wheelbase. That makes it larger than a Suzuki Jimny XL, but smaller than Chery’s Omoda E5 electric SUV.
It has between 301km and 501km of CLTC range, with a choice of 47.28, 59.93 and 81.76kWh batteries.
The boxy SUV is offered with 100kW/180Nm single-motor and 155kW/292Nm dual-motor powertrains.
MORE: Chery’s new EV is a baby G-Wagen with an MG 3 price tag