Why is Chery launching so many brands in Australia? "Why not?" says local boss
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Buyer self-image and media consumption, rather than budget, are driving the explosion of Chery brands in Australia across a narrow price band.
There are already three Chery brands on-sale in Australia – Chery, Jaecoo and Omoda – with Lepas and iCaur set to arrive in 2026 and with even more brands on the way beyond that.
This profusion of brands includes similar SUV models, with pricing currently stretching only from $23,990 for the cheapest Chery Tiggo 4 to $61,990 for the most expensive Omoda 9.
Asked by carsales why Chery is introducing so many apparently competing brands, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris responded: “Why not?”
Harris did expand, insisting there’s logic to it all if you abandon Western auto-retailing norms.
“It’s not about price and size of the vehicle. It’s about the brand image, the design of the product and then the audience that we’re targeting. They all consume media in different channels,” he said.
“If you look at the traditional western thinking of multiple brands in a group it’s very much vertical.
“You’ve got your very entry level, your mainstream, premium, luxury and then your super luxury. And it’s right from not a lot of money to ridiculous amounts of money.
“Our strategy for brands is a little different… it’s about trying to find unique segments of customers that identify with different brands and identify with different kinds of product.”
As defined by Harris, Chery is mainstream and traditional, Jaecoo is urban off-road, Omoda is futuristic and fashion focused, while Lepas will have a “bold individualisation” skew.
Harris would not discuss the iCaur pitch but based on the product line-up it’s an off-road focus.
Each brand is designed to appeal to different buyer groups, even though the technology and pricing are similar.
“There is of course a little bit of overlap between those customer groups that we’re trying to talk to,” Harris said.
“But there are very distinct differences in the audiences, and they consume media in different channels.
“So, it’s really just trying to appeal to totally different people.”
The strategy was successful in 2025 with Chery up 176.8 per cent to 34,889 sales, while 3721 Omoda and Jaecoo models were sold in their first year of local operation.
This ceaseless expansion poses logistical challenges, but Harris insists Chery has that under control.
While Lepas will be the next expansion of the Chery line-up in Australia mid-2026 followed by iCaur, another dramatic addition will arrive before the end of 2026 with the dual-cab KP31 plug-in hybrid diesel.
More Chery brands are probable beyond 2026 including the likes of Exeed, QQ and Fulwin.
A modified version of this article originally appeared on carsales.com.au
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