Chinese automaker group Chery brings its third brand to Europe later this year, the internal-combustion-engine and plug-in hybrid Jetour SUV.
The new brand joins Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo brands already finding traction among U.K. consumers benefiting from that nation’s tariff-free trade for their battery-electric-vehicle products unlike those imposed by the neighboring European Union economic bloc.
However, these brands also import ICE and hybrid models to Europe free from punitive tariffs imposed last year to penalize BEVs from automakers unfairly subsidized by the Chinese state.
Jetour could also set up production sites in Europe, President Ke Chuandeng says at the Shanghai Auto Show, Reuters reports. “I don't think it's realistic to always import cars from China,” says Ke.
He adds that the brand sold about 560,000 cars globally last year and predicts sales should hit 800,000 this year.
Ke says Latin America, the Middle East, Russia and Africa accounted for about 35% of its sales but sales outside of its domestic Chinese market should hit 50% of the total in a few years.
“We believe that in three to five years, the international market will be higher, or at least equal to, our sales in the domestic market," Ke says.
Jetour makes a series of urban and off-road SUVs that are priced from $10,000 to more than $50,000, plus a pickup truck model. The company is launching its first full-electric model, the T0, by the end of 2026.
Chery’s Jetour is joining a building wave of Chinese auto brands flooding into Europe, including BYD, Xpeng and Nio, as they seek less-intense markets for their products away from the vicious vehicle price wars raging in their domestic market.
