China’s Chery Eyes Entrance to U.S. Market … Again
One of China’s top automakers, growing fast in Mexico, plans to enter the U.S. soon.
Miguel CortinaWriterManufacturerPhotographerOct 11, 2023
Chinese state-owned automaker Chery is planning to enter the U.S. market. Brian Wu, executive vice president of Chery Mexico, toldMotorTrendthe automaker has a strategy to start operations in the U.S. but declined to share when it would happen. “[The U.S. market] is very important for us. We already have a roadmap of how to enter the U.S., but frankly speaking I can’t say much more about our strategy,” Wu told us.
This wouldn’t be the first time Chery attempted to access the U.S. market. Back in 2005, the company had an unsuccessful bid, and in early 2020 there was an attempt to bring in Chery models through an importer. This time, Wu says, will be different. “I don’t want to repeat the same story,” he said. “Today is not like before. Not like it was 20 years ago.”
Bryan Wu andMotorTrend’s
Wu said it’s too early for Chery to talk about its new plan for the U.S. market, but added that the company is putting together a product portfolio and determining which brands could enter. “Is it Chery first, or Exeed first? Frankly speaking, we haven’t decided. But we have a rough road map of the products we want to have,” he said.
Chery’s global brands include Chery, Exeed, Omoda, and Jetour, the latter two destined for international markets. Exeed is a luxury brand that intends to compete with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. All brands have electric, plug-in hybrid, and internal combustion powertrains, and have expanded into markets outside of China.
While he declined to say what products are expected on U.S. soil, Wu said there would be a mix of EVs and PHEVs. “Mainly [our focus] is with new energy vehicles, but maybe some models will be ICE,” he added.
While quality and safety standards are much higher in the U.S., Wu said Chery’s products are on par with customer’s expectations. “I do believe that these models [we have in Mexico], we can put them in the U.S. market. No quality issues, or anything. But whether a customer likes it or not, it’s a different case,” he noted.
Chery entered the Mexican market in 2022 and has quickly gained ground. The brand sells under the name Chirey and is already outselling established players in Mexico like Honda, Subaru, and Suzuki. The automaker is planning to build a 400,000-vehicle plant in Mexico later this year, with the exact location still to be announced. Wu expects the Mexican plant to produce EVs and PHEVs, and it’s a good bet that any destined for the U.S. would be built at this facility.
Miguel Cortina
Miguel Cortina is Mexico Editor at MotorTrend, covering the auto industry in the U.S. and south of the border. He joined MotorTrend in January 2015 and is an avid automotive enthusiast who enjoys playing golf, surfing, and running in his free time.
