Chery’s The new dual-cab model, introduced as a competitor to the Ford Ranger PHEV and BYD Shark 6, will benefit from extensive local testing and development ahead of its planned Australian on-sale date later this year.
The Chery dual-cab ute, officially codenamed ‘KP31’, will feature an unusual diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain – the only ute to feature such a configuration – and its development program includes local testing and development for Australian showroom versions.
According to Peter Matkin, chief engineer for international programs at Chery, the Australian song could serve as a template for other markets around the world.
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Mr. Matkin told Daily Sparkz The Australian KP31 “will definitely see some adjustments to support this market, including testing etc – no doubt about it.”
Mr Matkin, Chery’s global chief engineer, visited Australia to gauge the popularity of the double-cab vehicle locally and to assess the performance of competitors with plug-in powertrains such as the Ranger, Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha.
“So it (local development) definitely has the ability to open up markets like South Africa and some markets in South America,” Mr Matkin said Daily Sparkz.
“Looking at this car and how some of these tough-looking cars are attracting a lot of attention abroad, I can imagine it will be very well received in Europe too.”
Local development is underway and flowing into Chery’s Chinese headquarters as the automaker looks to bring a solid competitor to the hotly contested ute battlefield. Engineers from the top of the company traveled to Australia to understand the needs of our roads – and dual cab buyers – under the leadership of local teams.
“They took them into different competitions, driving through the mountains, driving through the mud, on the beach and showing how people outfit the cars and what accessories they put on,” Mr Matkin said.
“There’s been a lot of conversations since then about what kind of lug nut configuration you need; what kind of wheel offset, what kind of suspension you need – so there’s been a lot of conversations with Tim (Kreiger, director of public relations) and the team here asking, what do you want for this market for this car?”
Local tuning seems to be a given as rivals such as the best-selling Ranger benefit from Australian development. The new Nissan Navara also features a unique suspension set-up, developed here by Melbourne-based Premcar.
Not far from Premcar in Melbourne, Walkinshaw Automotive is converting the Toyota Tundra, Ram 1500/2500/3500 and Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickups to local specifications and is exploring further opportunities to work with automakers on local vehicles.
Some popular models, such as the Shark 6, remain successful even without local tuning. However, Mr Matkin said Chery believes local changes are necessary – particularly in a subway.
“The infrastructure in China – because it’s so new… We don’t go over mountains in China, we go through them; we don’t go down into the valley, we go over them; and even in the countryside there are no curved roads, you know, and no bypasses – they just run as a grid system and it’s straight,” he explained.
“There are speed cameras everywhere, so people only drive 30 or 40 (km/h), whereas in these markets and in Europe we drive maybe 100 km/h on the country roads and it’s curvy and it’s uphill.”
“So all these different market requirements for brakes, for vehicle dynamics or NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) at higher speeds – we pass them on to headquarters for each program, and then we’re now trying to do a more precise localization here.”
“There are some unique elements in every market, so we are trying to create a more modular design so that you can combine the Chinese specifications with their requirements.
“With the brakes, for example, as you know, the speeds are much lower, the NVH requirements are a little different, and as I said, they don’t go uphill and downhill, so the brake fade requirements in China are completely different than in these other markets.”
“So it has to fit – you know, you can have the same brake disc (also called a “disc”), we can have the same caliper, but the pads have to be different. They need to have a higher metal content or your brakes will overheat when you’re towing a trailer going uphill or downhill.”
Tests in Europe included the famous Großglockner Pass in Austria, a 48 km long road with 36 narrow switchbacks.
“We took the China spec and we took a car with a trailer on the back – 1500kg trailer – and the pads just melted onto the window. So they can share that information with headquarters and then they get it,” he explained.
The KP31 is said to offer a payload of 1,000kg, a braked towing capacity of 3,500kg and an electric range of up to 170km with its 2.5-litre turbodiesel plug-in hybrid powertrain.
It is offered with front, center and rear limited-slip differentials, as well as selectable reduction gearing and various off-road modes.
A gasoline-powered plug-in hybrid drive is expected to follow in 2027.
MORE: Explore the Chery showroom
