From Wuhu to the World: How Chery opens its doors to global growth

Chery and its global drive for collaboration

Chery seems to be a brand that thrives on persistence.

We all know they had quite the rocky start when they first came to the Philippine market, but of course, they’ve learned their lessons and have now established their presence with the help of UAAGI.

In our most recent trip to China for the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show, Chery has once again proven that second chances can still count.

On a personal note, I must admit I wasn’t that excited to fly to the PRC. That stems from a recent trip to Beijing that, for the most part, left a really bad taste in the mouth. The language barrier was one, the cashless payment troubles were another, but it was more of Beijing’s air quality that really put me off.

When we arrived at Shanghai, however, there was a breath of fresh air both literally and figuratively. The Chinese megacity welcomed me with a refreshing sight of its towering skyscrapers and cool weather. More importantly, the air quality is much, much better, as I didn’t feel the need to wear a facemask. That set the precedent for the next 6 days that we were in China with Chery. Time to explore it with fresh eyes.

The National Exhibition and Convention Center, where Auto Shanghai was held, was likewise a sight to behold. It’s only been a month since MIAS 2025 concluded at the World Trade Center, and I can’t help but notice how massive NECC is compared to ours.

To give you an idea, try to imagine the Mall of Asia complex simply turned into a space for an auto show. The four halls of NECC are like SMX, Ikea, MOA Arena, and the Mall of Asia shopping center itself combined, and all of those halls were filled with the brands present in the Chinese market.

A Bold Presence

As one of the biggest brands in China, Chery International occupied a huge chunk of one of NECC’s halls, as those included their house of brands that include Chery, Exeed, iCar, Omoda/Jaecoo, and even Jetour under the holding group.

Much like 2023, Chery held its presentation using mostly the English language, and that’s one good reason why they became China’s top exporter when it comes to vehicles. If you want to become globally known, then using English is indeed a good choice for global communication.

Chery had a lineup that mostly consisted of crossovers with varying sizes and choices of powertrains, but Auto Shanghai set the stage for Chery’s next step. While crossovers do dominate the global market, Chery has turned its eye on pickup trucks with the Himla.

I must admit, it does look like a lot of inspiration was taken from the Ranger. But hey, if you’re someone who wants to do well on a particular segment, then you might as well take a look at what the best ones do, right?

Apart from the new models and the cutting-edge technology, however, Chery was out to use this time to show that it’s ready to open its arms wider on the global stage. And they did so when they took us from Shanghai to their hometown in Wuhu.

The journey going there already has hospitality written all over it. Chery commissioned China’s high-speed railway operator to do a special direct trip from Shanghai to Wuhu, where me and thousands of international invited delegates went onboard. We knew that as we weren’t given tickets to pass on the gates, all we had to do was wear our IDs, and off we went to occupy the high-speed train’s cabs.

The Investment To Safety

Once we arrived at Wuhu, this was where Chery became an open book for those who wanted to know how far they had come. As a manufacturing engineering major, I had a kid going on a field trip moment when they took us to their state-of-the-art production line. The automation with the robotic arms in the body assembly, the layout, and the order of processes remind me of the things I used to study back in college. But what really surprised me was the fact that they gave us access to a facility where they test the safety of their vehicles – in other words, their crash testing site.

For other brands, it’s usually off limits when it comes to these processes. But Chery is now confident of the investments, the R&D, and the time they spent to improve their cars to the point where they were proud to demonstrate Tiggo 9 units crashing against each other on a head-on collision, a rollover test, and even a water fording test to prove the quality of their products.

In a year, Chery writes off more than a thousand vehicles just for safety testing alone to ensure their vehicles receive a 5-star safety rating from various new car assessment groups.

A New Approach In Carmaking

I’ve always been skeptical of why Chery would need to have those numerous brands that are essentially similar vehicles under the skin. They even introduced the new Lepas brand to the world while we were there. While other brands would create a specific vehicle to fit a certain traditional segment or a market with unique requirements, Chery wants to dive deeper – they want their cars to fit certain age groups and lifestyles.

That was very evident when they took us to their Wuhu HQ, where a bunch of vehicles under the Chery International umbrella were parked around the grounds to create what’s basically an outdoor picnic site.

The Chery brand itself had the Himla fitted with a rooftop tent, which communicates the pickup truck’s role as a trail-ready vehicle. The Tiggo 9 beside it was filled with a bunch of stuffed toys, signifying that it’s a vehicle that kids will love. On Chery’s other brands, there was a pop-up coffee shop near the Exeed vehicles to show its classy and premium side. The Omoda/Jaecoo side had a more youthful and tech-leaning theme with the robotic dogs and popcorn being served.

This goes to show that Chery understands that car ownership is indeed a very personal one, and this is their effort to create a more personalized approach in building vehicles. Only time will tell if this strategy will prove effective in breaking the norms of traditional carmaking.

Collaboration, not Conquest

Likewise, Chery has also shown its global vision that’s grounded in collaboration, not conquest. In a world that currently faces unstable politics from major countries, the automotive industry is one that takes a great hit whenever tariffs and trade agreements change.

Chery recognizes this and has made use of the time to sign MOUs and cooperation agreements with its partners in Southeast Asia, South America, and Europe. Those agreements cover various businesses such as joint R&D, sustainability projects, and, more importantly, parts localization. This aims to safeguard Chery and its partners to weather future global political and social issues together.

It was all capped off with Chery closing down a huge theme park in Wuhu to celebrate the diversity of cultures through a music festival. While most of us didn’t quite understand the language of other performers who played in the festival, it was indeed a sign of Chery’s openness in building relationships with other countries.

Chery knows it’s no longer a startup brand like it used to be years ago, and it wants to position itself as a mature player; one that has recognized its early headaches and used its troubled past more as a stepping stone than a shadow. And as we’ve learned after spending a week with them in China, Chery doesn’t want to just exist in the global auto industry. The brand is using its chance to invite the world to connect and come along for the ride.