Chery Stockman reservations open as diesel PHEV ute slips to February 2027 with towing figure trimmed

Reservations open, deliveries pushed to February

Chery Australia opened official reservations for the Stockman on October 1, 2026, with customers who place a refundable $1000 deposit online eligible for what the brand calls an exclusive pre-launch incentive package: a $2000 Bunnings gift card and three years or 45,000km of complimentary scheduled servicing. The offer runs until official sales commence. CarExpert, also syndicated by PerthNow, reported the announcement, quoting Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris describing the reservation program as an important milestone that lets customers secure their place ahead of the official sales launch. ²⁴

Alongside the reservation opening, Chery confirmed first customer deliveries are now due from February 1, 2027. The brand had previously announced a fourth-quarter 2026 Australian launch. Pricing and detailed specifications remain under wraps, with Chery saying further details and an official launch date will come closer to the ute's showroom arrival, as reported by CarExpert and GoAuto. ¹²⁴

Towing trimmed by 5kg, electric range ahead of key rivals

CarExpert reported on October 2 that newly released preliminary specifications list the Stockman diesel PHEV with a braked towing capacity of 3495kg, just 5kg short of the BYD Shark 6 Performance, Ford Ranger Hybrid and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV. Unbraked capacity is 750kg. This latest figure is slightly below the 3500kg braked towing capacity Chery had previously confirmed, as reported by CarExpert, GoAuto and CarNewsChina. ¹⁶⁴³

The Stockman's 96km WLTP electric range beats the Shark 6 Performance (80km WLTP) and the Ranger Hybrid (50km NEDC), while GWM quotes 115km for the Cannon Alpha PHEV on the more lenient NEDC cycle. Chery had earlier cited up to 100km of electric range under NEDC. Kerb weight is listed at 2735kg with a 3500kg gross vehicle mass and 6500kg gross combined mass, pegging payload at 765kg — above the Cannon Alpha PHEV (685kg) and Shark 6 Performance (725kg) but below the Ranger Hybrid (901–1009kg). Chery had previously indicated some variants would offer a payload of up to 1000kg. ¹⁶

Chery claims combined-cycle fuel consumption of 1.1L/100km with CO2 emissions of 30g/km on the WLTP basis, alongside energy consumption of 31.1kWh/100km and an 80-litre fuel tank. No fuel consumption figure with a depleted battery has been published. Earlier claims of 2.0L/100km were made under NEDC testing, as reported by CarExpert and CarNewsChina. ¹²³

Diesel PHEV powertrain and off-road hardware

The Stockman will launch with a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder plug-in hybrid powertrain with a dedicated hybrid transmission and a 34kWh lithium iron phosphate battery mounted under the tub, producing total system outputs of 350kW and 800Nm. It is understood to be the first production ute to combine a diesel engine with plug-in hybrid technology, with Chery previously claiming thermal efficiency of 47 per cent and roughly 10 per cent better fuel efficiency than a conventional diesel powertrain. ¹⁷

Off-road equipment includes standard front, centre and rear differential locks, all-terrain tyres, 247mm of ground clearance, a 30-degree approach angle and 25-degree departure angle. The all-wheel drive system offers 4WD High, 4WD Low and 4WD Auto modes, plus Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow, Mud and Sand/Rock drive modes, with Turn Assist, Crawl Control and an Expert mode. The diesel PHEV uses double-wishbone front suspension and leaf springs at the rear, while pre-production vehicles have been shown with front and rear bash plates, recovery points and a snorkel. ¹⁶⁷

A petrol PHEV will follow in the second half of 2027, using a 2.0-litre turbo four with 395kW and 1000Nm and coil-spring rear suspension in place of the diesel's leaf springs. ¹²

Ultimate variant equipment detailed

Chery has published preliminary specifications for a Stockman Ultimate variant, which CarExpert reports as including 17-inch alloy wheels in 285/70 R17 all-terrain tyres, a full-size spare, LED headlights, roof rails, side steps and tub steps, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 15.6-inch touchscreen with wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a head-up display, a 14-speaker sound system, a digital rear-view mirror, leatherette upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, sliding and reclining 60:40-split rear seats, and dual-zone climate control. Multiple USB-A and USB-C outlets plus two 230V outlets are listed. ¹

The safety suite includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, a driver monitoring system, lane-keep assist and lane-centring, front and rear cross-traffic assist, safe exit warning, speed sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, a surround-view camera with transparent chassis mode, tyre pressure monitoring and seven airbags. Serpentine (green) is the standard paint, with Obsidian, Sandstone and White Opal optional. The ute measures 5450mm long, 2010mm wide and 1890mm tall on a 3250mm wheelbase, with a tub measuring 1560mm long and wide and 500mm deep. ¹

Name, local tuning and early demand

The Stockman name came from a public naming competition for the ute previously codenamed KP31, winning more than 25 per cent of roughly 12,000 votes from a shortlist that included Orca, Terra, Outrider, Ridgeback, Ironbark, Longreach, Bushwalker and Mate. The winning entry was submitted by Victorian Steve Kodikara, who is to receive the first Stockman delivered. Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said the response to the competition exceeded expectations. The name will also be used in New Zealand, where the ute is due in the first quarter of 2027. ⁵⁷

Chery has enlisted Australian engineering firm Premcar, known for local chassis tunes on the Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton, to run a local testing and validation program for the Stockman. By July 2026, Chery had reported more than 5000 expressions of interest and more than 1000 deposits, with Mr Harris telling CarExpert that interest spanned private and fleet customers and that the brand targets buyers of established diesel utes such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max rather than BYD Shark 6 owners. Pricing has not been announced; CarNewsChina expects an on-road price between $60,000 and $70,000, which remains that outlet's estimate rather than a Chery figure. ²⁶³