Chery targets majority of exports built outside China from 2026, aiming for 70 per cent by 2030

Export localisation targets confirmed at Wuhu event

Chery expects more than half of the vehicles it exports to be built overseas by the end of this year, with the share rising to 60 per cent in 2027 and 70 per cent by 2030, executive vice-president Zhang Guibing said at an event at the company's headquarters in Wuhu, China, as reported by Reuters via Global Banking & Finance Review on October 23, 2026. He said overseas-manufactured vehicles already account for about 48 per cent of the company's export volume this year. ⁴

The targets were reported consistently by BrandIconImage and Tekedia, both drawing on Zhang's comments from the Wuhu event. "Step by step, we are trying to localize production and rely mainly on local manufacturing," Zhang told the event, adding that the company's objective was not only to sell vehicles but also to create jobs and "cooperate with local technologies". Malaysian outlet paultan.org, citing Reuters, subsequently covered the same remarks under a complete knock-down (CKD) framing. ⁵⁶¹

Why Chery is shifting production offshore

The targets signal a shift in Chery's international strategy from exporting vehicles built in China towards building a larger production footprint in the markets it serves. Tekedia's analysis notes that overseas production could help the company respond to changing trade policies and improve access to customers who prefer domestically assembled vehicles, while cautioning that it requires substantial investment in factories, supply chains, workforce training and quality control, and does not automatically eliminate trade exposure given the need to manage cross-border component sourcing. ⁶

Chery's own corporate materials describe the same philosophy. In an April 2026 statement, the company described its globalisation as moving from "scale expansion" to "quality deep cultivation" under the slogan "In Somewhere, For Somewhere, Be Somewhere". In August 2026, Chery Motor Australia's newsroom cited the opening of the Rosslyn manufacturing facility in South Africa and a partnership with Spain's EV MOTORS to help revive the EBRO brand as examples of local manufacturing investment. ²³

Context on scale: Chery Group surpassed 20 million cumulative vehicle sales worldwide in 2026, according to the company, with 943,800 vehicles exported in the first half of 2026, up 71.5 per cent year on year, and products sold in more than 130 countries and regions. The company claims to have ranked No. 1 globally for exports among Chinese passenger vehicle brands for 23 consecutive years. ³

Beyond vehicles: charging, storage and robotaxi plans

Alongside the manufacturing targets, Chery said it will begin building fast-charging and energy-storage stations in countries including the United Kingdom, Spain and Thailand from 2027, and plans to launch robotaxi services in the United Arab Emirates from next year, according to Reuters reporting of the Wuhu event. Tekedia notes the company has not disclosed the investment planned for the infrastructure projects or the scale of initial deployments, nor how extensively the robotaxi service will operate. ⁴⁶

Chery International executive vice-president Charlie Zhang also indicated openness to the United States market. "We're very open to different options, even a potential partnership with American automakers. Definitely from a technical point of view, we will be able to find a China-free solution in terms of hardware and software," he said at the same event, as reported by paultan.org. ¹

What this means for Australia

Neither the announcement nor the accompanying coverage identifies any commitment to build Chery vehicles in Australia. Chery's local operations are instead expanding through brand and model rollouts: CarExpert reported on October 23, 2026, after speaking to Chery International president Zhang Guibing in Wuhu, that the group's existing and announced Australian plans now cover nine brands — Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, iCaur, Lepas, Exlantix, Luxeed and Freelander. ⁷

CarExpert reports Lepas is targeting around 40 outlets by the end of 2026 and Freelander around 25 dealers for its 2027 launch, with Exlantix due in the first half of 2027, iCaur and Jetour in early 2027 and Luxeed in the second quarter of 2027. Zhang told the publication that "different brands have different positions", with some brands not intended for big volumes, and that brands would need to compete with each other. These launch timings and dealer figures are Chery's stated plans as reported by CarExpert, not independently verified milestones. ⁷

Whether any of the group's overseas-built export volume translates into vehicles assembled closer to the Australian market remains unstated in the current reporting. Australian buyers will continue to receive Chinese-built product unless the company announces local or regional production. ⁴⁷

Execution risks and the path to 2030

Tekedia's analysis frames the 2030 target as ambitious, noting meeting it would require Chery to build capacity across multiple markets while preserving the price competitiveness that has helped Chinese automakers gain ground globally. It also cautions that building plants in multiple countries can increase operating complexity, particularly when factories initially run below capacity, and that automakers still need to source components and comply with local rules. ⁶

BrandIconImage similarly observes that achieving the 2030 target will depend on how effectively Chery expands its manufacturing operations, develops relationships with local technology providers and executes its infrastructure and mobility plans. The overseas-production targets announced this week are forward-looking company statements rather than confirmed milestones, and the trajectory beyond the 50-per-cent threshold this year remains to be demonstrated. ⁵⁶