Arise Racing GT survives tricky Queensland conditions
And while they didn't add to that tally at the Willowbank circuit, they still have a strong lead in the Pro-Am Driver's Championship.
'I think if this is a bad weekend, then it's not so bad,' said Schutte after race two.
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'Overall we'll take this weekend and move on.'
The team's #26 crew took their Ferrari 296 GT3 to a third-place finish in the opening race of the weekend, but could only manage fifth in race two, as uncharacteristically wet weather caught out many drivers in the field, resulting in a disjointed, safety car-filled affair.
The team's second entry, the #77 Ferrari, had an eventful weekend that included a major change prior to action getting underway. Jordan Love stepped aside from his usual co-driver seat with Steve Wyatt and was replaced by his brother, Aaron.
No stranger to racing, Aaron Love began the season in Supercars and has experience racing in Porsche Carrera Cup in Australia and France.
Despite limited time in the Ferrari, Love took little time to adapt and he and Wyatt managed to claim fifth place in the opening race. They then improved in the second race, finishing in fourth, ahead of their teammates.
'First weekend done and dusted, second race is done,' said Aaron Love. 'Second time in the car for myself in dry conditions. It was a heap of fun, managed to snag fastest lap and make up a few positions.
'Steve jumped in the car, a good driver swap, popped out second and couldn't quite hold off a few of the cars. A few of the safety cars probably helped us out there and we came home fourth.
'A few things went our way and few things didn't go our way, but ultimately it was a good, fun weekend.'
Evans and Schutte's championship rivals, Brad Schumacher and Broc Feeney, claimed victory in race one and then backed it up with third place in race two.
While that closed the gap in the driver's standings, the Arise Racing GT duo still hold a 22-point advantage with three more rounds to run.
The team also has a five-point lead in the Team's Championship, as it looks to add to the silverware it claimed in its debut season.
The next round of the GT World Challenge Australia series will be at Melbourne's Sandown Raceway on July 25-27.
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The Advertiser
28 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Chery has multiple ute options on the cards for Australia
Chery Australia is gearing up to launch its first ute next year, but the Chinese brand says more models could follow with various body styles, powertrains, and use cases – if customers want them. Speaking with CarExpert, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said that while one ute is currently confirmed for Australia, the brand has many others that could also be brought here. "What's confirmed at the moment is having a proper, ladder-frame chassis, off-road platform-style pickup, which will be second half of next year," he said. "Globally, there are lots of different options for pickups. It's not just a one-tonne ladder-frame chassis." CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Jetour F700 Chery chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu added the brand was exploring different types of utes, while also taking notes from the performance of similar models from other manufacturers. "We do have pickup from body-on-frame design and then also unibody design, and we're exploring global markets for that," he said. "USA market used to be very good for body-on-frame, but recently Ford has the Maverick, which is a unibody vehicle that sold very well. So maybe we will see. We also have body-on-frame vehicles that we will introduce to this market as well." As it stands, Chery has no current utes sold under its own name, though it did reveal the Himla at this year's Shanghai auto show. Its other utes come from its offshoot brands, including the Jetour F700 and Rely R08, though the latter is essentially a rebadged Himla. ABOVE: Chery Himla Mr Harris said a key focus for Chery Australia with its first ute would be getting the fundamentals sorted, which includes meeting segment-standard payload ratings, towing capacities, and off-road dimensions. "It's very early days at the moment, I think the obvious things are payload, towing ability, off-roadability, and all those sorts of things are basically a given," he said. "We're still very much in the research phase to ensure that we get all of the spec and features, but certainly those core elements, like 3.5-tonne towing as an example, is a no-brainer." For context, Australia's current best-selling ute is the Ford Ranger, which, in Sport bi-turbo-diesel guise, offers a 934kg payload, 3500kg braked towing capacity, a ground clearance of 234mm, and a wading depth of 800mm. ABOVE: Rely R08 In any case, it's understood Chery is exploring at least diesel and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains for future utes. This puts it in contention with a range of vehicles from the perennially top-selling Ranger and Toyota HiLux to the new BYD Shark 6 PHEV. "We're always looking at what competitors are doing in the market, but to be honest with you, we're much more driven by customers and what customers want and need, rather than what our competitors are doing," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "Because often the competitors don't always get it right, so I think our general philosophy is how we talk to customers and listen to customers about what they want and need, and then if we can deliver a product for that, it's usually a recipe for success." ABOVE: Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 Further, Mr Lu boldly added that it wasn't a case of Chery competing with its compatriots, but rather the other way around. "We do have global product portfolio, and we review that every season, and make decisions if we change it a little bit or not," he told CarExpert. "Definitely MG and BYD are in our global competitor list, but I believe Chery is probably a bigger competitor for them, because Chery is still the number one exporter in China's market for many, many years, even this year." Chery claims it has been China's top vehicle exporter for 22 consecutive years, with 15 million global sales to date. In Australia, it trailed BYD on sales by nearly 10,000 units in the first half of 2025. MORE: Is this Chery's first ute for Australia? MORE: Chery Himla pickup revealed as China's latest HiLux, Ranger rival, more utes to come MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery Australia is gearing up to launch its first ute next year, but the Chinese brand says more models could follow with various body styles, powertrains, and use cases – if customers want them. Speaking with CarExpert, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said that while one ute is currently confirmed for Australia, the brand has many others that could also be brought here. "What's confirmed at the moment is having a proper, ladder-frame chassis, off-road platform-style pickup, which will be second half of next year," he said. "Globally, there are lots of different options for pickups. It's not just a one-tonne ladder-frame chassis." CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Jetour F700 Chery chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu added the brand was exploring different types of utes, while also taking notes from the performance of similar models from other manufacturers. "We do have pickup from body-on-frame design and then also unibody design, and we're exploring global markets for that," he said. "USA market used to be very good for body-on-frame, but recently Ford has the Maverick, which is a unibody vehicle that sold very well. So maybe we will see. We also have body-on-frame vehicles that we will introduce to this market as well." As it stands, Chery has no current utes sold under its own name, though it did reveal the Himla at this year's Shanghai auto show. Its other utes come from its offshoot brands, including the Jetour F700 and Rely R08, though the latter is essentially a rebadged Himla. ABOVE: Chery Himla Mr Harris said a key focus for Chery Australia with its first ute would be getting the fundamentals sorted, which includes meeting segment-standard payload ratings, towing capacities, and off-road dimensions. "It's very early days at the moment, I think the obvious things are payload, towing ability, off-roadability, and all those sorts of things are basically a given," he said. "We're still very much in the research phase to ensure that we get all of the spec and features, but certainly those core elements, like 3.5-tonne towing as an example, is a no-brainer." For context, Australia's current best-selling ute is the Ford Ranger, which, in Sport bi-turbo-diesel guise, offers a 934kg payload, 3500kg braked towing capacity, a ground clearance of 234mm, and a wading depth of 800mm. ABOVE: Rely R08 In any case, it's understood Chery is exploring at least diesel and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains for future utes. This puts it in contention with a range of vehicles from the perennially top-selling Ranger and Toyota HiLux to the new BYD Shark 6 PHEV. "We're always looking at what competitors are doing in the market, but to be honest with you, we're much more driven by customers and what customers want and need, rather than what our competitors are doing," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "Because often the competitors don't always get it right, so I think our general philosophy is how we talk to customers and listen to customers about what they want and need, and then if we can deliver a product for that, it's usually a recipe for success." ABOVE: Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 Further, Mr Lu boldly added that it wasn't a case of Chery competing with its compatriots, but rather the other way around. "We do have global product portfolio, and we review that every season, and make decisions if we change it a little bit or not," he told CarExpert. "Definitely MG and BYD are in our global competitor list, but I believe Chery is probably a bigger competitor for them, because Chery is still the number one exporter in China's market for many, many years, even this year." Chery claims it has been China's top vehicle exporter for 22 consecutive years, with 15 million global sales to date. In Australia, it trailed BYD on sales by nearly 10,000 units in the first half of 2025. MORE: Is this Chery's first ute for Australia? MORE: Chery Himla pickup revealed as China's latest HiLux, Ranger rival, more utes to come MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery Australia is gearing up to launch its first ute next year, but the Chinese brand says more models could follow with various body styles, powertrains, and use cases – if customers want them. Speaking with CarExpert, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said that while one ute is currently confirmed for Australia, the brand has many others that could also be brought here. "What's confirmed at the moment is having a proper, ladder-frame chassis, off-road platform-style pickup, which will be second half of next year," he said. "Globally, there are lots of different options for pickups. It's not just a one-tonne ladder-frame chassis." CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Jetour F700 Chery chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu added the brand was exploring different types of utes, while also taking notes from the performance of similar models from other manufacturers. "We do have pickup from body-on-frame design and then also unibody design, and we're exploring global markets for that," he said. "USA market used to be very good for body-on-frame, but recently Ford has the Maverick, which is a unibody vehicle that sold very well. So maybe we will see. We also have body-on-frame vehicles that we will introduce to this market as well." As it stands, Chery has no current utes sold under its own name, though it did reveal the Himla at this year's Shanghai auto show. Its other utes come from its offshoot brands, including the Jetour F700 and Rely R08, though the latter is essentially a rebadged Himla. ABOVE: Chery Himla Mr Harris said a key focus for Chery Australia with its first ute would be getting the fundamentals sorted, which includes meeting segment-standard payload ratings, towing capacities, and off-road dimensions. "It's very early days at the moment, I think the obvious things are payload, towing ability, off-roadability, and all those sorts of things are basically a given," he said. "We're still very much in the research phase to ensure that we get all of the spec and features, but certainly those core elements, like 3.5-tonne towing as an example, is a no-brainer." For context, Australia's current best-selling ute is the Ford Ranger, which, in Sport bi-turbo-diesel guise, offers a 934kg payload, 3500kg braked towing capacity, a ground clearance of 234mm, and a wading depth of 800mm. ABOVE: Rely R08 In any case, it's understood Chery is exploring at least diesel and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains for future utes. This puts it in contention with a range of vehicles from the perennially top-selling Ranger and Toyota HiLux to the new BYD Shark 6 PHEV. "We're always looking at what competitors are doing in the market, but to be honest with you, we're much more driven by customers and what customers want and need, rather than what our competitors are doing," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "Because often the competitors don't always get it right, so I think our general philosophy is how we talk to customers and listen to customers about what they want and need, and then if we can deliver a product for that, it's usually a recipe for success." ABOVE: Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 Further, Mr Lu boldly added that it wasn't a case of Chery competing with its compatriots, but rather the other way around. "We do have global product portfolio, and we review that every season, and make decisions if we change it a little bit or not," he told CarExpert. "Definitely MG and BYD are in our global competitor list, but I believe Chery is probably a bigger competitor for them, because Chery is still the number one exporter in China's market for many, many years, even this year." Chery claims it has been China's top vehicle exporter for 22 consecutive years, with 15 million global sales to date. In Australia, it trailed BYD on sales by nearly 10,000 units in the first half of 2025. MORE: Is this Chery's first ute for Australia? MORE: Chery Himla pickup revealed as China's latest HiLux, Ranger rival, more utes to come MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery Australia is gearing up to launch its first ute next year, but the Chinese brand says more models could follow with various body styles, powertrains, and use cases – if customers want them. Speaking with CarExpert, Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said that while one ute is currently confirmed for Australia, the brand has many others that could also be brought here. "What's confirmed at the moment is having a proper, ladder-frame chassis, off-road platform-style pickup, which will be second half of next year," he said. "Globally, there are lots of different options for pickups. It's not just a one-tonne ladder-frame chassis." CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Jetour F700 Chery chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu added the brand was exploring different types of utes, while also taking notes from the performance of similar models from other manufacturers. "We do have pickup from body-on-frame design and then also unibody design, and we're exploring global markets for that," he said. "USA market used to be very good for body-on-frame, but recently Ford has the Maverick, which is a unibody vehicle that sold very well. So maybe we will see. We also have body-on-frame vehicles that we will introduce to this market as well." As it stands, Chery has no current utes sold under its own name, though it did reveal the Himla at this year's Shanghai auto show. Its other utes come from its offshoot brands, including the Jetour F700 and Rely R08, though the latter is essentially a rebadged Himla. ABOVE: Chery Himla Mr Harris said a key focus for Chery Australia with its first ute would be getting the fundamentals sorted, which includes meeting segment-standard payload ratings, towing capacities, and off-road dimensions. "It's very early days at the moment, I think the obvious things are payload, towing ability, off-roadability, and all those sorts of things are basically a given," he said. "We're still very much in the research phase to ensure that we get all of the spec and features, but certainly those core elements, like 3.5-tonne towing as an example, is a no-brainer." For context, Australia's current best-selling ute is the Ford Ranger, which, in Sport bi-turbo-diesel guise, offers a 934kg payload, 3500kg braked towing capacity, a ground clearance of 234mm, and a wading depth of 800mm. ABOVE: Rely R08 In any case, it's understood Chery is exploring at least diesel and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains for future utes. This puts it in contention with a range of vehicles from the perennially top-selling Ranger and Toyota HiLux to the new BYD Shark 6 PHEV. "We're always looking at what competitors are doing in the market, but to be honest with you, we're much more driven by customers and what customers want and need, rather than what our competitors are doing," Mr Harris told CarExpert. "Because often the competitors don't always get it right, so I think our general philosophy is how we talk to customers and listen to customers about what they want and need, and then if we can deliver a product for that, it's usually a recipe for success." ABOVE: Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 Further, Mr Lu boldly added that it wasn't a case of Chery competing with its compatriots, but rather the other way around. "We do have global product portfolio, and we review that every season, and make decisions if we change it a little bit or not," he told CarExpert. "Definitely MG and BYD are in our global competitor list, but I believe Chery is probably a bigger competitor for them, because Chery is still the number one exporter in China's market for many, many years, even this year." Chery claims it has been China's top vehicle exporter for 22 consecutive years, with 15 million global sales to date. In Australia, it trailed BYD on sales by nearly 10,000 units in the first half of 2025. MORE: Is this Chery's first ute for Australia? MORE: Chery Himla pickup revealed as China's latest HiLux, Ranger rival, more utes to come MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from:
The Advertiser
28 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Chery wants to Australianise its cars to make them appeal to Americans
Chery, in its current state, may have only been operating in Australia since 2023, but a global executive says the feedback of Australians could help the brand's cars see success in the United States down the line. Locally, Chery has enjoyed substantial growth in its first few years. To the end of June 2025, the brand had recorded a whopping 228.8 per cent increase in sales from the same period in 2024, the largest of any brand – even the hard-charging BYD. This success has provided Chery with a wealth of feedback and guidance on how to improve its vehicles, with brand chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu telling CarExpert that the lessons learned can also help prepare it for potential future efforts in countries like the US. "From any point of view, the Australian market is very, very important, and that's a reason to come here and try and start in the market," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Chery Himla "We consider at least two directions right now. One is, in my opinion, that the user here, and the user conditions here, are very close to the USA market. "That's our next target where we want to go, I don't know whether that's the right words or not, but that's our ambition." The US market is uncharted territory for Chinese brands. Efforts to stop Chinese cars from infiltrating its market have led the US Government to impose substantial tariffs on vehicles from the country, which means there are currently no Chinese brands operating in the US, though there are Chinese-owned ones such as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. A 100 per cent tariff was slugged on Chinese EVs in 2024, followed by reciprocal tariffs imposed on the US by China. Despite that, brands like Chery are planning for the US' stance to soften in the coming years, opening the door for expanded global operations. ABOVE: Chery E5 "I know there are a lot of issues there, but that's a different story. As a company and an engineer, we are looking for the markets where we want to go," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "I believe the Australian market can help us learn a lot about the USA market. We've mentioned about a [pickup], with important towing capacities, which are also very big in USA market, so we can learn a lot." Indeed, Chery has been developing new utes for some time, after earlier efforts like the Karry Higgo and Aika were phased out. It revealed a new ute, the Himla, at this year's Shanghai auto show, and it's understood several others are waiting in the wings – including a yet-to-be-revealed plug-in hybrid (PHEV) expected to come to Australia. ABOVE: The F700 ute, from the Chery-owned Jetour brand. It seems Australia could serve as a test bed for these vehicles, which will undoubtedly vary in size, powertrains, and construction (i.e. body-on-frame or unibody), to prove their worth before being shipped elsewhere. "The other thing is the geographical position, this off-season. For us, in China right now it's summer, very hot, here it's winter," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "Australia also has some mountain area with snow and these kinds of things; we can test a vehicle here. Working together, leveraging global resources, we can further speed up our development process." Any local development undertaken by Chery would follow similar efforts from other Chinese brands, including GWM, which recently hired former Holden handling tuner Rob Trubiani to spearhead local development efforts. Non-Chinese brands like Ford, Kia and Mitsubishi are also heavily involved in Australian vehicle tuning. ABOVE: Chery Tiggo 8 Additionally, Mr Lu outlined feedback received from Australian customers and media was always relayed to Chery's head office in China, which has informed the development of new models and tech, as well as updates for its existing lineup. "Also the user here is different. I remember the first article I saw was from [CarExpert], the gentleman wrote about Chery's vehicle, he mentioned that the vehicle tuning and handling was not that good, suspension not that good," he told CarExpert. "We really take a lot of comments, and try to [improve] that. That's another thing, we really let the local experts help us tune the vehicle, maybe even special versions." MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery, in its current state, may have only been operating in Australia since 2023, but a global executive says the feedback of Australians could help the brand's cars see success in the United States down the line. Locally, Chery has enjoyed substantial growth in its first few years. To the end of June 2025, the brand had recorded a whopping 228.8 per cent increase in sales from the same period in 2024, the largest of any brand – even the hard-charging BYD. This success has provided Chery with a wealth of feedback and guidance on how to improve its vehicles, with brand chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu telling CarExpert that the lessons learned can also help prepare it for potential future efforts in countries like the US. "From any point of view, the Australian market is very, very important, and that's a reason to come here and try and start in the market," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Chery Himla "We consider at least two directions right now. One is, in my opinion, that the user here, and the user conditions here, are very close to the USA market. "That's our next target where we want to go, I don't know whether that's the right words or not, but that's our ambition." The US market is uncharted territory for Chinese brands. Efforts to stop Chinese cars from infiltrating its market have led the US Government to impose substantial tariffs on vehicles from the country, which means there are currently no Chinese brands operating in the US, though there are Chinese-owned ones such as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. A 100 per cent tariff was slugged on Chinese EVs in 2024, followed by reciprocal tariffs imposed on the US by China. Despite that, brands like Chery are planning for the US' stance to soften in the coming years, opening the door for expanded global operations. ABOVE: Chery E5 "I know there are a lot of issues there, but that's a different story. As a company and an engineer, we are looking for the markets where we want to go," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "I believe the Australian market can help us learn a lot about the USA market. We've mentioned about a [pickup], with important towing capacities, which are also very big in USA market, so we can learn a lot." Indeed, Chery has been developing new utes for some time, after earlier efforts like the Karry Higgo and Aika were phased out. It revealed a new ute, the Himla, at this year's Shanghai auto show, and it's understood several others are waiting in the wings – including a yet-to-be-revealed plug-in hybrid (PHEV) expected to come to Australia. ABOVE: The F700 ute, from the Chery-owned Jetour brand. It seems Australia could serve as a test bed for these vehicles, which will undoubtedly vary in size, powertrains, and construction (i.e. body-on-frame or unibody), to prove their worth before being shipped elsewhere. "The other thing is the geographical position, this off-season. For us, in China right now it's summer, very hot, here it's winter," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "Australia also has some mountain area with snow and these kinds of things; we can test a vehicle here. Working together, leveraging global resources, we can further speed up our development process." Any local development undertaken by Chery would follow similar efforts from other Chinese brands, including GWM, which recently hired former Holden handling tuner Rob Trubiani to spearhead local development efforts. Non-Chinese brands like Ford, Kia and Mitsubishi are also heavily involved in Australian vehicle tuning. ABOVE: Chery Tiggo 8 Additionally, Mr Lu outlined feedback received from Australian customers and media was always relayed to Chery's head office in China, which has informed the development of new models and tech, as well as updates for its existing lineup. "Also the user here is different. I remember the first article I saw was from [CarExpert], the gentleman wrote about Chery's vehicle, he mentioned that the vehicle tuning and handling was not that good, suspension not that good," he told CarExpert. "We really take a lot of comments, and try to [improve] that. That's another thing, we really let the local experts help us tune the vehicle, maybe even special versions." MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery, in its current state, may have only been operating in Australia since 2023, but a global executive says the feedback of Australians could help the brand's cars see success in the United States down the line. Locally, Chery has enjoyed substantial growth in its first few years. To the end of June 2025, the brand had recorded a whopping 228.8 per cent increase in sales from the same period in 2024, the largest of any brand – even the hard-charging BYD. This success has provided Chery with a wealth of feedback and guidance on how to improve its vehicles, with brand chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu telling CarExpert that the lessons learned can also help prepare it for potential future efforts in countries like the US. "From any point of view, the Australian market is very, very important, and that's a reason to come here and try and start in the market," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Chery Himla "We consider at least two directions right now. One is, in my opinion, that the user here, and the user conditions here, are very close to the USA market. "That's our next target where we want to go, I don't know whether that's the right words or not, but that's our ambition." The US market is uncharted territory for Chinese brands. Efforts to stop Chinese cars from infiltrating its market have led the US Government to impose substantial tariffs on vehicles from the country, which means there are currently no Chinese brands operating in the US, though there are Chinese-owned ones such as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. A 100 per cent tariff was slugged on Chinese EVs in 2024, followed by reciprocal tariffs imposed on the US by China. Despite that, brands like Chery are planning for the US' stance to soften in the coming years, opening the door for expanded global operations. ABOVE: Chery E5 "I know there are a lot of issues there, but that's a different story. As a company and an engineer, we are looking for the markets where we want to go," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "I believe the Australian market can help us learn a lot about the USA market. We've mentioned about a [pickup], with important towing capacities, which are also very big in USA market, so we can learn a lot." Indeed, Chery has been developing new utes for some time, after earlier efforts like the Karry Higgo and Aika were phased out. It revealed a new ute, the Himla, at this year's Shanghai auto show, and it's understood several others are waiting in the wings – including a yet-to-be-revealed plug-in hybrid (PHEV) expected to come to Australia. ABOVE: The F700 ute, from the Chery-owned Jetour brand. It seems Australia could serve as a test bed for these vehicles, which will undoubtedly vary in size, powertrains, and construction (i.e. body-on-frame or unibody), to prove their worth before being shipped elsewhere. "The other thing is the geographical position, this off-season. For us, in China right now it's summer, very hot, here it's winter," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "Australia also has some mountain area with snow and these kinds of things; we can test a vehicle here. Working together, leveraging global resources, we can further speed up our development process." Any local development undertaken by Chery would follow similar efforts from other Chinese brands, including GWM, which recently hired former Holden handling tuner Rob Trubiani to spearhead local development efforts. Non-Chinese brands like Ford, Kia and Mitsubishi are also heavily involved in Australian vehicle tuning. ABOVE: Chery Tiggo 8 Additionally, Mr Lu outlined feedback received from Australian customers and media was always relayed to Chery's head office in China, which has informed the development of new models and tech, as well as updates for its existing lineup. "Also the user here is different. I remember the first article I saw was from [CarExpert], the gentleman wrote about Chery's vehicle, he mentioned that the vehicle tuning and handling was not that good, suspension not that good," he told CarExpert. "We really take a lot of comments, and try to [improve] that. That's another thing, we really let the local experts help us tune the vehicle, maybe even special versions." MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from: Chery, in its current state, may have only been operating in Australia since 2023, but a global executive says the feedback of Australians could help the brand's cars see success in the United States down the line. Locally, Chery has enjoyed substantial growth in its first few years. To the end of June 2025, the brand had recorded a whopping 228.8 per cent increase in sales from the same period in 2024, the largest of any brand – even the hard-charging BYD. This success has provided Chery with a wealth of feedback and guidance on how to improve its vehicles, with brand chief engineer David Xianqiang Lu telling CarExpert that the lessons learned can also help prepare it for potential future efforts in countries like the US. "From any point of view, the Australian market is very, very important, and that's a reason to come here and try and start in the market," he said. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. ABOVE: Chery Himla "We consider at least two directions right now. One is, in my opinion, that the user here, and the user conditions here, are very close to the USA market. "That's our next target where we want to go, I don't know whether that's the right words or not, but that's our ambition." The US market is uncharted territory for Chinese brands. Efforts to stop Chinese cars from infiltrating its market have led the US Government to impose substantial tariffs on vehicles from the country, which means there are currently no Chinese brands operating in the US, though there are Chinese-owned ones such as Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. A 100 per cent tariff was slugged on Chinese EVs in 2024, followed by reciprocal tariffs imposed on the US by China. Despite that, brands like Chery are planning for the US' stance to soften in the coming years, opening the door for expanded global operations. ABOVE: Chery E5 "I know there are a lot of issues there, but that's a different story. As a company and an engineer, we are looking for the markets where we want to go," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "I believe the Australian market can help us learn a lot about the USA market. We've mentioned about a [pickup], with important towing capacities, which are also very big in USA market, so we can learn a lot." Indeed, Chery has been developing new utes for some time, after earlier efforts like the Karry Higgo and Aika were phased out. It revealed a new ute, the Himla, at this year's Shanghai auto show, and it's understood several others are waiting in the wings – including a yet-to-be-revealed plug-in hybrid (PHEV) expected to come to Australia. ABOVE: The F700 ute, from the Chery-owned Jetour brand. It seems Australia could serve as a test bed for these vehicles, which will undoubtedly vary in size, powertrains, and construction (i.e. body-on-frame or unibody), to prove their worth before being shipped elsewhere. "The other thing is the geographical position, this off-season. For us, in China right now it's summer, very hot, here it's winter," Mr Lu told CarExpert. "Australia also has some mountain area with snow and these kinds of things; we can test a vehicle here. Working together, leveraging global resources, we can further speed up our development process." Any local development undertaken by Chery would follow similar efforts from other Chinese brands, including GWM, which recently hired former Holden handling tuner Rob Trubiani to spearhead local development efforts. Non-Chinese brands like Ford, Kia and Mitsubishi are also heavily involved in Australian vehicle tuning. ABOVE: Chery Tiggo 8 Additionally, Mr Lu outlined feedback received from Australian customers and media was always relayed to Chery's head office in China, which has informed the development of new models and tech, as well as updates for its existing lineup. "Also the user here is different. I remember the first article I saw was from [CarExpert], the gentleman wrote about Chery's vehicle, he mentioned that the vehicle tuning and handling was not that good, suspension not that good," he told CarExpert. "We really take a lot of comments, and try to [improve] that. That's another thing, we really let the local experts help us tune the vehicle, maybe even special versions." MORE: Everything Chery Content originally sourced from:
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Mercedes-Benz gives its smallest cars racy Edition R and Edition R+ specials
Mercedes-Benz has been rolling out sporty Edition Rs across its lineup, and now its smallest passenger cars have received the special-edition treatment. Not only that, but there are even hotter Edition R+ variants. All are available to order now. The special edition lineup is comprised of Edition R versions of the Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan and hatch and the CLA35 four-door 'coupe', and Edition R+ versions of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S hot hatch andCLA45 Ssports sedan. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Over the standard A35 and CLA35, the Edition R adds: Power continues to come from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 225kW of power and 400Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. The Edition R+ takes the A45 S and CLA45 S and adds AMG Performance Seats. The CLA45S Edition R+ also gains a fixed rear wing, a first for the flagship CLA. Edition R+ models, like the vehicles they're based on, use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 310kW of power and 500Nm of torque. It's mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. Despite the additional equipment, the Edition R and Edition R+ specials are no more expensive than the vehicles they're based on – and in most cases they're cheaper. Comparing list prices, the Edition R versions of the A35 are $3500 cheaper, while the special CLA is $4300 cheaper. The Edition R+ versions of the A45 and CLA45 are priced identically to the vehicles they're based on. Mercedes-Benz has previously offered Edition R versions of the AMG C43 and GLC43. While these special editions feature more aggressive styling than the vehicles they're based on, they're not the flashiest special editions to grace Mercedes' local showrooms. Late last year, the Mercedes-AMG A45 S Limited Edition was revealed for our market, featuring decals, extensive yellow accents and bright green paint, among other changes. The CLA is at the end of its lifecycle, with a new generation due in Australian showrooms next year – though hot AMG versions have yet to be revealed. The A-Class won't be replaced, but a report out of Europe has confirmed the end of production for the current model has been postponed from 2026 to 2028. MORE: Everything Mercedes-AMG A35 • A45 • CLA45 Content originally sourced from: Mercedes-Benz has been rolling out sporty Edition Rs across its lineup, and now its smallest passenger cars have received the special-edition treatment. Not only that, but there are even hotter Edition R+ variants. All are available to order now. The special edition lineup is comprised of Edition R versions of the Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan and hatch and the CLA35 four-door 'coupe', and Edition R+ versions of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S hot hatch andCLA45 Ssports sedan. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Over the standard A35 and CLA35, the Edition R adds: Power continues to come from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 225kW of power and 400Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. The Edition R+ takes the A45 S and CLA45 S and adds AMG Performance Seats. The CLA45S Edition R+ also gains a fixed rear wing, a first for the flagship CLA. Edition R+ models, like the vehicles they're based on, use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 310kW of power and 500Nm of torque. It's mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. Despite the additional equipment, the Edition R and Edition R+ specials are no more expensive than the vehicles they're based on – and in most cases they're cheaper. Comparing list prices, the Edition R versions of the A35 are $3500 cheaper, while the special CLA is $4300 cheaper. The Edition R+ versions of the A45 and CLA45 are priced identically to the vehicles they're based on. Mercedes-Benz has previously offered Edition R versions of the AMG C43 and GLC43. While these special editions feature more aggressive styling than the vehicles they're based on, they're not the flashiest special editions to grace Mercedes' local showrooms. Late last year, the Mercedes-AMG A45 S Limited Edition was revealed for our market, featuring decals, extensive yellow accents and bright green paint, among other changes. The CLA is at the end of its lifecycle, with a new generation due in Australian showrooms next year – though hot AMG versions have yet to be revealed. The A-Class won't be replaced, but a report out of Europe has confirmed the end of production for the current model has been postponed from 2026 to 2028. MORE: Everything Mercedes-AMG A35 • A45 • CLA45 Content originally sourced from: Mercedes-Benz has been rolling out sporty Edition Rs across its lineup, and now its smallest passenger cars have received the special-edition treatment. Not only that, but there are even hotter Edition R+ variants. All are available to order now. The special edition lineup is comprised of Edition R versions of the Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan and hatch and the CLA35 four-door 'coupe', and Edition R+ versions of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S hot hatch andCLA45 Ssports sedan. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Over the standard A35 and CLA35, the Edition R adds: Power continues to come from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 225kW of power and 400Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. The Edition R+ takes the A45 S and CLA45 S and adds AMG Performance Seats. The CLA45S Edition R+ also gains a fixed rear wing, a first for the flagship CLA. Edition R+ models, like the vehicles they're based on, use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 310kW of power and 500Nm of torque. It's mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. Despite the additional equipment, the Edition R and Edition R+ specials are no more expensive than the vehicles they're based on – and in most cases they're cheaper. Comparing list prices, the Edition R versions of the A35 are $3500 cheaper, while the special CLA is $4300 cheaper. The Edition R+ versions of the A45 and CLA45 are priced identically to the vehicles they're based on. Mercedes-Benz has previously offered Edition R versions of the AMG C43 and GLC43. While these special editions feature more aggressive styling than the vehicles they're based on, they're not the flashiest special editions to grace Mercedes' local showrooms. Late last year, the Mercedes-AMG A45 S Limited Edition was revealed for our market, featuring decals, extensive yellow accents and bright green paint, among other changes. The CLA is at the end of its lifecycle, with a new generation due in Australian showrooms next year – though hot AMG versions have yet to be revealed. The A-Class won't be replaced, but a report out of Europe has confirmed the end of production for the current model has been postponed from 2026 to 2028. MORE: Everything Mercedes-AMG A35 • A45 • CLA45 Content originally sourced from: Mercedes-Benz has been rolling out sporty Edition Rs across its lineup, and now its smallest passenger cars have received the special-edition treatment. Not only that, but there are even hotter Edition R+ variants. All are available to order now. The special edition lineup is comprised of Edition R versions of the Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan and hatch and the CLA35 four-door 'coupe', and Edition R+ versions of the Mercedes-AMG A45 S hot hatch andCLA45 Ssports sedan. CarExpert can save you thousands on a new car. Click here to get a great deal. Over the standard A35 and CLA35, the Edition R adds: Power continues to come from a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 225kW of power and 400Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. The Edition R+ takes the A45 S and CLA45 S and adds AMG Performance Seats. The CLA45S Edition R+ also gains a fixed rear wing, a first for the flagship CLA. Edition R+ models, like the vehicles they're based on, use a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 310kW of power and 500Nm of torque. It's mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel drive system. Despite the additional equipment, the Edition R and Edition R+ specials are no more expensive than the vehicles they're based on – and in most cases they're cheaper. Comparing list prices, the Edition R versions of the A35 are $3500 cheaper, while the special CLA is $4300 cheaper. The Edition R+ versions of the A45 and CLA45 are priced identically to the vehicles they're based on. Mercedes-Benz has previously offered Edition R versions of the AMG C43 and GLC43. While these special editions feature more aggressive styling than the vehicles they're based on, they're not the flashiest special editions to grace Mercedes' local showrooms. Late last year, the Mercedes-AMG A45 S Limited Edition was revealed for our market, featuring decals, extensive yellow accents and bright green paint, among other changes. The CLA is at the end of its lifecycle, with a new generation due in Australian showrooms next year – though hot AMG versions have yet to be revealed. The A-Class won't be replaced, but a report out of Europe has confirmed the end of production for the current model has been postponed from 2026 to 2028. MORE: Everything Mercedes-AMG A35 • A45 • CLA45 Content originally sourced from:
