Chery is gearing up to enter one of Australia’s most fiercely contested vehicle markets – the dual-cab ute segment – in the second half of 2026, and all the signs point to something genuinely special arriving here by the end of next year.
The Chinese auto brand’s first ute for Australia, likely being developed under the revived Rely sub-brand, is shaping up to be larger, more capable, and more technically advanced than the popular BYD Shark 6 dual-cab, which became the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute available in Australia when it launched here early this year.
Like the Shark and all of Australia’s most popular utes, the upcoming Chery pickup rides on a rugged ladder-frame chassis. Codenamed the Kaitan platform, it’s been designed from day one to support the full spectrum of powertrains including internal combustion, battery-electric (EV), and PHEV.
Australian Chery executives have already confirmed the ute will prioritise “work before play”, meaning it’s being engineered to tow up to 3.5 tonnes, offer payloads approaching 1500kg, and deliver the kind of toughness expected by trade, fleet, and recreational buyers here.
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The project is being co-developed by Chery’s global engineering teams, with Australia as a lead export market, ensuring right-hand drive (RHD) development is baked in from the start rather than converted later.
Senior Chery product executives have confirmed the RHD version of the pickup is still in development for multiple international markets – including Australia, which is likely to be among the first to receive it.
Powertrain options under development include an all-electric EV drivetrain, and something no other ute offers in Australia yet – a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid system.
The plug-in diesel setup pairs a newly developed 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre twin-turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor and a large battery pack.
This was recently confirmed by a senior product executive in China, who told CarExpert the new Chery pickup would be powered by a diesel hybrid powertrain, alongside other electrified variants.
Chery’s powertrain division, RELY Power Technology, claims the diesel engine achieves an impressive 47 per cent thermal efficiency, making it one of the most efficient diesel units in the world.
Combined outputs haven’t yet been published, but reports out of China suggest around 210kW of power and 650Nm of torque – matching the torque of the BYD Shark’s 1.5-litre petrol engine-based PHEV system, which can only tow up to 2500kg.
However, a major advantage of Chery’s diesel-hybrid system will be its torque delivery and driving range. Expect low-rev pulling power that suits heavy towing, while the electric motor offers silent running in urban traffic.
And Cherv’s diesel PHEV ute is expected to deliver around 170km of pure-electric range, eclipsing BYD’s quoted 100km (WLTC) figure for the Shark.
Dimensionally, the Chery pickup is expected to stretch beyond 5.3 metres in length, making it slightly larger than the Shark and almost identical to the top-selling Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
Early prototypes shown under the Rely KP3X nameplate reveal a confident, blocky design with muscular wheel-arches, bead-lock-style wheels, tow hooks, and integrated steps in the tray.
The rear tub appears separate from the cab – a hallmark of proper ladder-frame utes, allowing different trays and canopies to be fitted – while filler doors on both sides suggest dual access for diesel refuelling and battery recharging.
Expect Chery to offer cab/chassis variants, giving it extra appeal to fleets and tradies who need custom tray configurations.
While interior details are still under tight wraps, leaked design previews point to a digital instrument cluster, a large infotainment touchscreen with Chery’s latest ‘Lion AI’ interface, and the full suite of ADAS safety tech already seen in Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo models — including adaptive cruise, lane-keep assist, and 360-degree cameras.
Expect a premium bent compared to most budget rivals, bringing interior presentation and refinement closer to mainstream utes from Ford and Toyota.
The pickup will be sold globally under the Rely brand – a revived Chery marque dedicated entirely to pickups and commercial vehicles.
Rely sits alongside Omoda, Jaecoo, Exeed, and Jetour in Chery’s corporate lineup, but focuses solely on body-on-frame utility vehicles for global markets. However, expect Australian-delivered vehicles to wear a Chery badge.
Interestingly, the Rely KP3X diesel-hybrid and its electric twin, the Rely KP2X, were first unveiled at the 2025 Chengdu motor show, marking Rely’s return to the market after more than a decade.
Chery Australia has confirmed it will launch an unnamed plug-in hybrid, ladder-frame ute in Australia by the end of 2026, though it’s yet to reveal any further details.
While Chery has not specifically confirmed either the KP2X or KP3X by name for local showrooms, Chery International president Zhang Guibing previously told CarExpert that Chery was developing a pickup for the Australian market, which would eclipse the BYD Shark 6 in every way.
Local Chery boss Lucas Harris previously told CarExpert: “What’s confirmed at the moment is having a proper, ladder-frame chassis, off-road platform-style pickup, which will be [here] in the second half of next year (2026).”
Chery has also mentioned previously that its Australian division isset to receive multiple different utes, opening the door for vehicles of various sizes and with different powertrains – including fully electric.
Mr Harris recently told Fleet News Group: “The diesel PHEV is the one I get really excited about. It could be a unique proposition, combining the low-end torque that diesel buyers expect with the efficiency and smooth driving experience of a plug-in hybrid.”
It’s not yet clear whether the KP3X would also be available here with traditional combustion powertrains like those employed in some of its Chery ute stablemates sold in China such as the Himla, which currently include 120kW/420Nm 2.3-litre turbo-diesel and 118kW/230Nm 2.4-litre petrol engines with a five-speed manual only.
More details will be revealed closer to the ute’s launch in late 2026, but given how closely Australian engineers are involved, expect the local-spec version to be tuned for local conditions and towing requirements.
The Chery ute’s combination of diesel torque, long EV range, a full-size tray, and class-matching towing capacity could make it the most appropriate work-focused PHEV ute in Australia – and a serious challenger not just to BYD, but PHEV versions of the Ranger and the GWM Cannon Alpha.
Chery’s ute program is shaping up as one of the most important vehicle launches in the company’s global expansion. If the diesel-hybrid KP3X arrives in Australia with 3.5-tonne towing, real off-road ability, and 170km of EV range, it could redefine what Australians expect from a Chinese-built workhorse.
The BYD Shark might have struck first, but if Chery delivers on the numbers it’s promising – and Chery Australia lands the new RHD diesel-hybrid ute here next year as expected – this Rely-developed pickup could very well set a new benchmark for hybrid work utes Down Under, just as other new petrol PHEV utes begin arriving to meet the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
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