Almost two months after unveiling its forthcoming ute, Chery has now lifted the lid on the vehicle’s interior, revealing a lot about how the model will be positioned.
Known as the KP31 for now, the Chery ute is set to launch initially with a diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain later this year, with a petrol plug-in hybrid version to join the lineup in 2027 – taking aim at the BYD Shark 6.
The interior styling has a mix of rugged off-roader and premium SUV design cues, much like the Kia Tasman.
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Surrounding a stubby, leather-trimmed automatic gear shifter are an electronic selector for low-range, another for off-road driving modes, and buttons to individually engage the front, centre, and rear locking differentials.
The pre-production prototype previewed also includes buttons for crawl control and a tight-turn feature, which can drag the inside wheel to help the vehicle pivot around hairpins on loose surfaces.
But there’s also plenty of luxury features – likely to be available on the range-topping variant – such as heated and ventilated electric front seats, dual-zone climate control, wireless smartphone charging, adaptive cruise control, sunroof, ambient lighting, and a premium sound system with stainless steel speaker grilles.
A leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery, and stitched suede on the dashboard, upper door cards, and roof lining also adorn the prototype.
Leather also extends to the rear bench seat, which appears to have some rake built into the backrest to improve comfort.
The large infotainment screen shows the vehicle’s trip distance, the total distance travelled, and its average speed.
All of this suggests Chery will be positioning the model at the pointy end of the dual-cab segment.
Aside from the turbo-diesel engine’s 2.5-litre capacity, exact details of what’s under the bonnet remain a mystery, but unconfirmed reports out of China claim the ute could offer some big performance figures – as well as up to 170km of electric driving range.
The ute’s off-road capabilities were said to be a priority for Chery’s development team, with the rolling concept fitted with front and rear bash plates, recovery points, a snorkel, and all-terrain tyres on six-stud alloy wheels.
Company officials have already confirmed the model will offer up to 1000kg of payload, along with a braked towing capacity of up to 3500kg.
While the vehicle is currently known by its internal designation ‘KP31’, Chery Australia launched a competition to help name it, promising the winner the first ute to arrive in the country.
Lasting just two weeks, the competition attracted more than 20,000 entries.
“We knew Aussies would have a strong view on what makes a great ute, and the response to this competition has absolutely reflected that,” said Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris.
“To receive this many entries is a tremendous result, but just as importantly, entrants took the brief seriously and explained why their name belonged on the ute, making the shortlisting process both exciting and difficult.”
Though not part of the competition, CarExpert’s comments section helpfully suggested ‘Chery Ripe’ as the ute’s new name. However, given Cadbury’s historic efforts to legally trademark a shade of purple, we suspect the chocolate giant might not want to share the name.
MORE: Chery claims diesel PHEV ute will be more capable than petrol PHEVs, even its own