Chery says its Stockman diesel plug-in hybrid (PHEV) ute remains on track for its February 2027 Australian arrival, with the next round of local testing focused largely on software.
Customer deliveries are scheduled to begin from February 1. Speaking to CarExpert and other Australian media in China, Stockman chief product manager Mark Qi reaffirmed February as the target.
“Yes. We have discussed it with our Australian team. For now, the target is still February next year. In February, we will deliver the Stockman in Australia," he said.
That's the timetable announced when Chery opened reservations on October 1, following an earlier forecast of late 2026.
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Asked whether late changes could push deliveries into March or April, Mr Qi pointed to work on the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electric power steering (EPS).
“The important things we may need to improve, as we have discussed, are ADAS and EPS. Those are mostly software, so they are a little easier for us,” he said.
CarExpert understands the Stockman’s core hardware is locked in, with engineers now refining its Australian calibration.
Mr Qi said Chery may need to build the vehicles in January to meet February deliveries. He explained how the local feedback could be incorporated into the software.
“When we get feedback, the software and EPS engineers can make changes directly and check them," he said.
Some calibration changes could also be made through software updates after owners take delivery. Chery has previously told CarExpert that many ADAS software changes can be applied to existing vehicles at dealerships.
The immediate task is to check the changes already made. Mr Qi said test vehicles had been sent to Australia in September, with further developed vehicles due at the end of October and in mid-November.
“We still need to do that work. The vehicle we send next month will mainly be for checking. We have already had feedback, and the engineers have made changes,” Mr Qi said.
“Next month, we want the Australians to check it. There may still be new problems, but I think the focus will be more on software.”
He also described the instructions he had given the driver-assistance engineers.
“For the ADAS, I told our engineers: don’t use your Chinese way of thinking. Think about Australian people’s habits and the road conditions in Australia.”
Steering weight is one of the areas being tailored to Australian buyers.
“In China, especially in passenger cars, some people like lighter steering. It is different in Australia, so we are still working on that,” he said.
“The second is the brakes. That is also about different habits. Something that feels OK in a passenger car might feel too light to a ute or pickup user.”
But there's still work being conducted on hardware in the Stockman.
The Australian diesel PHEV uses leaf-spring rear suspension, and Mr Qi said ride tuning was also part of the local work.
“For Australia, we have leaf springs, and we need to do more work on the leaf springs and shock absorbers.”
Chery’s work with Australian engineering firm Premcar includes testing and validation of the Stockman’s ride and handling on local roads, as well as off-road testing.
“Premcar chooses the locations to suit Australian use and gives us feedback,” said Mr Qi.
The Stockman follows a broader effort to tailor Chery vehicles to Australian conditions. CarExpert joined the Tiggo 7 PHEV’s local validation program in 2025, when engineers were refining how its lane-support systems responded to different road widths and markings.
The Stockman is set to become Australia’s first diesel PHEV ute, joining petrol plug-in hybrids including the Ford Ranger Hybrid, BYD Shark 6, and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV. It may not be the only diesel PHEV ute for long, though, with GWM confirming work on its own diesel PHEV powertrain.
Chery’s preliminary specifications list a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine and 34kWh battery, with combined outputs of 350kW of power and 800Nm of torque. Claimed electric range is 96km on the WLTC test cycle.
Australian pricing has yet to be announced. A petrol PHEV version is planned to follow in the second half of 2027.