Details Emerge of Chery’s Anticipated Ute

Chery is set to launch an all-new dual-cab ute in the Australian market, with the model expected to shake things up in the growing segment.

Chery has already indicated its Himla won’t be offered locally, with another dual-cab in development – possibly leaked via a patent image published overseas (top).

While details of the new model have yet to be released, details of the Chery Himla – also marketed as the Rely Weilin R08 – have been announced, potentially offering us a glimpse of what to expect with an Australian-market Chery ute.

According to overseas publications, the model is powered by a 2.3-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine making 120kW and 420Nm, matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

While the engine powers the rear wheels during normal driving, there is a low-range four-wheel-drive gearbox for off-roading.

Both petrol and plug-in hybrid variants are also expected in the future.

However, it’s not clear whether this powertrain will carry over to the new ute for Australia, given most of the ute segment here already offers a higher level of performance.

For example, the LDV T60 uses a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine making 160kW and 500Nm, while the recently-updated GWM Cannon makes 135kW and 480Nm from its 2.4-litre turbo-diesel.

Given a plug-in hybrid is believed to be on the cards for Australian buyers, the addition of electric motors could provide the Chery ute with the significant performance boost it needs to stay competitive.