Chery Stockman Confirmed as Australia’s First Diesel PHEV Ute

Chery Australia’s first ute will be called Stockman, with the diesel plug-in hybrid model due to arrive locally later in 2026.

The name was chosen after a nationwide competition that attracted more than 20,000 submissions before public voting narrowed the field.

More than 12,000 Australians voted in the final stage, with Stockman receiving more than 25 per cent of votes.

Victorian entrant Steve Kodikara submitted the winning name and will receive the first Stockman ute when it lands in Australia.

"I'm incredibly honoured that Stockman was chosen from the thousands of entries submitted to title Chery’s new ute," said Steve Kodikara.

"I felt the name captured the spirit of Australia's original workhorse and everything a ute should represent: reliability, capability and resilience.

I’m glad it resonated with Australians, and I'm thrilled to see it become part of Chery's story."

Other shortlisted names included Outrider, Orca, Ironbark, Bushwalker, Longreach, Ridgeback, Terra and Mate.

Chery says the Stockman name references Australia’s stockmen and is intended to reflect the ute’s intended capability, endurance and versatility.

Lucas Harris, Chief Operating Officer, Chery Australia, said the response showed strong interest in the segment.

"The response to this competition exceeded our expectations and showcased just how passionate Australians are about utes," said Harris.

"Stockman stood out because it captured something uniquely Australian while reflecting the capability, reliability and innovation behind our upcoming ute.

Steve's submission brought the name to life through a compelling story, connecting Australia's heritage with the next generation of ute technology."

The Stockman follows Chery’s earlier ute development work, including the KP31 diesel PHEV ute concept shown ahead of a planned Australian launch window.

Chery has not yet confirmed pricing, detailed specifications, towing capacity, payload, battery size or electric-only driving range for the Stockman.

PHEV ute market context

The Stockman will enter a dual-cab market where plug-in hybrid utes are still new, but no longer untested.

The BYD Shark 6 has become the clearest early indicator of demand for electrified utes in Australia.

It recorded 6095 sales from January to May 2026, down from 7431 over the same period in 2025, but its May result of 1244 units sat just above its 2026 monthly average of about 1219 units.

That made the Shark 6 the fifth best-selling ute in Australia for May and year to date, behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max and Mitsubishi Triton.

As covered in CarSauce’s May new-vehicle sales report, electrified vehicles have also been gaining broader attention as fuel prices influence buyer behaviour.

The fuel-price spike earlier in 2026 is relevant for the ute market because light commercial vehicles remain heavily diesel-weighted.

Petrol climbed above $2.50 per litre by mid-March during the Middle East conflict, while diesel rose more sharply once the conflict began.

The Federal Government halved fuel excise from 1 April to 30 June, cutting petrol by about 26 cents per litre, and prices eased back toward pre-conflict levels through June.

In May 2026, diesel accounted for 16,977 light commercial sales, equal to 84.8 per cent of the segment.

Plug-in hybrids accounted for 1706 light commercial sales in May, or 8.5 per cent, while total light commercial PHEV sales were up 11.5 per cent year to date at 8438 units compared with 7565 in 2025.

The BYD Shark 6 range, 2026 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and 2026 Ford Ranger PHEV give the Stockman a set of established electrified ute rivals by the time it reaches showrooms.

Vehicle	Powertrain	Key outputs	Battery or EV range	Braked towing	Price or launch status
Chery Stockman	Diesel plug-in hybrid	To be confirmed	To be confirmed	To be confirmed	Due later in 2026
BYD Shark 6 range	Petrol plug-in hybrid; Performance uses a 2.0-litre turbo setup	Up to 350kW and 700Nm in Shark 6 Performance	29.58kWh LFP battery across the Shark 6 range	Up to 3500kg in Shark 6 Performance	From $57,900 plus on-road costs; Performance from $62,900 plus on-road costs
2026 GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV	2.0-litre turbo petrol plug-in hybrid	300kW and 750Nm combined	37.1kWh battery, up to 115km NEDC claim	3500kg	Lux listed from $59,990 plus on-road costs, Ultra from $66,990 plus on-road costs
2026 Ford Ranger PHEV	2.3-litre turbo petrol plug-in hybrid, now marketed as Ranger Hybrid	207kW and 697Nm combined	11.8kWh battery, up to 49km EV range	3500kg	$59,000 to $70,000 driveaway

For Chery, the Stockman represents a move beyond SUVs and into one of Australia’s most competitive vehicle segments.

Its diesel plug-in hybrid layout also separates it from petrol-based PHEV ute rivals already announced or on sale.

The remaining question is how Chery positions the Stockman on price, payload, towing and real-world efficiency against established diesel utes and the growing field of plug-in hybrid alternatives.

Those details are expected closer to the Stockman’s local market introduction.