Chery-owned brands mull local production
By George Guimarães | 11/22/23 | Translated by Jorge Meditsch
Chinese vehicle offer in Brazil, not long ago limited to imported JAC models and the Chery locally produced by the Caoa Group, expanded in 2023 with the arrival of GWM and BYD and will grow even more next year.
Owned by Chery, the Omoda and Jaecoo brands will be imported to the national market in 2024. Three models are already confirmed for the first year: one Omoda and two Jaecoo.
The arrival of the two brands in Brazil isn’t a unique action. Unknown in most world markets, they are starting their globalization process, like has been happening with many other Chinese brands in the last two years, such as BYD, GWM and Hyphi.
At the end of the year, Omoda should be in at least thirty countries and Jaecoo in ten. They have already established research and development bases in Europe and the United States.
In Brazil, the initial import operation would be conducted by Omoda | Jaecoo, whose CEO is Shawn XU, who announces: “This is just the beginning. Brazil is a strategic partner for our global operation, and we know its potential”.
The three first vehicles were not disclosed, but they would carry mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and 100% electric drives.
The Omoda products aim for a young public enthusiast of technological novelties, while the Jaecoo should attract sophisticated off-road fans – the current buyers of JLR models such as the traditional Defender and Discovery.
Despite the different publics, the sales structure will be the same, with the future dealers offering both brands, as Chery has recently announced to journalists in China, when it also revealed the plans to bring to Brazil in a separate operation the luxury brand Exeed.
Caoa Chery has mentioned since last year that it would bring Exeed to Brazil, and models of the brand have been seen being tested undisguised on the road.
Local production?
This is not the only indication of occasional disputes between the Caoa Group and its partner Chery in the near future. Chery already signed an intention letter this year to produce vehicles locally in the ABC region, in São Paulo.
According to the document signed in July in Brasília, DF, with the participation of the ABC Metalworkers Union, Chery and Beijing Peak Automotive committed to producing initially electric buses in the region, but also mentioned “other vehicles”.
In the first half of last year, Caoa Chery ended vehicle production in Jacareí, SP, to concentrate manufacturing in the Anápolis plant, where the Tiggo 5X, 7 and 8 SUVs are made.
The plant in São Paulo, inaugurated in 2014 and built exclusively with Chinese funds, remains closed. At the end of production of the Tiggo 3X and the Arrizo 6 sedan, Caoa Chery said it would be a three-year interruption to adapt the plant for electric model manufacture.
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