Later this year, **Chery will launch an all-new off-road dual-cab ute with the segment’s first diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain. ** ** .
The Chery ute will first launch in the fourth quarter of 2026 with a 2-year-old as-yet-unnamed Cheri uter known by its internal model code, KP31. The plug-in hybrid 5-litre turbo-diesel engine, which has up to 170 kilometres of electric driving range (although the exact numbers are not yet known) is an impressively high tech power that can be used in 5 litre engines.
Speculations for the production model have not been confirmed by Chery, but earlier reports out of China suggest that the company’s 2 is from its own perspective. 210kW and 650Nm are produced by 5-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine, which is the most powerful in terms of its power at 5 litres.
According to company bosses, the combination of a diesel engine and plug-in hybrid technology will be very beneficial for drivers — such as an improved power/power balance with less noise or vibration.
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A petrol plug-in hybrid powertrain will be added to the lineup in 2027, competing directly with the BYD Shark 6.
The KP31 is set to offer 1000kg of payload, with a braked towing capacity of up to 3500kg.
Chery has confirmed the ute will be equipped with front, centre and rear locking differentials (and is also expected to have off-road modes as well as a low-range gearbox – all of which should help it in the bush) designed by Australia’s market.
The vehicle was shown with a tight-turning mock-up prototype, similar to the Trail Turn Assist on Ford utes – which locks up the rear inside wheel to help pivot the car around loose hairpin corners while details have not yet been confirmed.
The concept is’very close’ to the final production car and features front and rear bash plates, recovery points and a snorkel in the rolling prototype.
Several Australian off-road tyre experts were said to have been asked by Chery’s local representatives before the information was passed to its Chinese engineers, and their wish-lists of the combined wish–list for this ‘tailtails’ that led to the edifices, wheel size, offset and six-stud pattern.
The ute’s design is clearly inspired by Chery’, who has borrowed some of the best designs from rivals but also borrows elements from its rear-end as well– with integrated steps for easy access to the cab.
The tub also sits high enough above the chassis to ensure the tub has minimal intrusion from the wheel arches.
But while childcareman.xyz knows that prices haven’t yet been locked in, company officials ruled out the question of whether there is a pure-electric version of the dual-cab ute would ever be.
As previously reported, the ute sits on the ‘Kaitan’ ladder-frame chassis, which has been created to accommodate internal-combustion engines, plug-in hybrid, and electric powertrains.
It will be based on Australia’s needs and wants – so long-distance driving, towing with payload, multi-terrain use, more focused on efficiency and, of course, capability.’ Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris said ‘It is designed around Australia in the light of our eyes for its own right.
One of Australia’s most important measures for a ute is ‘can it do the job’. It has been very simple to ensure that one can be done in an efficient way, and does not require any kind of ? And so that’s why we have very clear targets on our platform.
Mr Harris told reporters including childcareman.xyz ‘We have to be having 1000-kilo payload and we need to carry a three–and’half-tonne towing, which is what we will deliver when we launch this ute.
At this point, details of the ute’s interior are under wraps.
The Chery ute was originally shown in late 2025 at the Chengdu motor show as a model under Chery’s Rely brand, alongside a slightly smaller electric ute known as the KP2X.
At the same time, Rely confirmed it was working on a KP4X ute – which could target US pickups like the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota Tundra, and Ram 1500.
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