Electrive — 2026-08-20
Automotive Industry
Chery is currently establishing its German headquarters in Gateway Gardens, a redeveloped district in Frankfurt located within sight of Frankfurt Airport’s Terminal 2. Soon, showrooms on the ground floor will showcase the core Chery brand and its sub-brands, Omoda and Jaecoo. For now, the site still has a construction-site feel, but the offices on the fifth and sixth floors are already bustling with activity; Omoda & Jaecoo Deutschland GmbH have been based there for some time. After all, Chery initially launched its sub-brands first: the PHEV SUV Jaecoo 7 SHS was the group’s first official vehicle in Germany at the beginning of the year.
However, in the first half of 2027, the core Chery brand will make its German debut – complete with its own subsidiary at the same address. To unveil its roadmap, Chery this week invited journalists to its offices in Gateway Gardens and provided them with the four launch models for the local market for test drives. All are members of the Tiggo model family, all are SUVs—and, above all, all four are hybrids: the Tiggo 4 is a full hybrid, while the Tiggo 7 is available as either a full hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. Meanwhile, the seven-seater SUVs Tiggo 8 and 9 are plug-in hybrids. In short: Chery is launching in Germany without a battery-electric vehicle. This comes as a surprise.
All-electric Chery Q to be unveiled in October
Patrick Reimers, who recently joined Chery as the brand’s Country Director, notes that SUVs and hybrids are currently in high demand in Germany. He also revealed that in less than two months, the first all-electric model for the German market will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show: the Chery Q. On its international website, Chery presents this model as a playful compact electric car, vaguely reminiscent of the Renault 5 E-Tech. This first battery-electric vehicle will be followed by additional models, as Reimers confirms. Thus, all levels of electrification will be represented in the powertrain mix relatively quickly.
Chery is not naively testing the German market. While still relatively unknown here, it is China’s most successful passenger car exporter. Eric Zheng, CEO of Chery Auto Deutschland and Vice President of Chery Automotive European Region, outlined the company’s achievements at the Gateway Gardens event: for 23 years, Chery has been the largest Chinese passenger car exporter, and in July 2026, it set a new delivery record with over 275,000 vehicles (including 202,500 exports), around half of which were electrified. According to Zheng, Chery is present in 130 countries, including 25 in the EU. In other words, the manufacturer is already active in several major markets, such as Spain, Poland, and the UK. Chery first entered Europe in 2023.
So why is Chery’s market entry in Germany so late? Zheng described the local business as “challenging” and customers as demanding. “The German market, in a way, compels us to meet the highest standards from the outset with our products, services, and partners.” For him, being too early or too late is less of a concern than simply being “the right timing.”
Within the group, Chery is positioned as a car brand for families (tagline: “Chery. For Family”). With its sub-brands Omoda and Jaecoo, which are tailored for international markets, the group aims to target two additional audiences. According to its marketing messaging, Omoda is designed to appeal to a progressive, urban demographic, while Jaecoo embodies an adventurous spirit. Interestingly, the manufacturer plans to keep the brand presentation, management, and distribution channels for Chery separate from those for Omoda and Jaecoo.
Chery to kick things off with 30 sales outlets
Regarding distribution, the Chinese manufacturer is adopting a traditional model based on stationary retail for Germany. By the market launch next year, Chery aims to have 30 partner dealerships, increasing to a network of at least 100 locations across Germany by the end of 2027. In terms of market positioning, the company’s representatives emphasise a focus on technical refinement and high safety standards – at moderate prices, as can be inferred from other EU countries. For example, prices for the full hybrid Tiggo 4 start in Austria at well under €25,000.
The fact that several Chinese brands – such as Leapmotor, Xpeng, and Geely – are currently entering the German market does not concern Chery. Patrick Reimers commented that, as a highly export-experienced company, Chery is “the most international car manufacturer from China” and, if anything, orients itself more towards brands like Škoda or Hyundai.
Chery already operates a production facility in Barcelona
Chery does, in fact, have a decisive advantage over other Chinese import brands. Since 2024, the company has operated a production facility in Spain in collaboration with the brand Ebro: a former Nissan plant located in an industrial area near Barcelona. Initially, the models sold in Germany will not come from Spain but will be imported from China. However, according to Reimers, Chery aims to establish Spain as a production hub for the European markets across multiple brands in the medium term. In addition to this factory, Chery already operates two R&D and design centres in Europe – including an R&D facility in Raunheim, Hesse, since 2018. The group also recently announced a research centre in the British county of Bedfordshire. Furthermore, Chery has seven subsidiaries in Europe, with two more branches in Germany and France currently being established.
Country Director Patrick Reimers emphasises that Chery has “worked its way into the German market” and is now deliberately seeking collaboration with German partners for its market entry. For instance, Chery has secured an aftersales cooperation with Kühne & Nagel and signed a breakdown assistance agreement with Allianz. Additionally, local financing partners are expected to be finalised by the market launch, offering not only purchase and leasing options but also further financing models.
Regarding sales figures in Europe, Chery provides the following statistics: in its first full year of sales in 2024, the brand recorded 37,000 registrations in the European markets it served at the time. For 2025, this figure rose to around 200,000 units. In the first half of 2026, the brand has already registered 174,000 units, indicating another significant increase by the end of the year. In the markets of Spain, Poland, and the UK, Chery has now achieved a market share of 1.5 to 2.5 per cent, according to its own data.
Whether the Tiggo and Chery models will be similarly well-received in Germany from next year onwards will be revealed by the registration statistics. One thing is clear: the competition is fierce, and neither hybrids nor plug-in hybrids are currently the fastest-growing powertrain type in Germany. That distinction belongs to battery-electric vehicles – which Chery is initially excluding from its launch.