In-depth intelligence on China's EV sector and its impact on Europe
Chery’s Exeed EX7 launches 17 April 2026 with what the company describes as the world’s first mass‑produced pure electronic mechanical braking system, eliminating all hydraulic components. European Tier 1 suppliers Bosch, Continental, and ZF are not expected to deliver passenger vehicle EMB before 2027 at the earliest.
Chery has launched the QQ3 EV in China at a limited-time price of €7,300, securing nearly 57,000 orders within two hours. With the Dacia Spring starting at €16,900 in Germany, the cost gap between Chinese and European small EVs continues to widen.
The Freelander name returns on March 31 in Shanghai, not as a Land Rover, but as the first model from the Chery-JLR joint venture's standalone NEV brand. The car is a full-size six-seat BEV and EREV SUV built in China on Chery's E0X platform. Europe is not a confirmed market. The Middle East is.
Canada replaced its 106.1% Chinese EV surtax with a 6.1% quota on March 1. The brands with existing Canadian certifications — Tesla, Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus — are first in line. BYD and Chery are still working through homologation. Managed-access frameworks reward whoever is already there.
Chinese PHEV imports into Europe surged 892 percent in January and February 2025. That figure is not a rounding error. The EU's countervailing duties, applied since October 2024, target battery electric vehicles. PHEVs fall outside that framework. BYD's Seal U PHEV became the best-selling vehicle in its category in Spain for the full year 2025. The product mix shift was deliberate and it worked.
Chery’s European market scaling window aligns directly with its solid-state production target. If the company meets its 2027 mass production goal, vehicles equipped with the Rhino S battery could reach European showrooms as early as 2028.
The brand is LEPAS (Leopard + Leap + Passion). It's being positioned as Chery's premium new energy marque for the West , not the value-for-money play that Omoda and Jaecoo represent, but a deliberate step up targeting mid-to-high-end buyers with what the brand describes as "elegant living" as its core proposition.
