Chery Automobile Co.

The Chery Automobile Co. is China’s tenth-largest automotive brand and the largest in all of Asia. Founded in 1997, Chery encompasses 4 brands of passenger cars, including Chery, Karry, Rely and Riich, selling over 500,000 total cars in 2012. A wide range offering SUVs and coupes tailored to all kinds of consumer needs in the city and rural areas. This has cemented Chery’s status as a premium and multi-national car manufacturer, becoming renowned for quality and consumer satisfaction.

Originally created as a government-owned enterprise in 1997, Chery soon distributed nearly 30,000 units of its launch car, the Fengyun, by 1999. Throughout the 2000s, Chery secured important global links with Chrysler, Fiat, Range Rover and Nissan distribution channels, allowing for international releases of Chery-owned models. Its most important international development, a $500 million construction facility in Turkey, was announced in 2009. Unfortunately however, no progress towards development has yet been made; the final plant will employ nearly 3,000 workers and boost production rates.

Chery is also a pioneer in the research of alternative fuels and the switch to electric cars. The company has recently introduced a hybrid range in the M1, and has devoted research and development costs to the production of all-electric automobiles.

Unfortunately, Chery has recently come under criticism from General Motors, who claimed that Chery’s design for the QQ model was a ‘copy’ of their Daewoo Matiz. This is the second instance of infringement made against Chery; Toyota also accused Chery for similarities with the Toyota RAV4. Both cases were resolved in court cases swiftly.