Reported by pulsestacks on April 29
During the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show, pulsestacks invited industry leaders, corporate executives, and expert scholars to step into the "AI Real-time Virtual Studio," where they delved into discussions on the breakthroughs and innovations of the new era and new cars in the immersive experiences of Peak Speed, Netaland, and Content Players.
Exclusive Interview with Gao Fei of Chery at the 2024 Beijing Auto Show (Source: pulsestacks)
On April 25, Gao Fei, Executive Deputy General Manager of Chery Brand Marketing Center, visited Netaland's "AI Real-time Virtual Studio." He mentioned that Chery brand will showcase seven heavyweight new cars at the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show, including the first mass-produced new energy concept car E06, Fengyun A9, Fengyun T9, Explore 06 C-DM, Explore 06 Secret Knight Edition, and the new Tiggo 8. The Future Cloud Series plans to launch 11 products in the next 2 years, covering hybrid and pure electric models to meet various user needs.
Chery Brand Marketing Center Deputy General Manager Gao Fei
pulsestacks: Carefully selected cars, creating peak speed together. Welcome to the Netaland interview room at pulsestacks located at the Beijing Auto Show. This is a virtual space that combines racing speed and trendy culture. Our guest in this interview session is Mr. Gao Fei, Deputy General Manager of Chery Brand Marketing Center. Hello. Please introduce the situation of Chery's booth at the Beijing Auto Show.
Gao Fei: The Beijing Auto Show hasn't been held for about 4 years. I remember vividly that it was postponed to National Day in 2020 and hasn't been held since then. So this time at the Beijing Auto Show, I walked around in the morning. Every brand attaches great importance, with almost all brands participating fully. Chery is no exception. We have brought the full range of brands, from Chery, Exeed, Jetour to iCAR. All four brands of Chery are exhibiting, showcasing their core products in each series. In the Chery brand, in addition to the all-new generation of Tiggo 8, we can also see the official modified version of the Tiggo 6. Apart from these gasoline cars, we can see Chery's very important new energy series, namely the Chery Fengyun series. In the Fengyun series, besides the early-launched A8 Long Range version, the T9, which just started pre-sale a few days ago, is also present at the Beijing Auto Show. In addition, our Chery brand has brought the production concept car E06. This approach may be different from the past or different from other brands. Some concept cars from other brands may look fancy and cool, but when it comes to production, various engineering issues may arise. However, this time Chery has brought the production version of the concept car to the scene. What you see now is basically what the production version will look like.
Actually, this morning during the press conference, I did my own live broadcast. I saw over 2,000 people online, with particularly high online attention. The A9 is a car that will be launched next April to May, with a length of 5 meters, a wheelbase of 3 meters, a width of 2 meters, and it may be a mainstream model in the current market, catering to mainstream consumers and values, featuring a 1.5T hybrid architecture. This car was also unveiled this morning. It is a mid-sized SUV with a short front overhang, short rear overhang, and a long wheelbase, a large 5-seater SUV model. It was also brought to the Beijing Auto Show this morning. Because we have brought user co-creation to the auto show, we can see that the left and right sides of the A9 are different. The left wheel hub, left door handle, and right door handle, right wheel hub are all different. Through the Beijing Auto Show, we have initiated our user co-creation activity. What users choose may be what we truly mass-produce in the future, aiming to meet users' demands and needs as much as possible.
The Exeed brand also unveiled its first MPV E08 concept car this time. In addition, the Exeed ET, Exeed ES, and Yao Guang C-DM were also brought to the auto show.
Jetour, on the other hand, focuses on off-road travel. This time, they have the hybrid series L6, L9 of Shanhai, as well as Shanhai T1, T2, and T5. Among them, the T5, a large off-road vehicle to be launched in the future, is not only a car but also a small camper that can cook and accommodate people. A few days ago, we also held a press conference. There is quite a demand for small trailer-type semi-campers, and it was also brought to the scene.
Finally, we have iCAR, a brand dedicated to electric vehicles. In addition to the already launched iCAR03, which has sold exceptionally well since its launch. In summary, to cater to different users, especially those who like off-road driving but also have certain demands for pure electric vehicles, Chery has brought the flagship products and future concept products of the four brands to the auto show, hoping that our online friends at the scene can visit the booths of the four major brands at the Beijing Auto Show if they have the time.
Chery Brand Marketing Center Deputy General Manager Gao Fei and Pulsestacks Editor-in-Chief Liu Chang
Pulsestacks: Besides cars, are there any other special highlights at our booth? What other collaborative elements did you mention earlier?
Gao Fei: Since Chery is known as the "engineer's brand," we have brought the essence of engineering to the auto show. Apart from showcasing cars, we have displayed many aspects related to the underlying design logic of the vehicles. For example, how we design our batteries, engines, and the internals of the power transmission system. This time, we have brought all 8 major laboratories to the production site in Beijing, aiming to empower the Chery brand through showcasing our technological advancements. Regarding collaboration, we aim to expand user collaboration at the Beijing Auto Show, inviting more users to provide feedback and suggestions for our products. By deeply integrating user feedback into the development and manufacturing processes, our cars can better meet the demands and needs of a wider range of users. In addition to cars, we have also brought technology, user collaboration, and future products such as flying cars, mini buses, and autonomous driving systems to the Beijing Auto Show.
Pulsestacks: In 2023, Chery had strong sales performance, and looking at the sales figures for Q1 2024, there is continued high-speed growth. What are the reasons behind this success?
Gao Fei: Last year, Chery's revenue reached 315.1 billion, placing us among the top 500 global companies. We sold 1.88 million cars last year, ranking us high among Chinese auto brands. Apart from revenue and sales, we also topped the charts in exports. Our sales in the first quarter of this year were also impressive, with 529,600 units sold, a 60.3% increase compared to last year, and over 250,000 units exported, a 40.9% growth. These figures position us at the forefront of the industry, and I believe this success stems from Chery's relentless pursuit of excellence in technology, quality, and product perfection. By focusing on product quality, users are more inclined to choose and purchase our products, which I believe is the underlying logic behind our achievements. Chery has put a lot of effort into these areas.
Pulsestacks: You mentioned Chery's "Fengyun" series earlier. What is the overall strategic plan for this series?
Gao Fei: "Fengyun" is a new energy series under the Chery brand, featuring hybrid models like the Chery Super Hybrid C-DM, as well as the Range-Extended Vehicle (REV) system and pure electric vehicles. The product lineup for this new energy series is comprehensive.
In January last year, we launched the Fengyun A8, followed by the Fengyun A8 Long Range version in March. Just a few days ago in Qingdao, we announced the pre-sale of the Fengyun T9, which will be officially launched in May. By October or November this year, we will introduce an updated version of the Fengyun A8, and next year, we will fully launch our flagship products. Apart from the Fengyun A9, a large hybrid car with excellent design, we encourage visitors to our booth to provide feedback on the Fengyun A9 for further improvements, as there is still time.
In addition to large sedans, we will also introduce a full-size SUV on the same platform, measuring 5 meters in length, 3.1 meters in wheelbase, and 2 meters in width, making it a full-size SUV. This SUV will also feature the SREV hybrid system. By the end of next year or early the following year, we will launch the E06, a mid-to-large 5-seater SUV. Looking further ahead, we will introduce pure electric models, including an SUV with a wheelbase of approximately 2.72 meters and even larger SUVs and sedans with wheelbases exceeding 2.9 meters, all slated for release in the following years. Therefore, within the next two years, we plan to introduce 11 products in the Fengyun series.
Pulsestacks: Thank you, Gao Fei, for sharing. We hope our online friends will visit our Chery booth soon to explore our four major product series.
