Chery Targets 2027 Hybrid Launch in Japan with Omoda 4 SUV

Chery Automobile plans to launch a hybrid vehicle in Japan in 2027, becoming the second Chinese automaker after BYD to take on a market that has shrugged off foreign challengers for decades. Nikkei Asia reported the plan, confirmed by a company spokesperson during a media tour at Chery's base in Wuhu, near Shanghai.

The vehicle in question is the Omoda 4 compact SUV, unveiled in April and displayed at the Paris Motor Show. One detail from the demonstration is worth flagging: the AI-driven infotainment system responds to voice commands in English and Chinese only. That's fine for Paris. Japan will want Japanese.

The takeaway: Chery has named a model and a year, but the Japan-spec product still has obvious localization gaps to close.

How big is the operation behind the plan?

Chery's primary Wuhu plant has an annual capacity of roughly 300,000 vehicles and runs two shifts of about 1,000 workers each. That single plant, in other words, employs around 2,000 people on production lines — a mid-scale operation by Chinese standards.

The export numbers are where Chery's scale shows. The company shipped 200,928 units overseas in September alone, up 53% year on year, and exports made up nearly three-quarters of its total sales that month, according to company figures. Chery, founded in 1997, is China's largest automotive exporter, with a brand portfolio spanning Omoda, Jaecoo, Exeed, Luxeed, Jetour and Lepas.

The takeaway: nearly three out of every four Chery vehicles sold in September left China — Japan is a logical next target, not a leap.

Who owns Chery, and what else is it building?

Key shareholders include an investment vehicle overseen by the Wuhu municipal authority and an affiliate of Apple supplier Luxshare. That mix of local government money and electronics-industry capital shapes how the company spends.

At Chery's annual conference, chairman Yin Tongyue said the business "must go beyond simply selling goods" and "actively contribute to local communities and improve the lives of the people who live there." He added that the marque aims to "win respect" internationally. Respect, in Japan, tends to arrive after sales do.

The company also presented in-house batteries, semiconductors, AI architecture and automated driving technology, and set a target of deploying 100,000 robotaxis by 2030. It displayed humanoid robots developed by subsidiary AImoga, though their industrial use remains limited — a display item, not a production tool, for now.

What about the kei car venture?

Chery is also an investor in EMT, a Sino-Japanese joint venture that aims to introduce an electric kei minicar in Japan next year, with specifications expected in the coming months. That program will likely reach Japanese buyers well before the Omoda 4 does, making it Chery's real test case in the market.

The takeaway: if you want an early read on Chery's Japan strategy, watch the kei car, not the conference stage.

What to watch next

Three markers will tell us whether the 2027 plan is real: EMT's kei minicar specifications in the coming months, the arrival of Japanese-language infotainment in the Omoda 4, and the first confirmed Japanese retail footprint. Until then, treat 2027 as an announced intention — the spokesperson said it, but no sales network or launch volume has been confirmed.