Chery claims diesel PHEV ute will be more capable than petrol PHEVs, even its own

The Chery dual-cab ute is debuting in Australia with a segment-first diesel plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain, which the company’s tech boss says is better suited to off-roading than the petrol plug-in powertrains offered by rivals.

The Ford Ranger PHEV, GWM Cannon Alpha and BYD Shark 6 all offer PHEV powertrains which use a petrol internal combustion engine (ICE) teamed with electric motor/s and a battery; the upcoming JAC Hunter, too, will follow the same formula.

Chery will buck the trend by teaming a diesel ICE with electric motors and a battery for its off-road-focused model, internally codenamed ‘KP31’ and due in Australia later this year.

A petrol PHEV powertrain will follow in 2027, but the diesel version – which will debut the brand’s first ute on the Australian market – will be aimed at those buyers after something more capable at load-hauling and tackling rugged terrain.

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The petrol PHEV will run more conventional, car-like coil-spring rear suspension, whereas the diesel PHEV will use a leaf-spring rear setup, typically chosen for superior payload and towing capabilities.

To that end, Chery has confirmed the diesel PHEV will offer a 1000kg payload and 3500kg braked towing capacity.

Full details of either powertrain, such as capacity or power and torque outputs, haven’t been revealed yet, but the advantage of going diesel PHEV for off-roading is already apparent, according to Chery Australia.

Chery said the reason other makers haven’t gone down the diesel path is because of tightening emissions laws – such as those which saw the Ford Ranger Bi-Turbo 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine axed from UK showrooms in 2025 before being dropped in Australia.

“A lot of people have not really been focusing on the diesel for the future because the emission requirements become much more difficult,” Chery tech boss Peter Matkin told CarExpert.

“They’re [the emissions] are more difficult in a diesel than they are in the gasoline engine, so you’re having to put a lot more after treatment in [SCR].”

Selective catalytic reduction involves the use of additives, sold as ‘AdBlue’ for example, which owners must top up regularly in addition to buying fuel to allow the vehicle to meet emissions laws.

“Then it’s more of a problem for the cost – trying to keep the cost at the right level – but if you didn’t have these constraints, you would definitely pick a diesel for this, because it gives you all this low-torque capability,” continued Mr Matkin.

“It gives you much better towing capability, gives you these fuel efficiency advantages, so you’d pick this if you could.

“The team here were given various options – they were given a list of different powertrain configurations, and I think – particularly for the diesel derivative – that more off-road capable derivative, you’re looking for something with a lot of low-end torque.”

The diesel PHEV also benefits from the durability of diesel engines, too, said the Chery tech boss.

“I mean, you know diesel is super-tough anyway for 300-plus [300,000km mileage] so this may last 10, 15 years – but if it’s not running as much [with the PHEV switching to electric power], I don’t see why there would be any durability issue at all,” he said.

“The difficult part for us – the engineers – is trying to integrate, now, the diesel and meet all of the emission requirements and keep the cost low.

“The integration to the hybrid system is a little bit more difficult, too, so it’s more difficult from an engineering perspective, but I think if you were trying to pick which one you would like, you would definitely pick this diesel hybrid.”

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