One of China's largest car brands is preparing to sell a new electric SUV – with a pint-sized footprint and 500km of claimed range – in Australia next year.
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A new electric off-road brand from Chery – set to be known as iCaur – is due in Australian showrooms as soon as mid-next year with a battery-powered alternative to the Suzuki Jimny.
The Chery sub-brand is known as iCar in China, but is planned to be rebranded iCaur for export markets due to a trademark clash.
Expected to launch the brand locally is the V23, a 4.2m-long SUV larger than a five-door Jimny, available with electric – and soon range-extender hybrid – power, all-wheel drive and rated for 500km of driving range.
Prices in China range from 99,800 to 139,800 yuan ($AU21,500 to $AU30,000), opening the door for an RRP of about $40,000 – or less – once the vehicle is imported to Australia and homologated for sale.
An iCar representative told Drive at the Shanghai motor show that the company plans to enter right-hand-drive markets in South-East Asia from later this year, before expanding to other "global markets" from mid-2026.
He confirmed Australia will be one of those further markets, but could not confirm precise arrival timing.
iCaur is also bound for the UK, according to Autocar, with a range that will follow the V23 with a much larger Jeep Wrangler-sized V25 hybrid in late 2026, and a smaller V21 electric SUV in 2027.
Also offered in the global iCar range is the 03, an electric Subaru Crosstrek-sized, Land Rover Defender-styled SUV already on sale in other right-hand-drive markets as the J6 from Jaecoo, another Chery brand.
"Because Jaecoo has the 03 exported already, we're going to do the V23 under iCaur [for overseas markets]," the company representative told Drive.
The iCaur V23 measures 4220mm long and 1915mm wide, making it larger than a five-door Jimny (3820-3985mm long and 1645mm wide) and close to the length of a Mazda CX-3 city SUV.
Public presentations by the company have likened its styling to a Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series, which is a much larger vehicle (4910mm long in 76 Series wagon form), but there are also numerous design references to the original 40 series.
The V23 is strictly a four-seater – much like a Jimny – with a large 15.4-inch touchscreen inside augmented by traditional rotary dials for key air-conditioning, volume and drive mode functions.
It quotes up to 210mm of ground clearance, a 43-degree approach angle and 41-degree departure angle, helped by its boxy proportions.
In China, the V23 is offered with a single 100kW/180Nm rear electric motor connected to 47.3kWh or 59.9kWh lithium iron phosphate battery packs, for driving range ratings based on Chinese CLTC testing of 301km and 401km respectively.
The flagship all-wheel-drive version adds a 55kW front motor for 155kW/292Nm combined, connected to an 81.8kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery for a 501km CLTC range.
Under more stringent WLTP lab testing common in Australia, expect the all-wheel-drive version to quote closer to 400km.
Reports suggest a range-extender hybrid version is in development, with a small petrol engine to assist the electric motors and battery, and extend its driving range.
iCar China claims a 7.5-second 0-100km/h acceleration time with all-wheel drive, 30 to 80 per cent fast charge times of 30 minutes across the range, and vehicle-to-load functionality.
The V23 does not offer any locking differentials or low-range capabilities, but there are off-road drive modes to aid its performance on loose surfaces.
Plans for the electric iCaur 03 to follow the V23 in Australia are yet to be confirmed.
Although it may not be part of the launch range, a recent decision to scrap plans to sell the 03 in South Africa as a Jaecoo – and instead introduce it under the iCaur name – weeks before its planned launch there suggests it could eventually reach Australian roads under its own brand.
It is a bigger car, closer in size to a Nissan Qashqai or Hyundai Kona compact SUV, though still smaller than most true off-roaders – Jimny excepted.
Overseas models are available with 205kW/385Nm dual motors, a 69.8kWh battery and a 345km claimed WLTP range, or a single 135kW/220Nm rear motor, 65.7kWh battery, and 371km WLTP range.
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
