Battle of the Eco-Warriors: Chery Tuning Ford Ranger PHEV vs. BYD Shark 6 in Australia

Chery’s new dual-cab ute, revealed as a Ford Ranger PHEV and BYD Shark 6 rival, will benefit from significant local testing and development ahead of its scheduled Australian on-sale date later this year.

Officially codenamed ‘KP31’, the Chery dual-cab ute will run an unusual diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain – the only ute powered by such a setup – with its development program including local testing and development for Australian showroom versions.

The Australian tune could set the template for other markets around the world, according to Chery’s Chief Engineer for International Programs, Peter Matkin.

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Mr Matkin told CarExpert the Australian KP31 “will definitely have some adaptation to support this market, including testing and so on – no doubt”.

Chery’s chief global engineer has visited Australia, said Mr Matkin, to understand the popularity of the dual-cab ute locally and to evaluate the capability of competitors with plug-in powertrains such as the Ranger, Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha.

“It [the local development] definitely has that capability, then, to go to markets like South Africa, some markets in South America,” Mr Matkin told CarExpert.

“When you look at this car and how some of these rugged looking cars get a lot of attention overseas, I can see this doing very well in Europe, as well.”

Local development has been ongoing, feeding into Chery’s Chinese headquarters as the automaker looks to bring a solid competitor to the hotly contested ute battlefield. Engineers from the top of the company have been to Australia to experience the demands of our roads – and dual-cab ute buyers – led by local teams.