At the Fengyun A9L launch event on July 8th, Chery announced the official upgrade of Fengyun from a product series to a standalone brand, marking the company’s full-scale offensive in hybrid strategy.

Just days earlier, Chery had undergone a major internal restructuring, consolidating its domestic operations into four key business units: Chery, Fengyun, Tiggo, and QQ. The rationale behind this move was best captured by Li Xueyong, Chery’s Executive Vice President:

“In this era of fierce competition, true heroes emerge amidst the tides of change. Staying true to our original aspiration, Chery’s technological prowess continues to win global acclaim.”

Chery’s “Four Battles, Two Non-Battles” Strategy: Competing on Technology, Not Hype

To Chery’s helmsman, Yin Tongyue, “competing” has never been a passive act—breaking through the industry’s cutthroat rivalry hinges on relentless internal drive. After 28 years of refinement, Chery stood firm at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show, declaring: “Chery doesn’t compete in over-marketing or hollow product iterations. We hold fast to the fundamentals—competing on standards, technology, quality, and safety!”

This bold charge is led by a rejuvenated leadership team. Earlier this year, Chery promoted four new executive vice presidents in a single move, signaling a generational shift. “With favorable winds, we set sail without waiting for the whip,” Yin Tongyue emphasized, placing high expectations on this young guard to accelerate electrification and intelligentization.

The results? Disruptive. Chery’s four major tech showcases this year—covering intelligent driving, hybrid systems, safety innovations, and rugged “boxy” SUVs—sent shockwaves through the industry. Now, with the consolidation of its four major domestic business units (Chery, Fengyun, Tiggo, and QQ), the company continues to defy expectations, proving its agility in transformation.

The momentum traces back to Chery’s 2024 Global Innovation Summit, where Yin proclaimed: “In 2025, we’ll be ‘unapologetically aggressive’ in intelligentization!” Rallying under this “UP” strategy, Chery is scripting an industry-defining narrative—one that could shift China’s auto sector from “overtaking on curves” to “dominating the straightaways.” A crescendo of the era, indeed.

01 The “Sky-Blue After Rain” Approach

“Sky-blue after rain heralds fair weather; reborn, one emerges anew.” Chery’s current “leopard-like transformation” mirrors the famed Ru kiln celadon of the Song Dynasty—only through a metamorphic trial by fire could such peerless “sky-blue after rain” porcelain be forged. This is why art historian Li Lincan, in his Manuscript on Chinese Art History, captured its essence with these very lines.

Chery’s evolution over the past decade mirrors the metamorphosis of legendary Song Dynasty Ru kiln celadon – that sublime “sky-after-rain” glaze emerging from the furnace of reinvention. From cycling through ten CEOs in as many years to its 2024 breakout (2.6M vehicles sold, ¥480B revenue), crossing the 1.7M milestone this year marks its hard-won renaissance.

The payoff for persistence? Today’s smooth road was paved with detours. Chery now operates five distinct brands:

Chery (the “Value” champion) – China’s VW/Toyota for affordable mobility

Jetour (the “Adventure” specialist) – Rugged companions for the open road

Exeed (the “Luxury” purveyor) – Sophisticated craftsmanship redefined

iCAR (the “Trend” disruptor) – Cutting-edge mobility for digital natives
(Note: Luxeed, the “Intelligent” brand with Huawei, operates under separate dynamics)

With 2024’s 2.6M sales in the rearview, Chery continues outpacing the industry in 2025 – 1.26M deliveries by June (+14.5% YoY) versus sector’s 13.4% growth. The celadon glaze has set; the kiln fires burn brighter.

Key Translation Strategies:

Cultural Metaphor – “Celadon Renaissance” bridges Eastern ceramics with Western rebirth imagery

Data Storytelling – Financials presented as milestone markers in the transformation journey

Brand Architecture – Clear positioning via single-word equity descriptors (Value/Adventure etc.)

Editorial Rhythm – Short paragraphs mirroring ceramic craftsmanship’s precision

Market Context – YoY comparison establishes competitive momentum visually

This approach transforms operational data into a narrative of cultural perseverance, positioning Chery as both industry challenger and inheritor of Chinese craft excellence. The structure allows modular updates as 2025 progresses.

Among them, Chery’s new energy vehicle sales totaled 359,380 units, up 98.6% year-on-year. Chery Group, which has gone all in on new energy, has already completed its layout of new energy power lines for plug-in hybrid, extended range, pure electric, and hydrogen energy.

And to achieve results that amaze the industry, there must be a team that can “go up the mountains and down the seas” behind it. The outside world can also see that Chery now has a very young team of young executives. Under the leadership of young executives headed by Li Xueyong and the support of a strong technical team behind the five major brands, Chairman Yin Tongyue’s order of “being polite even in intelligence” was issued, and it “rolled up thousands of piles of snow” in the Chinese automobile industry, with great momentum.

And behind this momentum, it relies on super self-driving power, which is Chery’s unique “dry method” of “self-cultivation”. For example, the “200% working method” that is now very famous in the industry has become a benchmark in the industry as one “bragging” goal after another is achieved.

In addition, there is an equally famous “Three Best Marketing”, namely “the best understanding of user needs, the marketing closest to users, and the most pleasant user experience”, as well as “Three 100%”: 100% direct connection with customers, 100% direct contact with customers, and 100% user evaluation.

One detail is that Chery, including engineers (especially R&D engineers), will add users’ WeChat every month. Through this practice, Chery has directly connected more than 1.2 million WeChat users, and through daily communication with users, understands user needs and potential needs.

Moreover, due to its very sensitive sense of Internet and new media marketing, Chery Group has long started to sell cars through live broadcasts and build online channels for dealers. Now it has become a learning object for other car companies in the industry. At the beginning of this year, Chery also pioneered the industry and announced the establishment of Xiaocaofang Culture MCN agency, one step ahead of others.

Moreover, under the concept of “all-staff marketing”, Chery Group has “rolled” the entire cycle (the process of co-creation between products and users), all employees (each brand has its own matrix account), and all platforms (online and offline, private and public domains), turning from a “science and engineering man” into a “traffic man”. Even Yin Tongyue, the chairman of the group, took the lead in participating in the “rolling” to create the dissemination of personal IP traffic. Interestingly, he would occasionally “accuse” the four people who were “terrified” by the roll.

02 Unleashing the “40% Potential”

To outsiders, Chery’s “no more holding back” might seem like constant bragging. However, internally, it is only possible because of a “steel army” capable of pushing limits and executing with relentless determination. No excuses—just like the “40% Rule” in Can’t Hurt Me: “When your mind says ‘I’m done,’ you’re really only 40% depleted.” What Chery is doing now is tapping into that 40% potential of every employee.

As the saying goes, “Speaking lightly of comings and goings, yet hearing thunder in the silence.” At April’s Shanghai Auto Show, Chery Group showcased a new strategic approach of “combined arms warfare,” stunning the crowd with 53 new models—a powerful display of strength.

In reality, starting with “no more holding back in new energy” and adding “no more holding back in smart technology,” Chery Group has now reached a monthly sales level of 200,000 to 300,000 vehicles. On January 22 this year, Chery further launched a new premium luxury hybrid off-road brand, Jetour纵横 (Zongheng), proving that “new energy is Chery’s accelerator.” At the same time, Chery is advancing toward an even higher goal—3 million vehicles by 2025.

Additionally, in an interview with Yiche last December, Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue clearly stated that Chery aims to rank among the global Top 10 by 2025. Through three high-profile tech launch events this year, the outside world has seen just how long Chery has been preparing for this goal.

In short, Chery has a team that combines bold execution with a belief in hard work, and its full-speed progress stems from internal self-imposed pressure.

During a past event discussion, a regional executive casually mentioned a number—“5678”—which immediately piqued our curiosity. Upon asking, we learned that this was Chairman Yin Tongyue’s target for the Chery brand in 2024: quarterly monthly sales growth following the “5-6-7-8” sequence. That means scaling from 50,000 units per month in Q1 to 80,000 units per month in Q4.

Faced with such a high starting point and ambitious targets, the sheer execution strength of this team is remarkable. Looking back now, it’s clear that what ordinary people might consider impossible often stems from a lack of higher goals and a sense of mission.

03 “Either First, or Unique”

As the saying goes, “Like cutting and polishing jade—refinement takes relentless effort.” Uncut jade never becomes a treasure, and in Chery’s journey to greatness, the time, energy, and long-term commitment invested were initially misunderstood. That’s why the company adopted an internal mantra:

“The calmness of an iceberg, the breadth of an ocean, the will of steel, and the passion of first love.”

Reportedly, these words come straight from Chery’s helmsman—Chairman Yin Tongyue.

This philosophy reflects a mindset that refuses mediocrity—if you can’t lead, then differentiate. It’s not just about speed but about precision in direction, not just about scale but about unshakable resilience. In Chery’s playbook, there’s no room for “good enough”—only relentless refinement, shaping itself into either the undeniable leader or the one-of-a-kind innovator.

This brings us to the admirable journey of Chery’s subsidiary brand, Jetour, whose team successfully turned an initially “weak hand” into a winning one. By 2024, Jetour had surpassed 550,000 annual sales, even celebrating early at the Guangzhou Auto Show—a testament to the team’s quiet yet relentless perseverance and capability. They achieved what no other Chinese automaker had done before: reaching 500,000 sales in the shortest time on record.

“The ticket to victory lies in bringing out your best in the worst circumstances.” From an execution standpoint, the explosive growth of Chery’s five-brand matrix is the result of this fighting spirit and unwavering discipline being fully implemented.

Today, Chery’s 50,000-strong army is poised for global conquest in 2025.

Judging by its performance in the first half of the year, the entire Chery Group is now in a state of “spears aligned and armor ready”—fully prepared for battle. At a recent marketing synergy meeting for Chery’s five brands, Li Xueyong, Executive Vice President of Chery Automobile, emphasized the mantra: “Either first, or unique.” In other words, Chery operates in a constant state of combat readiness. Even more radical was Jetour’s marketing team, who pounded the war drum and vowed—“Not a single sale shall be lost.”

This is not just ambition—it’s a culture of execution, where every target is a battle to be won, and every challenge is met with unshakable resolve. For Chery, the path to dominance is clear: outwork, outthink, and outlast.

Today, Chery adheres to three key principles of “competing”:

“We don’t talk about ‘cutthroat competition’—we compete in technology, products, and service. We push each other to learn, catch up, surpass, and excel. (We hope) this will drive Chinese automakers to continuously improve through competing in technology, service, and product quality.”

“Like a mighty river racing a thousand sails, an iron-willed army charges through formidable passes.” Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue once described Jetour as the group’s “38th Army”—a reference to China’s most elite combat force—for its ability to win tough battles. Now, the entire Chery Group has become such an “iron army”, marching toward its goal of breaking into the global Top 10.

This is no longer just about growth—it’s about rewriting the rules. With cutting-edge technology as its spear, relentless execution as its shield, and an unbreakable will as its driving force, Chery isn’t just entering the global arena—it’s charging in with the momentum of a rising storm. The road ahead is long, but for this team, every challenge is just another peak to conquer.

04 “In All Martial Arts, Speed Reigns Supreme”

Today, Chery Group operates with:

• Two vehicle platforms
• Five core technology domains
• Falcon Intelligent Driving series
• Five distinct brands
• A 50,000-strong workforce

Armed with a more comprehensive, robust, and intelligent new energy technology ecosystem, Chery is accelerating its transition into new energy and smart mobility. This year alone, Chery has swiftly broken through from being an “industry top-four player” to securing a top-three position—proving that in the auto industry’s new era, speed isn’t just an advantage—it’s the ultimate disruptor.

Like a master martial artist striking at the critical moment, Chery’s strategy combines lightning-fast execution with surgical precision in R&D and expansion. While others hesitate, Chery moves—deploying tech, talent, and tactical launches faster than the competition can react.

The message is clear: In the race for electrification and autonomy, Chery isn’t just keeping pace—it’s rewriting the rules of engagement. Every new model, every tech breakthrough, every market surge reinforces one truth—when you strike first and strike smart, victory isn’t a possibility. It’s inevitable.

Chery’s “38th Army” has achieved staggering results in 2024:

• Revenue surged to 480 billion RMB, up over 50% YoY from 276.74 billion RMB in 2023—an annual increase of 150+ billion RMB.
• Entered the Fortune Global 500 for the first time, smashing its annual target of “outpacing industry growth by 10-20 percentage points.”
• Now not only the undisputed corporate leader of Wuhu but also the top enterprise in Anhui Province.

On July 1, Chery Holding Group released its June & first-half 2025 sales report:

• 1.26 million vehicles sold in H1, up 14.5% YoY, demonstrating strong momentum.
• New energy vehicles (NEVs) drove growth, with 360,000 units sold (up 98.6% YoY).

Global Dominance: 22 Years as China’s #1 Auto Exporter

• 550,000 export vehicles in H1 2025, maintaining its 22-year streak as China’s top auto exporter.
• Fastest Chinese automaker to reach 1 million annual exports.
• Operations in 115+ countries, with 17 million global users, including 5+ million overseas.

Chery’s relentless expansion proves that in the auto industry’s new era—speed isn’t just an advantage, it’s the ultimate disruptor. While rivals scramble to keep up, Chery rewrites the rules, charging ahead with unstoppable momentum.

The message is clear: Chery isn’t just competing—it’s conquering.

Moreover, in recent years, Chery Group has accelerated its global layout, continuously expanded overseas markets and enhanced its international competitiveness. For example, Chery recently signed an 8GWh large cylindrical battery order with LGES, which is for the European strategy of the O&J brand. In a word, Chery is taking action.

“For perfect things, speed is a dominant force.” said the famous driver Schumacher. Chery proposed at the end of the previous year that development should “far exceed the industry average speed”. Chery is striving to improve technology, products, quality, brand, and management in all aspects through continuous innovation at an accelerated pace, and accelerate its progress towards becoming a “world-class green smart travel technology company”.

In addition to extraordinary speed, to become a great brand, a broad mind and learning ability are indispensable. In a word, “only by learning from competitors can we surpass competitors.” And Chery’s goal is to “learn BYD’s extreme resource integration and cost control capabilities, learn Xiaomi’s innovation capabilities, and learn Toyota’s extreme lean production capabilities.” In other words, it is necessary to learn from competitors with such a broad mind, big pattern and empty cup mentality.

Only by “continuous improvement” can we go from ordinary to extraordinary. What Mr. Inamori Kazuo mentioned in “The Art of Life” is what Chery, which is on the road to becoming an extraordinary brand, is doing, using a strong internal driving force to “work hard without waiting for the whip” and constantly turn the impossible into the possible.

“Without courage, how can there be luck?” Looking forward, you may think it’s all luck. But looking back, you need courage – in the end, the market will prove: there is no accident, everything is inevitable; there is no luck, only determination!