TANGERANG, Indonesia — Chery is using Indonesia as more than a sales market for electrified vehicles, with the company developing products around local driving conditions while using the country as a base for its wider Southeast Asian strategy. That approach was evident at the 2026 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show, where PT Chery Sales Indonesia launched the Chery Q, a small battery-electric hatchback aimed at the urban market, and made the regional debut of the Tiggo V, a three-in-one vehicle that can be configured as an SUV, a seven-seat MPV or a utility vehicle. The two vehicles represent different ends of the electrification market. The Q is designed to make battery-electric mobility more accessible, while the Tiggo V combines an internal combustion engine with Chery’s sixth-generation Super Hybrid system and focuses on reducing fuel consumption without giving up the flexibility of a larger family vehicle. For Chery, Indonesia is also becoming an important development and manufacturing center for right-hand-drive markets. The company has been assembling vehicles at the Handal Indonesia Motor plant in Bekasi, West Java, while developing products specifically around conditions and consumer requirements identified in the Indonesian market. The Chery Q is the clearest example of the company’s push toward lower-cost EVs. It was launched in Indonesia in two versions, the Q Pure and Q Rizz, with promotional prices of about $13,300 and $14,400, respectively, based on the Indonesian prices of Rp239.9 million and Rp259.9 million. Both versions use a 42.7-kilowatt-hour battery and have a claimed range of 400 kilometers under the New European Driving Cycle. DC fast charging can take the battery from 30% to 80% in 16.5 minutes. The Q also supports 6.6-kW vehicle-to-load charging, allowing the battery to supply electricity to external equipment. The compact hatchback is built on a dedicated electric platform with a 2,700-mm wheelbase. Chery gives it 38 interior storage compartments, a 70-liter front trunk and rear cargo capacity that expands to 1,450 liters with the rear seats folded. Combined storage capacity is listed at 1,520 liters. The higher-specification Q Rizz adds a 540-degree panoramic camera, autonomous parking assistance and up to 20 advanced driver-assistance functions. The model also uses an 82% high-strength-steel body structure and multi-link suspension. The Q has already crossed into the Philippine market. Chery Auto Philippines previewed the model at the Philippine International Motor Show in June, listing a suggested retail price of P1.12 million. The Philippine specification is rated at up to 405 km of NEDC range and uses the same 30%-to-80% DC charging time of 16.5 minutes. That gives the Q a potential role in Chery’s effort to expand EV adoption beyond higher-priced crossovers and SUVs. In the Philippines, Chery is already selling electrified models including the Tiggo rEV, while its local lineup also includes the Tiggo 7 Pro Hybrid and other conventional SUVs. Indonesia, however, is providing Chery with something beyond a market for finished vehicles: a source of product-development information. The Tiggo V began development in February 2024 under Chery’s T1TP project. According to the company, its global research and development team conducted field surveys in Indonesia and subsequently held hundreds of discussions with its Indonesian team and consumer groups. The research examined conditions including steep roads, uneven surfaces, flooding, hot weather, long family trips and the need to carry equipment for work and recreational activities. Chery said the findings pointed toward a vehicle with higher ground clearance, strong climbing capability, a spacious three-row cabin, improved air-conditioning performance and greater flexibility for carrying people and cargo. The result is the Tiggo V, which measures 4,910 mm long, 1,921 mm wide and 1,790 mm high, with 220 mm of ground clearance. Chery says it can climb grades of up to 41 degrees and cross water up to 700 mm deep. An Easy Turn system uses braking at the rear wheels to reduce the turning radius by about 0.5 meter. Its cabin can be configured for two, four, five or seven occupants. In its SUV configuration it functions as a conventional family crossover; the MPV configuration provides three rows and seven seats; and the rear section can be converted into a utility area resembling a double-cab pickup. The Tiggo V is available with either an internal combustion engine or Chery Super Hybrid powertrain. Chery claims a maximum range of 1,030 km and thermal efficiency of up to 42.5% for the powertrain system. The company’s Budi Darmawan Jantania, vice country director of Chery Business Unit, said the vehicle was developed around actual requirements identified in Indonesia. “The development of the Tiggo V started with the real needs of Indonesian consumers,” Jantania said. “Based on the research, consumers needed a vehicle capable of meeting family requirements, dealing with different road conditions, remaining comfortable to use and providing flexibility for productive activities and hobbies. Those needs became the basis for developing the Tiggo V, combining the capability of an SUV, the space of an MPV and the flexibility of a double cab.” The significance for Southeast Asia is that Chery is developing a product around conditions found in one of the region’s largest and most diverse automotive markets rather than simply adapting a vehicle designed for another market. The company’s Indonesian operation is also becoming part of that regional manufacturing network. Local assembly in West Java supports Indonesia’s domestic-content requirements and gives Chery a right-hand-drive production base for ASEAN markets. That is particularly relevant as automakers increasingly look to regional manufacturing to reduce logistics costs and adapt vehicles to local regulations. The strategy also explains the mix of technologies displayed at GIIAS. Alongside the Q and Tiggo V, Chery showed the Omoda E5 battery-electric crossover and hybrid versions of the Tiggo 7 Pro and Tiggo 8 Pro, while its Jaecoo brand displayed the locally assembled J7 plug-in hybrid. Rather than relying on a single powertrain technology, Chery is building a portfolio that ranges from relatively small battery-electric vehicles to plug-in hybrids and more conventional hybrid systems. The consumer response to the Q in Indonesia provides an early indication of demand for that strategy. Chery said the hatchback averaged about 200 test-drive sessions a day during GIIAS and was selected by visitors as the show’s Favorite Vehicle in the passenger-car hatchback category. The award was announced at the Aug. 8 Exhibitor Night. That response does not establish the Q’s commercial success, but it does show where Chery sees an opening: a compact EV with a relatively low entry price, fast charging and a feature set normally associated with larger vehicles. For Southeast Asia’s emerging EV markets, that combination may prove more consequential than the latest high-performance electric SUV. The region’s transition to electric mobility will depend not only on premium models but also on whether manufacturers can bring battery-electric vehicles into price ranges accessible to a much broader group of urban buyers. Chery’s Indonesian strategy is therefore notable for another reason. The company is simultaneously using the country to develop locally informed vehicle concepts, manufacture right-hand-drive models and test a lower-cost EV proposition that is already being introduced in the Philippines. The result is a regional approach in which Indonesia serves as both laboratory and production base, while the Philippines and other Southeast Asian markets become potential destinations for the resulting vehicles.
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