Chery keen on Toyota Camry rival for Australia

The next car maker to take on the Toyota Camry – Australia's top-selling mid-size sedan for 28 of the past 30 years – may be growing Chinese brand Chery.

The mid-size Arrizo 8 sedan is on the wish list for local showrooms, according to Chery Australia chief operating officer Lucas Harris.

However, it is not yet available in right-hand drive, and the Australian division must first prove itself on the sales charts with the SUVs already in its showrooms, said Harris.

"I'd love to be able to bring the Arrizo 8 to Australia. It's a 2.0-litre turbo [petrol], and also has the PHEV version," Harris recently told Drive.

"I had the pleasure of being able to drive both of those cars, [they're] really cool cars. They handle really well. Their performance is exceptional. The interior fit out is really good.

"I think there's a market for those, but at the moment they're left-hand-drive only, so we need to do a good job of what we've got and then we can start looking at other segments."

Harris said Chery headquarters can have a right-hand-drive version of a left-hand-drive-only model developed, tested and launched in Australia within 18 to 24 months of receiving the green light.

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Launched in China two years ago, the Arrizo 8 is 140mm shorter nose to tail, and 35mm shorter between the wheels than a Toyota Camry, but is a similar width and height.

Regular petrol variants are powered by a choice of 145kW/290Nm 1.6-litre and 187kW/390Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines, matched with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

Chery claims fuel consumption of 6.5 to 6.8L/100km under an unspecified Chinese lab testing protocol.

A plug-in hybrid variant is available – branded as the Chery Fulwin A8 (below) – combining a 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor, 18.3kWh battery pack and front-wheel-drive layout.

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Power and torque outputs of 265kW and 530Nm are claimed for the system, as well as 106km of electric-only driving range in WLTC lab testing, and a 1400km-plus WLTC driving range in hybrid mode.

Fuel consumption is claimed to be as low as 1.0L/100km in optimal lab-test conditions.

With a near-flat battery – so charge in the battery sent to the electric motor is sourced primarily from energy recuperated under braking – Chery claims fuel consumption of 4.2L/100km in WLTC lab testing.

For context, the latest Toyota Camry Hybrid sedan – with a 2.5-litre 'plug-less' hybrid that operates similar to the Chery with a near-empty battery – claims fuel consumption of 4.0L/100km in similar Australian NEDC lab testing.

Harris said Chery Australia's focus is on growing sales of its expanding range of SUVs, before turning its attention to other types of vehicles.

"Obviously at the moment, the SUV segments are where all the action is, and that's why a lot of the other brands are in those segments as well, and that's where all the volume seems to be," he said.

"I don't see a departure from that anytime soon. And really, the focus for us is to do a good job with the models that we've got before we go with our cap in hand to the factory, asking for some other segments."