Chery Stockman: Australia Gets First Dibs on the World’s First Diesel Plug-In Hybrid Ute

The 2027 Chery Stockman will launch in Australia first — before China, South Africa or South America — with the first deliveries expected in February 2027, Cars Guide reported in an in-depth look published October 23. Australia is the explicit focus: local ride-and-handling experts Premcar have been conducting the Stockman’s development testing, with the first major round of feedback and adjustments already completed and the engineering team confident the launch date won’t move.

The powertrain is genuinely novel: a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder paired with an electric motor and a 34kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery under the tub, delivering 350kW and 800Nm to all four wheels. Electric range is rated at 96km on the WLTP cycle — beating the BYD Shark 6 Performance’s 80km and the Ford Ranger PHEV’s 50km — with a claimed combined consumption of 1.1L/100km. It’s a proper work truck too: double-wishbone front suspension with a leaf-sprung live axle on the diesel, 3,495kg braked towing (just 5kg shy of rivals), 765kg payload, front, centre and rear diff locks, and all-terrain tyres standard. A petrol PHEV version with 395kW and 1000Nm follows in the second half of 2027.

The strategy is a full-frontal assault on Australia’s ute establishment. The Stockman is slightly bigger than the HiLux and sized between the Ranger and full-size American trucks, and Chery is already taking pre-orders with $2,000 Bunnings vouchers and three free services for early reservations. At Chery’s global HQ, a Stockman decked out in Ironman 4x4 gear was parked on the lawn for visiting media — the brand is not subtle about where it intends to play. Pricing is expected to land near the BYD Shark 6’s $57,900 starting point.