The 2027 Chery Stockman is already locked-in for Australia with just about all the specifications confirmed aside from the price.
During the 2026 Chery International User Summit, Australian media were given a chance to examine the Stockman by its Chief of Product Mark Qi.
For a look beyond the numbers at the incoming ute, he gave media a run-down of the engineering and design choices made for the plug-in hybrid diesel ute.
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As a quick refresher, the Stockman is powered by a 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine with 350kW and 800Nm outputs.
A 34kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery is able to be charged at up to 70kW on DC and when full allows an EV driving range of up to 96km under WLTP testing.
It has an 80-litre fuel tank for diesel, an unusual choice of fuel for a plug-in hybrid.
It's got a 3495kg braked towing capacity, just short of the 3500kg many utes are benchmarked at.
Design details of the 2027 Chery Stockman
Chery Stockman Chief of Product Mark Qi said the intention with the Stockman was to capitalise on the popularity of 'boxy' design of modern utes while also incorporating references to traditional Chinese design.
The round headlights and the layout of the LEDs were chosen as a reference to Chinese traditional wooden architecture elements, he told media.
The front bumper is designed so that when it's removed to be replaced with a bullbar or nudge-bar, it looks better-integrated with the front-end.
There are fixed points for mounting across the car, flanking the bonnet for spotlights or in the tray for mounting storage elements or other accoutrements.
There's a surprising amount of small details that speak to the engineers having spent a fair bit of time around utes and knowing what kind of things the people who drive utes might need in their vehicles.
The tailgate, for example, has a way to be fixed half-open to allow dirtbikes for example to be transported while helping prevent them rolling out.
Inside, the combination of practicality and play is on display - there's a removable bluetooth speaker mounted in the dash for camping or barbecues, while the rear seats can be folded up for more floor space for tall objects or down to provide a flat surface for wider objects.
The Chery Stockman's unique diesel PHEV drivetrain
The big question around the Stockman's unusual diesel PHEV running gear is the potential for diesel particulate filter (DPF) issues if the engine is not always running and therefore not hot enough to regenerate or 'burn off' the trapped carbon build-up.
Rather than avoiding the engine being used too much, the system lets the engine run as it needs to and collects the energy expelled to improve efficiency and power where needed.
This means the Stockman's system won't avoid using the engine especially when it's time for the DPF to be regenerated. To do this, the ute's P1 electric motor mounted to the crankshaft can help get the engine to a state where regeneration is possible.
"The P1 motor can very quickly help the engine to a good speed," Mark Qi said.
He also pointed out the engine's ability to charge the battery means on the highway in particular, the engine can run a DPF regeneration at the same time it's charging the battery.
In addition, the engine in the Stockman won't stop-start the same way petrol engines do in PHEVs. Instead the engine will run longer if it's required to turn on, and use the time it runs to charge the battery.
Australia the focus for Chery Stockman
The 2027 Chery Stockman will launch in Australia first, before China, South Africa, South America or any other ute-loving market in the world.
To this end, the Stockman's Australian testing has been undertaken by local ride and handling experts Premcar to ensure suitable behaviour on and off the road.
Mark Qi told media the first major round of feedback and adjustments have been undertaken and now the brand is awaiting feedback on the improved version of the ute before it's signed off.
The launch is expected for February 2027, so the amount of time Chery has for more adjustments is narrowing, but the engineering team seems confident the launch date won't move.
The importance of Australia was also on display at Chery's global HQ with a Stockman decked out in Ironman 4X4 equipment parked on the lawn alongside numerous new and modified models from Chery's many sub-brands.