Tag Archives: Chery

News

Chery Tried to Recreate Range Rover’s Legendary Heaven’s Gate Stunt – It Didn’t Go Well

Back in 2018, Range Rover pulled off one of the greatest pieces of automotive marketing ever recorded: a Range Rover Sport, piloted by a Le Mans–winning driver, conquering the 999 steps up to China’s Heaven’s Gate. The video—now sitting at 6.7 million views—was equal parts engineering flex and cinematic bravado, cementing itself as one of the brand’s most iconic “because we can” moments.

Naturally, someone was going to try it again.

Enter Chery, China’s fast-rising automaker, with a brand-new SUV called the Fulwin X3L—a hybrid off-roader whose design pays significant homage to the latest Land Rover and Range Rover silhouettes. In its top configuration, the X3L makes an impressive 422 horsepower, which Chery evidently felt was enough to warrant a headline-snatching spectacle of its own.

So the company brought a bright yellow example to the foot of Heaven’s Gate, lined it up with the ancient staircase, and hit record.

Spoiler: It didn’t reach the gate. Or even close.

Ground-level footage shows the Fulwin X3L powering up the steps with enthusiasm—until about the midway point, where enthusiasm turns into hesitation. The SUV begins to bog down. The driver digs deeper into the throttle, trying to claw toward the next landing. Instead, the X3L loses traction, slides backward, and violently impacts a stone barrier.

A shower of debris follows, some of it tumbling off the cliffside. The SUV, thankfully, stays put. The dignity? Less so.

Chery’s Explanation: Blame the Rope

Within hours, Chery issued a polished apology. The company explained that the November 12 test was “interrupted due to an unexpected incident” that drew “widespread attention”—corporate-speak for this was supposed to go viral for different reasons.

According to the automaker, a safety rope meant to serve as an emergency safeguard detached, became tangled in one of the X3L’s wheels, and drained power—leading to the backward slide and crash.

It’s unclear why a stunt meant to showcase power and capability needed a safety rope in the first place, but we digress.

A Historic Staircase, Now Slightly More Historic

Heaven’s Gate isn’t just a scenic photo op—it’s home to a centuries-old stone staircase leading to the 1,700-year-old Tianmen Cave, a sacred and heavily protected cultural landmark. Which means Chery’s failed stunt didn’t just dent an SUV; it damaged heritage infrastructure that predates the internal combustion engine by more than a millennium.

So yes, Chery does indeed have more apologizing to do.

Chery’s Fulwin X3L is probably a perfectly competent hybrid SUV. But engineering credibility isn’t earned by recreating someone else’s viral stunt—especially if the result is a high-profile, slow-motion failure on an irreplaceable historic monument.

Range Rover wrote the playbook at Heaven’s Gate.
Chery tried to photocopy it.
Unfortunately, the machine jammed.

Source: hongkong.newsupdates via Instagram

NEW CARS

iCaur V27: China’s Defender Slayer Rolls Up Its Sleeves

Move over Land Rover and Toyota — there’s a new tough guy on the block, and it’s wearing a badge you’ve probably never heard of. Meet the iCaur V27, a burly new 4×4 from Chinese car-making behemoth Chery, which has clearly been eyeing the Defender 110 and Land Cruiser with a mix of admiration and quiet menace.

At first glance, the V27 looks every inch the off-roader: boxy stance, upright proportions, and enough purposeful cladding to make it look like it’s ready to chew through Mongolia before breakfast. It’s the biggest model yet from iCaur (known as iCar back home in China — until Apple’s lawyers got twitchy). Still, despite its bulk, it’s actually a touch shorter and narrower than the Defender, which means it might just squeeze into a British car park without tears.

Underneath the rugged styling lies something much more modern: a range-extender hybrid setup. There’s a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine, but don’t expect it to drive the wheels — that’s not its job. Instead, it quietly hums away as a generator, feeding electrons to one or two electric motors depending on spec. In the dual-motor version, you’re looking at 449bhp, which means it’ll have enough grunt to fling its chunky frame up a muddy incline with a smug grin.

iCaur claims the V27 will go 124 miles on electric power alone, though that’s under China’s optimistic CLTC cycle — so maybe shave a few miles off in the real world. Combine the 33kWh battery with a full tank of fuel, however, and the total range balloons to over 621 miles. That’s Land Cruiser–beating endurance in theory, though we’ll need a real-world test to see if it delivers.

Inside? We’ll find out soon enough — the full interior reveal is pencilled in for 21 November. Expect lashings of leatherette, big screens, and more ambient lighting than a Shanghai nightclub.

Now for the kicker: price. In China, it starts at the equivalent of £27,000, which sounds laughably cheap for something with Defender aspirations. But once it crosses oceans and picks up taxes, shipping, and the usual “UK market adjustments,” it’ll likely land closer to the £50k+ mark. Still, if iCaur can maintain that spec-to-price ratio, Land Rover should start sweating.

And here’s the interesting bit: the V27’s platform is reportedly being evaluated for use in the upcoming Ineos Fusilier, suggesting that even the Brits are eyeing Chery’s engineering with interest. Not bad for a brand barely out of nappies.

With Chery, Omoda, and Jaecoo already gaining traction in the UK — the Jaecoo 7 even outsold the Nissan Qashqai last month — it’s clear that Chinese carmakers aren’t just knocking on the door anymore. They’re barging in, boots muddy and grins wide.

So when the iCaur V27 lands next year, expect more than raised eyebrows. Expect a proper showdown in the mud, the mountains, and maybe even the Waitrose car park.

Source: Autocar

News

How BYD, MG, and Chery Are Redrawing the European Automotive Map

The numbers don’t lie, and they’re loud enough to wake the old guard in Stuttgart, Wolfsburg, and Turin. According to the latest European market data, Chinese automakers have captured a record 7.4 percent share of the European passenger car market in September—an astonishing 149 percent increase year-over-year.

That’s not just a blip on the radar. It’s a seismic tremor shaking the foundations of an industry that long believed its dominance was untouchable.

A Permanent Shift, Not a Passing Storm

For years, European manufacturers shrugged off Chinese car brands as bargain-bin curiosities—cheap, forgettable, and destined to stay that way. But 2025 has other plans. The surge in Chinese sales represents not just aggressive pricing, but a structural transformation of the European automotive landscape.

While Europe’s traditional automakers wrestle with production slowdowns, cost inflation, and electrification headaches, China’s carmakers have slipped through the cracks with agile production, competitive hybrid technology, and relentless pricing discipline.

MG, the resurrected British badge now under SAIC’s control, is the headline act. In just nine months, 226,000 new MGs have found European homes—outpacing Fiat, Seat, Tesla, Suzuki, and a host of other established brands. At this rate, MG is on track to shatter last year’s 243,000-unit record, cementing its place as a mainstream player rather than an outsider.

BYD’s Meteoric Rise

If MG is the dependable volume seller, BYD is the shock-and-awe specialist. The Shenzhen-based powerhouse delivered 120,000 cars in nine months, a 300 percent leap that left Honda, Mitsubishi, and Mazda in its rearview mirror.

That’s right—BYD sold more cars in Europe than Honda and Mitsubishi combined. For an automaker that only recently began its European push, that’s staggering momentum. The brand’s secret? A diverse lineup that spans from affordable hybrids to premium EVs like the Seal and the Atto 3—vehicles that have managed to charm both budget buyers and tech enthusiasts alike.

The UK: China’s Launchpad

Interestingly, the United Kingdom has emerged as the epicenter of this Chinese surge. Nearly half of all Chinese-brand sales in Europe are happening there, helped by the UK’s two-year registration cycle and lower 10 percent import tariffs—a relative bargain compared to the EU’s newly introduced levies on Chinese-built EVs.

In the UK, BYD’s sales have increased sixfold in a single month, while Chery’s Omoda and Jaecoo hybrid SUVs have found a sweet spot among cost-conscious families looking for modern design and generous equipment lists without the European premium.

Combined, Chery’s twin brands have sold over 73,000 units in nine months—a tenfold increase from last year. Geely isn’t sitting still either, reporting 48,000 sales, up 51 percent, while Leapmotor, a name few in Europe had even heard twelve months ago, has exploded by almost 80 times, hitting 16,500 units.

Tariffs? What Tariffs?

The European Union’s recent tariffs on Chinese-built EVs were meant to slow this rising tide. So far, they’ve been about as effective as a speed bump on a racetrack. Instead of retreating, Chinese automakers have shifted strategy, flooding the market with hybrids and small petrol models—vehicles that sidestep the tariff wall while keeping prices irresistibly low.

It’s a tactical masterstroke: adapt, diversify, and keep the ships coming.

What’s Next?

Europe, once the uncontested capital of automotive engineering, is now finding itself on the defensive. As consumers warm up to Chinese brands—thanks to tech-laden cabins, long warranties, and sharp pricing—the question isn’t whether they’ll stay. It’s how far they’ll go.

Chinese automakers aren’t just entering the European market—they’re embedding themselves within it. And if the current trajectory holds, the “Made in China” label could soon become as common in European driveways as “Made in Germany.”

For Europe’s legacy giants, the message is clear: adapt fast, or risk being written into the history books by the very brands they once dismissed.

Source: Automotive News