I was intrigued by the recent announcement from Chery that they were going to import a diesel plugin hybrid ute to Australia.
📌 The Core Development
With Australian highways abounding in diesel utes and petrol PHEVs (notably, the BYD Shark 6 and the Canon Alpha), why hasn’t this been done before? Carsguide touts the Chery Stockman diesel PHEV as not just a BYD competitor, but also a worthy challenger for the Ford Ranger.
It is difficult to find direct comparisons regarding the number of PHEV utes on Australian roads . The best I could do was the following: Although the data and time periods don’t totally match, they give the general direction of sales: From February 2025 to October 2026, BYD has sold 31,659 Shark 6 petrol hybrid utes. In the same time period, it appears that Great Wall (Canon Alpha PHEV) and Ford (Ranger PHEV) sold approximately the same numbers — possibly in the low thousands.
🔍 Background & Sector Context
It should be noted that the Ford Ranger only has 30 km of electric range — about a third of its Chinese rivals.
The Shark 6 has taken a bite out of Toyota and Ford sales, but has been criticised for lack of towing and carrying power compared to diesel models. This has been somewhat rectified by the introduction of a performance version — however, it carries a higher cost. Will the Chery Stockman solve the towing, carrying, and cost factors? For the moment, it looks like towing and carrying are equal to the Shark Performance. As well as the electric range.
📊 Industry & Real-World Impact
The Stockman diesel PHEV will be fitted with a 2.5 l turbo diesel as well as its electric motor. It will also be available as a petrol PHEV. Speculation is rife about pricing, with an expectation it will be priced to match the BYD Shark 6 (around AU$56,000). Reservations are now open, according to Chery’s official Australian webpage. You can see pictures here . “The Stockman does everything a serious ute should — hauls, tows, charges itself — and then somehow fits a luxury interior in there too. How? Honestly, don’t worry about it.” Echoes of a previous Queensland premier: “Don’t you worry about that.” Thanks, Joh. You can see him in action here .
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🔮 Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
Looking at Australia’s history with diesel utes, I was curious as to why a diesel PHEV has only just now been introduced. I have driven petrol cars for over 40 years, and at one point, we had three in the driveway. As life slowed down in retirement, we didn’t need all of those vehicles, but for the last few years we needed to keep them running. We called the cars Grace (Hyundai Sonata), Ruby (Hyundai Accent), and the grandfather of them all, George (a 1964 Wolseley). There were times when we just had to drive the car to make sure all the bits were working — “George/Ruby needs a run,” I would say.
I have never driven diesel, but my thinking is, if that is the case with petrol cars, what of diesel? What if I am using my new Chery Stockman diesel PHEV on electricity all the time for city commutes (I know, I know, who would do that?) and not using the diesel engine. Would that cause problems? I first turned to Professor Google to educate myself, and found this useful website .
